Oakland Police Say Officer Acted Within Policy Detaining Firefighter And His Kids, Video Released
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Video has surfaced of a tense situation between a white Oakland police officer and a black off-duty firefighter outside the fire station where he worked. Meanwhile, police said the officer was "within policy" during the incident.
The video, from the officer's chest camera, is dark. But it shows what happened during an Oakland firefighter's encounter with the officer.
"I'm an Oakland firefighter. That's my truck right there," firefighter Keith Jones told the officer.
In an interview last week with KPIX 5, Jones said he and his 9-year-old and 12-year-old sons were passing by Station 29 when he noticed a door to the station was ajar. Before he could close it, Jones and his sons were approached by a police officer.
"I'm pretty much thinking he was going to shoot me," Jones said last week.
Jones said he was worried that he would be shot and wondered aloud whether race played a factor in the officer's response. "If we were white, I truly believe he would not have approached my kids that way," he said.
In the video, Jones is heard consoling his crying son. But moments later, the officer asks for Jones' ID. Jones hands it over, and the officer apologizes.
In a statement released with the video, Oakland's police chief said the officer "acted within policy" and said the department has a "commitment to transparency."
Jones, who had requested an Internal Affairs investigation, initially agreed to another interview with KPIX 5 after the video was released, but did not return repeated calls and text messages asking for comment Wednesday night.