Final Attempt to Avoid Police Layoffs
OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS)- Talks continue between the city of Oakland and the union representing police officers to try to avoid 80 layoffs that would go into effect Monday night.
Police Chief Anthony Batts finished speaking with reporters this morning where he laid out what he called a re-engineering of the police department issuing an entire list of calls the police will no longer answer if these layoffs go through.
The list includes; burglary, grand theft, noise violations, obtaining money by false voucher, and identity theft.
The status of the negotiations is unknown as they take place in Mayor Ron Dellums office in City Hall.
The union has agreed to pay 9 percent of their pension plan, but in exchange they want a guarantee of three years of no layoffs, but the city has said they can't agree to that concession due to their own financial situation.
The layoffs would go into effect around midnight Chief Batts calls the officers some of his best and brightest and says some were even on the line last Thursday during the civil unrest of the Johannes Mehserle verdict.
Batts added that his officers kept their cool in that situation and that they should keep their heads up and that they should go ahead and apply for other jobs if the layoffs go through, but added that the Oakland Police Department would love to have them back in uniform.
