Negotiations Continue as Clock Ticks on OPD Jobs
OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) Oakland officials are still trying to reach a last-minute agreement to prevent the layoffs of 80 of the city's 776 police officers, city of Oakland spokeswoman Karen Boyd said today.
City officials met with leaders of the Oakland Police Officers Association until late Monday, and the City Council is in a closed session today to discuss the situation. She said the council met in closed session at 4 p.m. Monday and resumed its meeting at 10:30 a.m. today.
Oakland police spokesman Officer Jeff Thomason said the Police Department isn't counting on a last-minute agreement, so the officers who are slated to be laid off are already coming into police headquarters to turn in their equipment and fill out paperwork.
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"Either we'll have a deal and we'll all come out together and do a press conference, or we won't have an agreement by 5 p.m.," said Council President Jane Brunner.
The City Council voted June 25 to eliminate 80 police officer positions to help close the city's $32.5 million funding gap.
City leaders have been meeting with the police union for more than a month to try to get the union to contribute 9 percent of the cost of their retirement benefits, but talks have been successful so far. Other city employees contribute that amount to their pension costs.
The union has agreed to have officers contribute 9 percent of their pension costs but in return is asking that no officers hired before March 21, 2009, when four officers were killed by a wanted parolee, be laid off for the next three years. The city says it can't make such a guarantee because of its precarious budget situation.
Police Chief Anthony Batts said Monday that if the layoffs aren't averted police will focus on responding to 911 calls and won't respond to many non-emergency calls.
Instead, people calling about certain situations that are not life-threatening will be directed to an online system called "cop logic" to file a police report. Among a list of 44 crimes in that category are burglary, theft, embezzlement, extortion, vandalism, identity theft and illegal dumping.
