Oakland Police Pointed Gun At Toddler During Misdemeanor Probe
OAKLAND (KCBS) - Two Oakland police officers recently pointed their guns at a sleeping toddler while investigating a misdemeanor case, according to the court-appointed monitor overseeing the Oakland Police Department.
A quarterly report released Thursday by the monitor, Robert Warshaw, mentions the incident involving a 19-month-old child as part of a larger review of use of force by Oakland police from July to September of 2012.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
Oakland Police Pointed Gun At Toddler During Misdemeanor Investigation
The revelation was disturbing to Jim Chanin, one of the attorneys who prosecuted the Riders police corruption trial that led to the court-ordered reforms.
"If true, it's just extremely troubling and also symptomatic of the fact that OPD has a long way to go, despite the fact there are really a number of officers doing a good job," Chanin said.
Warshaw's team of former police officers and police chiefs tasked with tracking the progress implementing the reforms finds the Oakland Police Department moving from "stagnation to decline" and complying less than previously.
John Burris, another attorney in the Riders case, said the latest findings contradict recent assertions from Mayor Jean Quan and Police Chief Howard Jordan that the department has been making steady progress.
"Our view is that the tragic process was not working, that we were not making the kind of progress that was needed, and the monitors reports for the last several months have certainly indicated that," Burris said.
The Police Department has not commented on the report, but officials promised it would issue a written response.
Judge Thelton Henderson will name a compliance director for the OPD in the next few weeks.
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