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Hiring New Cops is Good - But Let’s Try and Keep the Police Officers We Have.
Dec 07, 2021
Contact: Oakland Police Officers' Association
Phone: (510) 834-9670
Email: policeofficers@opoa.org
December 6, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hiring New Cops is Good - But Let’s Try and Keep the Police Officers We Have.
Will Oakland City Council Members Finally Accept that Defund-the-Police Has Failed?
OAKLAND – The day before the Oakland City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution to hire more police officers, amid rising violent crime, the Oakland Police Officers’ Association wrote to council members supporting efforts to hire more police officers but urged steps to retain dedicated police officers that are leaving in droves. The letter suggests council members start by thanking Oakland Police Officers for their service in person over the holidays. (See letter attached)
“The anti-police rhetoric by members of the city council that voted to defund the police, is driving scores of dedicated Oakland Police Officers to leave. Hiring new police officers is great, but we must work to keep the officers we have. A small step in the right direction would be for council members to say, “thank you” in person to the hardworking police officers who strive to serve Oakland’s residents. I challenge every council member to do just that,” said Oakland Police Officers' Association President Barry Donelan.
Despite a dwindling number of police officers, and rising violent crime (129 homicides), Oakland’s finest solved ten (10) homicides in November and year to date have recovered 1,115 firearms from Oakland’s violent streets. Thank you for being America’s hardest-working police officers.
About the Oakland Police Officers’ Association: The Oakland Police Officers’ Association (OPOA) represents all sworn members at all ranks within the Oakland Police Department. Representing the hardest working Police Officers in America. The OPOA can be found on the Web at www.opoa.org.
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Letter to Council - December 6
Oakland City Council
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, City Hall
Oakland, CA 94607
Re: Support for Item #9 - Budget Amendment for Police Academies
Dear Council Member(s)
I am writing on behalf of Oakland’s hardworking police officers in support of the item#9 on the council agenda tomorrow - resolution amending the budget for more police academies. Oakland’s police staffing crisis in the face of escalating violent crime is real. This resolution is one step toward addressing the problem. However, academies alone are not a panacea. Oakland Police Officers are leaving in droves. In the last five months scores of your trained and experienced police officers have left, four just this week, for the following law enforcement agencies:
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office *
Alameda County District Attorney’s Inspectors*
Alameda Police Department
Concord Police Department
Fremont Police Department*
Hayward Police Department*
Menifee Police Department
Pittsburg Police Department
Placer County Sheriffs’ Office*
Pleasanton Police Department
City of Orange Police Department
Manteca Police Department
Santa Rosa Police Department*
San Francisco District Attorney’s Office
Walnut Creek Police Department
Out of State Police Agencies*
After voting in favor of the resolution (item#9), I urge you to also examine your interactions with Oakland’s dedicated police officers. Maligning officers and blaming them for Oakland’s ills only adds to the stream of cops leaving for other agencies.
Consider trying to keep the police officers you have, in addition to hiring more. A small step toward that goal would be to thank Oakland Police Officers for their service. Attend a shift change (patrol “line-up”) over the holidays, there are ten each day. Once there, thank your police officers for their service and commit to work with them, rather than against them, in service of our residents. A simple act of thanks for those working hard to serve our city during challenging times.
Yours sincerely,
Barry Donelan
President
Oakland Police Officers’ Association
Oakland Police Officers' Association
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