Oakland Police Union to Speak at 9:30 a.m. Today at Council Meeting to Oppose Any Cuts to OPD, Elimination of Special Units, Saying Public Safety, Neighborhoods Will Suffer
Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – Oakland Police Union President Sgt. Huy Nguyen and Vice President. Sgt. Tim Dolan will speak at today’s 9:30 a.m. meeting of the Oakland City Council to oppose any cuts to the Oakland Police Department because of devastating impacts to a city already reeling from crime.
Below is the text of a news release issued by OPOA about the city’s proposed cuts to police and police services:
The Oakland City Council will slash police services, eliminate special units, cut overtime, and cancel two police academies as part of its plan to address a massive budget deficit, according to the Oakland Police Officers Union.
“The City’s newly released report on budget cuts is unacceptable and devastating to public safety,” said Huy Nguyen, OPOA president. “The OPOA executive board met today, Friday, to get details from Police Chief Floyd Mitchell to discuss implementation of the proposed budget cuts. All we know right now is a cut of more than $32 million to an already struggling police force is going to have dire impacts on police officers, Oakland residents and neighborhoods.”
“The cuts as we understand them at this time will deal a devastating blow to a city already reeling from crime,” Nguyen said. “Oakland is a ship without a captain or a rudder. The council majority is creating a public safety disaster and has no idea how bad the problem will be or how to address it.”
Specifically, the city will clip over $32 million from the police budget, including cutting overtime, which will lead to the elimination of police services, special units and two planned police academies next year.
“The Oakland Police Department is already understaffed. That is why the city has relied on overtime, because there aren’t enough available officers to adequately respond to the increasing 911 calls. The city’s decision to eviscerate the Police Department will result in more crime, more businesses leaving over safety issues, and an increasingly dangerous city for residents and businesses,” Nguyen added.
The OPOA said the city will eliminate two upcoming police academies that provide new officers to the city, but will allow a current class, which graduates Dec. 20, to be completed. Eliminating police academies along with anticipated retirements will result in historic and dangerous low levels of staffing.
The OPOA said it will be demanding more information today after its meeting with Chief Mitchell on what special units will be cut or reduced. The OPOA will continue to urge Chief Mitchell and the Council to abandon the proposed reductions and find alternatives to address the budget deficit that has been facing the City this entire year.
Further, the city will lay off 91 city employees after the holidays. If the City had addressed the budget deficit early in 2024, perhaps half the number of employees would have lost their jobs and the cuts to the Police Department would be less ominous.
“The Council majority could have acted sooner to address its gross mismanagement of taxpayer monies, but instead it waited until the 11th hour to address its own incompetence, harming the city, its residents and our future,” Nguyen said.