Oakland police have many watchdogs

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 5/23/5 | Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

[SmithL]

There have been 2,783 burglaries, 2,712 car thefts and 28 homicides so far this year in Oakland -- but when it comes to investigations, it turns out the biggest unit in the embattled Police Department is the one investigating the cops themselves.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" said acting Chief Wayne Tucker.

Indeed it is. There are 700 cops in the city. The homicide unit has 10 officers, burglary has 11, robbery 13 and sex crimes 22.

And internal affairs? Twenty-three full-time investigators and brass.

By comparison, San Francisco, with nearly triple the number of cops -- 2,152 -- has an internal affairs unit of only eight officers.

San Jose, with 1,369 officers, has an internal affairs unit of 10.

The reason behind Oakland's big number can be summed up in one word -- "Riders." They're the four cops who were accused of falsifying police reports, planting evidence and beating suspects in West Oakland.

So far the case has resulted in two mistrials after juries either acquitted the cops involved or couldn't come to a verdict

[Tacis]

"Riders" is one answer, of course. But, I'll be very surprised if some Oakland politician (or local pastor) doen't commit political suicide by pointing out that Oakland has a very high percentage of minority cops.

[old school]

You don't know the half of it! The so-called "Riders" trial was a political witch-hunt, orchestrated by the cop-hating members of city government, (which includes just about everybody), in collusion with a weak chief of police and the district attorney. The cops have been tried twice, unsuccessfully! The consent decree, overseen by a very "liberal" federal judge has made eunuchs out of the cops and stifled law-enforcement in that city; a city by the way, which has thrice the crime of san francisco, and less than half the amount of cops!

[Horatio Gates]

10 homicide investigators? 23 on the rat squad? PC run amuk