Oakland police doing best job ever in complying on reforms

Oakland police are doing the best job they ever have complying with reforms that a U.S. District Court ordered up more than a decade ago, their federal overseer said Tuesday.

The monitor, Robert Warshaw, wrote in an 81-page report that police were making good progress toward completing all 22 changes required to end federal oversight.

In particular, the department installed a computer system that can track the activity of police officers and warn commanders about officers who use excessive force, Warshaw wrote. He also credited the department with conducting Force Review Boards in a more professional manner, improving a database of officer conduct, and beginning to analyze data about the race of people stopped by police.

"We commend the department for these strides," he wrote in the report that covers the first quarter of 2014. "The mayor, the new city administrator, and the recent and permanent appointment of Chief Sean Whent have all contributed to the progress that the Department has made."

The department is in compliance with 17 of the 22 tasks required in the 2003 reform plan that settled a lawsuit accusing four Oakland police officers of running roughshod over residents of West Oakland.

Although compliance is at its highest level since monitoring began, Warshaw said the department still has work to do.

"While commendable, (police are) not yet in compliance," he wrote. Referring to the information on the race of people stopped by police, he wrote: "It remains to be seen how the Department will use the collected data."

In a statement, Whent said the Police Department "remains committed to making the necessary adjustments to bring the remaining tasks into full compliance."

Mayor Jean Quan said in a separate statement that she was pleased with Warshaw's report.

"It is no coincidence that our reform efforts are continuing to pick up steam as our major crime rates are all falling: Police are most effective when they are accountable and have the trust of the communities they serve," Quan said.