We thought this hiring was already done in December, but it turns out that Bill Bratton, formerly Chief of Police in L.A., still needed formal Council approval to begin his consulting gig with the OPD, and that approval came last night after another epically long, emotional meeting full of public commentary that went into the wee hours of this morning.
Most at issue are Bratton's stop-and-frisk and zero tolerance polices, but Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan assured the crowd that stop-and-frisk would not be Oakland's policy, even if it had been Bratton's in other cities. Nevertheless, many activists and community members came out to voice their disapproval of the hiring, and advocate for civil rights over the perception of a police state.
The troubled police force certainly needs the help, and Bratton succeeded in brining double-digit crime reductions to both L.A. and earlier to New York, where he was police commissioner in the 90s.
Bratton is regarded as an international expert in combating gang violence and crime reduction, and the Council suggested the hire last month in order to tackle Oakland's perennial crime problem, which saw a notable uptick in 2012, and the murders of 131 people. That homicide count made 2012 an even bloodier year than 2008, when the number hit 125.
Today's Forum with Michael Krasny was devoted to the topic of Bratton, and you can hear the discussion here.
