Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced today several immediate changes to enhance staffing and increase support to the Oakland Police Department were about to happen -- including bringing back 10 lad-off Police officers.

“I’ve been mayor for almost a month now. I have been meeting regularly with the Police Chief and his command staff, listening to rank and file officers at their line-ups, and talking with the court-ordered monitors of the Negotiated Settlement Agreement. At the same time, I’ve been working to develop an accurate baseline budget for the City of Oakland, " said Quan. " Today, in response to their concerns, I am announcing the beginning of changes that will provide more support and resources to the men and women of the Oakland Police Department.”

“First of all, last week there were problems with the dispatch system for OPD. I want to thank IT and police staff for working through the weekend. They believe they found the problem. It seemed to be a problem in the settings for the dispatch system. And to make sure that problems don’t recur, Police and IT will hold regular meetings to monitor the function of Police dispatch system.”

In addition to that, Quan announced that the City will bring back 10 of 80 police officers laid off in last July. “This is somewhat of an aggressive schedule, but based on our attrition and fiscal projections this will keep us in line with our budget, " says Quan.

As of last Friday, the City increased the number of active sergeants by promoting four officers to enhance supervision.

Quan also said, “OPD has been doing their part to keep their overtime costs in line. I’m doing mine to provide as many resources as the City can afford.  I hope to do more based on negotiations with the OPOA and new federal and private grants as part of the next budget.”

About Susan Mernit

Susan Mernit is the founder of Oakland Local. She is also a circuit rider for The Community Information Challenge, a program of The John S and James L Knight Foundation, and a consultant to non-profit and community organizations. Susan lives in North Oakland, near the Santa Fe school, with her partner Andy, her housemate, a big old dog named Winston, and a yard full of ants. She is an aspiring gardener, a long-time blogger & entrepreneur, and a recovering journalist.