ninth-report.pdf

Independent Monitoring Team Ninth Status Report of the Independent Monitor Delphine Allen, et al., v. City of Oakland, et al. May 13, 2006, to November 30, 2006 Page 52 During this reporting period, OPD completed the following critical subsidiary use of force policies: General Order C-4, Safety Equipment; General Order K-9, Department Canine Program; Training Bulletin III-B.4, Handcuffing Techniques; Training Bulletin V-G, Use of Police Canines; Training Bulletin III-H.1, Use of Taser; Training Bulletin III-H.2, Use of Handheld Impact Weapons; Training Bulletin V-F.2, Use of Chemical Agents; Training Bulleing III-X, Deadly Force and Vehicles; and Training Bulletin III-N, Recognizing and Handling Mentally Disturbed People. The Court ordered completion of the majority of the subsidiary policies by August 1, 2006, and the remaining policies by October 1, 2006, with training on all policies to be completed no later than December 30, 2006. OPD met the policy publication deadlines and has reported that it already has met or is on target to meet the training deadlines established by the Court. The IMT will verify OPD’s training figures and report on them in our next status report. Like the new use of force reporting policies, the new use of force investigation policies also represent a significant enhancement over prior policy. Consistent with contemporary law enforcement standards, the new policies require OPD supervisors to respond to the field when officers use certain types of force and to review these incidents for consistency with the law and OPD policies, procedures, and training. Supervisors are also required to assess whether officers used proper tactics; reasonable verbal means to attempt to resolve incidents without force, if time and circumstances permitted; and whether the force was de-escalated or stopped when appropriate. During the upcoming reporting periods, the IMT will determine whether OPD’s actual practices comply with this Settlement Agreement provision. 3. Use of Force Review Board (UFRB) (Task 26; S.A. V.C.) a. Settlement Agreement Requirements • By July 20, 2004, OPD must develop and implement a policy to enhance the Use of Force Review Board. The Settlement Agreement sets forth certain criteria that must be included in this policy. b. Status of Compliance and Assessment The compliance deadline for this task occurred in July 2004. During the last reporting period, OPD completed General Order K-4.1, Force Review Boards. This policy incorporates the Settlement Agreement’s requirements for this task. OPD also trained over 95% of relevant personnel on this policy. OPD committed substantial time and energy to this project and was able to complete both the policy and training by the court-ordered deadlines. During the upcoming reporting periods, the IMT will determine whether OPD’s actual practices comply with this Settlement Agreement provision.