This interview aired in the February 9, 2026 episode of Crosscurrents.
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Oakland’s Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003.
It began after a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of 119 residents, most of them Black men, who alleged that multiple Oakland police officers had beaten and planted evidence on them. The federal oversight would not be lifted until the OPD enacted 52 internal reforms following the lawsuit that highlighted police corruption and would become known as the “Riders Scandal.”
They have remained under Federal control for the past 23 years. Last month, the City of Oakland tried to convince the U.S. District Court to end the federal oversight of their police department.
The city is arguing that most of the reforms have been accomplished and the OPD was ready to complete the rest -- without federal oversight. But many, including civil rights attorneys and some community leaders, are skeptical.
Roselyn Romero is a criminal justice reporter with Oaklandside.
KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid spoke to Romero, about the recent hearing and the road ahead for Oakland and the OPD.