The Oakland Police Department (OPD) has been released from federal oversight by a district judge, concluding a 23-year arrangement that was the longest of its kind in US history.
The oversight began in 2003 as part of a settlement for more than 100 civil lawsuits filed against the department. These lawsuits followed the exposure of a group of officers, known as the "riders" in the early 2000s, for alleged offenses including planting evidence, falsifying reports, and using excessive force.
Despite the reform programme, which included over 50 tasks, issues persisted. The department's reforms were placed under the direct control of a federal judge in 2012. Scandals have continued since then, including allegations in 2015 that several OPD officers sex-trafficked a teenage girl, leading to firings or suspensions for nearly a dozen officers.
Following the judge's decision, the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) stated that the end of federal oversight does not mean an end to police misconduct or that the department should be free of scrutiny.