Oakland NAACP Partners With City and Police to Recruit New Officers

The Oakland branch of the NAACP announced Monday that it is partnering with the city and police department to recruit new officers.

At a press conference alongside Councilmember Charlene Wang and representatives from Mayor Barbara Lee’s office, local NAACP leaders said volunteers will visit churches and community events to encourage residents to apply to join the force, which is still struggling to emerge from more than 20 years of federal oversight. The department was placed under consent decree in 2003 after more than 100 Oakland citizens alleged sadistic beatings, evidence tampering and other abuses by a group of OPD officers known as the Riders.

“Now, I know there are many people out there wondering why in the world is the NAACP partnering with OPD, given some of the negative and bad history of OPD in this community,” said retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, a member of the NAACP executive committee.

Harbin-Forte explained that most of the victims she saw while on the criminal court bench were African Americans and other people of color.

“We are partnering because our community needs the help, and the NAACP is a community organization.”

According to OPD, the department currently has 644 sworn officers, including 511 available for full-duty, far below the 877, a recent city-commissioned study said are needed. Last week, OPD announced it would reassign half a dozen traffic cops to patrol duty due to ongoing staffing challenges.

Wang, who chairs the city’s Public Safety Committee, said those challenges feel personal.

“I still think about the three police officers that came to me in 2018 and saved my life,” she said, describing how she survived an incident of domestic violence. “We need hometown heroes … If you act with integrity, if you want to help us solve this crime, please sign up.”

Lee’s office said the recruitment push will draw from existing budget allocations, including funds for five police academies and marketing to fill them.

“Mayor Lee is committed to getting to 700 officers as approved by voters under the NN Measure,” said Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Lee’s public safety director.

Oakland’s NAACP is not completely alone in its decision to help lead a police recruiting campaign — a Baltimore County chapter made a similar commitment in December. But the Bay Area group’s recent positions on public safety have drawn heat from other Black leaders in Oakland who have criticized the NAACP for aligning with conservative political voices, spreading misinformation and deviating from the national NAACP’s traditional role as a police watchdog and advocate for reform.

In 2023, the group called for a “state of emergency” over rising crime, which members blamed on antipolice rhetoric and progressive politics. Harbin-Forte also led the recall effort against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, until she stepped down to run for Oakland city attorney.

Councilmember Carroll Fife is critical of Oakland’s NAACP leadership but said that she believes Lee “is doing exactly what she was elected to do” in bringing people together, even those with disparate voices.

Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams agreed.

“We are a nonpartisan organization,” she said. “We’re here to make sure that our city is safe for everyone. No more division in Oakland. It’s over as of this day.”

The next police academy class begins Nov. 8, and city officials said they hope to fill all 40 seats.

Sept. 26: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Harbin-Forte led the recall effort against former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. She led the recall campaign against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, which was backed by the Oakland NAACP. The story has been edited to correct the inaccuracy.