The Anti Police-Terror Project Decries News of Further Corruption Within the Oakland Police Dept, Demands Transparent and Public Accounting of Internal Affairs Activity

The Anti Police-Terror Project demands an independent investigation following the news that at least two internal affairs investigators have received termination notices and several others are set to be disciplined following their collective failure to discipline Phong Tran. Tran, a former OPD officer, faces charges following a criminal accusation that he committed perjury and bribed witnesses to testify falsely in order to wrongfully convict two innocent men of murder.

This incident is one of several “botched” internal investigations over the last several years. Notable failures include the cover-up that led to the ouster of ex-Chief LeRonne Armstrong and the department-wide rape and sex trafficking scandal nearly a decade ago. These incidents occur in the wake of the still active federal consent decree that OPD has been under for the last several decades.

“We have always known that the police cannot investigate themselves. We are also clear that the Oakland Police Department, currently $30 million over budget during a financial crisis, is perpetually in scandal. We need the ability to hold this department accountable for the crimes it commits before someone else is harmed,” said James Burch, deputy director of APTP.

This scandal reaches to the highest levels of the Oakland Police Department: Drennon Lindsey, OPD Deputy Chief in Charge of Investigations (and ex-Chief Amstrong’s spouse), and Mega Lee, the lead internal affairs investigator, have received notices of termination. It is clear that the entire investigatory arm of the Oakland Police Department needs to be reviewed to provide relief to the Oaklanders who have undoubtedly had their rights violated and to hold the department accountable.

“The only people surprised by this are those who have buried their heads in the sand in the wake of decades and decades of corruption inside of the Oakland Police Department. Corruption that was covered up by former mayoral administrations and protected by their police association. This revelation is particularly important in the wake of the public debate about the legitimacy of Mayor Thao’s termination of former Chief Armstrong. Armstrong not only oversaw some of the most deadly years of street violence in Oakland, he oversaw many years of high levels of corruption. There is no way that Armstrong was not aware of his wife Drennon Lindsey’s behavior. What is more likely is that this is an institutionalized and accepted practIce inside of OPD, as it is in police departments around the country. This is not about individuals - it's about the violent and corrupt nature of policing as a whole. Accountability and transparency are what is critical in this immediate moment, but the long term need is to build a system of public safety that is rooted in humanity, prevention, justice and equity that actually protects, serves and promotes true community safety. OPD is not, nor will it ever be, that.” said Cat Brooks, executive director & co-founder of APTP.

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Anti Police-Terror Project is a Black-led, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition that seeks to build a replicable and sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. We support families surviving police terror in their fight for justice, documenting police abuses and connecting impacted families and community members with resources, legal referrals, and opportunities for healing.