Police Commission

The purpose of the Oakland Police Commission is to oversee the Oakland Police Department to ensure its policies, practices, and customs conform to national standards of constitutional policing, and to oversee the Office of the Inspector General, led by the civilian Office of Inspector General for the Department, as well as the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA), led by the Executive Director of the Agency, which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline. The Police Commission is comprised of seven regular and two alternate members, enabled by Oakland City Code section 604. All commissioners are Oakland residents and serve in a volunteer capacity.

BECOME A POLICE COMMISSIONER

Interested in joining the Police Commission?

APPLY TODAY!!!

APPLICATION DEADLINE - April 25, 2025.

For language assistance, contact (510) 238-3301.

Click Here to Access the Application   

Completed applications must be received by April 25, 2025, by mail, hand-delivery, or email as follows:

Mail or Hand-Delivery
(Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Selection Panel for Police Commission
c/o City Administrator’s Office
1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 3rd Floor
Oakland, CA 94612

Email: CityAdministratorsOffice@oaklandca.gov
Subject Line: Police Commission Application

For assistance or additional information, please contact:
City Administrator’s Office
CityAdministratorsOffice@oaklandca.gov
(510) 238-3301
 

Police Commission Statements & News

OPD Pursuit Policy Updates

🚨 Click Here: Statement from the Chair of the Police Commission
RE: Adequate Funding for Effective, Legally Mandated Civilian Police Oversight

In response to concerns shared during the January 23, 2025, Regular Police Commission meeting regarding the proposed budget cuts to the Oakland Police Commission (OPC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Community Police Review Agency (CPRA).

🚨🚨🚨 FAQ: City of Oakland (City Council) Public Safety Committee vs. Oakland Police Commission

When the OPC is the Right Choice:

If you are filing a police misconduct complaint

If you want to challenge OPD policies on discipline, use of force, or officer accountability

If you believe OPD officers engaged in misconduct, racial profiling, or excessive force

When the OPC May Not Be the Right Choice:

Crime Prevention & Public Safety Policies → If your concern is about overall crime rates, community safety programs, or emergency response, the City of Oakland Public Safety Committee (City Council) is the better venue.

OPD Staffing, Budgets & Policy Decisions → The Police Commission does not control police funding or staffing levels—these are decided by the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.

General Public Safety Concerns → If your issue is about fire safety, emergency services, or crime prevention programs, the City Council Public Safety Committee handles those, not OPC.

Immediate Police Response Issues → If you're reporting a crime in progress or have concerns about OPD’s patrol response, you should contact OPD directly or bring concerns to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee if they are about systemic issues.

The OPC ensures police accountability, but broader public safety issues should be directed to the City Council Public Safety Committee.

GET INVOLVED

The Police Commission meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month.

Meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chamber. All meeting dates and times are subject to change.

The Oakland Police Commission is committed to transparency in how we do our work. Recognizing that not all our meetings are open to the public, and sometimes work is completed outside of meetings and status is provided at the meeting - this does not ever prohibit community or any stakeholder from reaching out and getting involved.

Members of the public are always welcome, invited and encouraged to share ideas, views, concerns, suggested language edits and perspectives on anything - in particular any OPD policy the Oakland Police Commission is reviewing.

Ways to engage the Commission:

  • Via email directly to a Commissioner
  • Via voice message when you call 510.238.2187
  • Via public comment during open forum portions of Police Commission Meetings (second and fourth Thursday evening of every month)

Join Meetings

Access Past Meetings

Upcoming / Future Agenda Items

Subscribe to Distribution List

Your Voice Matters: Meeting Question/Comment Submission Form (24 hours before meetings)

Join Ad Hoc Committees

🚨 FEATURED PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
COMMUNITY AD HOC MEMBER SIGN-UP DEADLINE: TUESDAY, 4/22 AT 12 NOON

Are you interested in serving as a Community Member on an Ad Hoc Committee? Now’s your chance to get involved!

🔗 Sign Up Here for Community Ad Hoc Participation
📅 Deadline: Tuesday, April 22 at 12:00 PM (Noon)

🎥 Want to learn more?
🔗 Watch Past Ad Hoc Meeting Recordings HERE

 

The Police Commission welcomes community members who are interested in joining Ad Hoc Committees. Please indicate which committee(s) you would like to participate in.  

Meeting dates will be provided once the final roster of members for each Ad Hoc Committee has been confirmed.

All of the following Ad Hoc Committee meetings are also open to the public. Community members are encouraged to attend, listen, and provide input as the Commission’s Ad Hoc Committees work collaboratively to shape policies that impact the well-being of our communities. When available, public links will be listed in the “Upcoming Meetings” section of our website.

🚨 Ad Hoc Committee Full List 

 

 

Community Policing

Discipline Matrix (ongoing)

Handcuffing & Restraint Policy

Militarized Equipment

Rules / Enabling Ordinance

Racial Profiling

 

Ad Hoc Tiles -  🚧  Section Under Construction. We are currently updating this section to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. Please check back soon for updates.

🚧 Section Under Construction. We are currently updating this section to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. Please check back soon for updates.

Dormant & Archived Ad Hoc Committees

Commission Resolutions

Meeting Resources

Below are links to efforts by the Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission to increase awareness regarding suicides. 9/19/24 OPC Meeting Agenda Topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbCpB2N5TQg

https://www.ktvu.com/video/1515665

 

See additional resources below.

Complaints of Police Misconduct - Community Police Review Agency

Complaints of police misconduct give community members an opportunity to be heard and help the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA) hold police officers accountable.

Complaints of misconduct may prevent other community members from having similar experiences. Complaints may result in the discipline of an officer and/or alert police supervisors to initiate changes in policy and training.

Any member of the public may file a complaint. CPRA can receive any type of complaint against a sworn member of the Oakland Police Department.

What information will help my complaint?

The incident date, time, and exact location;

The officer’s name and serial number;

Witness names, addresses, and telephone numbers;

Any other evidence you feel may be important such as copies of citations, photographs, audio or video recordings, etc.

About

The Police Commission is comprised of seven regular and two alternate members, enabled by Oakland City Code section 604. All commissioners are Oakland residents and serve in a volunteer capacity.

The Police Commission meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chamber. All meeting dates are subject to change.

Contact Us

Phone Numbers

Email Address

Social Media

Was this page helpful?

Your feedback will help us improve our website. We cannot reply individually to all feedback.
Your feedback will help us improve our website. We cannot reply individually to all feedback.
Your feedback will help us improve our website. We cannot reply individually to all feedback.