Federal judge ends 23-year federal monitorship of Oakland Police Department

In a Thursday order, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick terminated the federal monitorship that has overseen the Oakland Police Department for more than two decades, declaring the agency in “substantial compliance” with the 2003 settlement. The judge cited the department’s fulfillment of all 51 mandated reforms, including fewer officer-involved shootings, improved internal accountability and a decline in discretionary stops involving Black residents.

Oversight will now shift to the citizen-run Oakland Police Commission, and the federal monitor Robert Warshaw must close his office by mid-October. Orrick highlighted the stabilizing role of Mayor Barbara Lee and one outlet police chief in achieving these gains, while warning that concealment of misconduct erodes public trust. The decision caps a history that began in 2000 when plaintiffs sued over the “Riders” for false arrests and excessive force, and it follows earlier attempts to end the monitor that were delayed by compliance setbacks.