Over the weekend, Today In Montclair blogged here about the OPD's new $1.3 million federal grant to help implement IT aspects of CompStat.  And here's a new post from the MOBN! Public Safety Committee:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Oakland has been losing its most experienced officers. In 2008 50% of OPD patrol officers had been on the force for less than three years. OPD morale, for a variety of reasons, is not at the high level it needs to be.

Police work is difficult in every way at every level of work and requires a high level of energy and enthusiasm. It requires personnel with superior problem-solving abilities, communication skills and ethical understanding and behavior. To perform well, police staff need to be highly-motivated, fully-supported and well-connected to the community and to their commanders. Police commanders must be excellent leaders, competent critical thinkers and skilled communicators. Nothing less than the highest police performance standards can serve the citizens of Oakland well.

1. OPD leadership must create a revitalized organizational culture in the OPD as a whole with a strategic plan for rewarding superior police officer morale, ethical behavior and effective performance.

2. OPD should recruit new police employees with a clear statement that problem-solving is a job requirement at all staff levels. Performance evaluations and promotional and other rewards are to be based on abilities to react situationally to reduce crime and solve safety problems.

Comment: This is a strategy used in at least one police department which has undergone a reform process intended to be a national model. That city is comparable in size and other important characteristics to Oakland.

3. The city should strategically plan to acquire needed resources on a priority basis, to include data collection and management systems, GPS systems, vehicle digital camera systems, evidence processing facilities, jail facilities and other police infrastructure requirements.

Comment: Priority planning is vital in a time of municipal budget deficits.

4. Oakland needs a police command structure that is efficient and easily-understandable.

Comment: Oakland’s command structure has been described as poorly-conceived and inefficient.

Mike Ferro, MOBN Public Safety Committee member