OPD poised to emerge from 23 years of federal oversight

OPD poised to emerge from 23 years of federal oversight

June 10, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the end of federal oversight of Oakland's Police Department after 23 years and its implications.

Oakland’s Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003, but this year that will be coming to an end. The oversight began after a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of 119 residents, most of them Black men, who alleged that multiple Oakland police officers had beaten and planted evidence on them. To understand what this moment means, KALW’s Sunni Khalid spoke with Darwin BondGraham, the news editor at The Oaklandside. He is also the author, along with Ali Winston, of the book, "The Riders Come Out At Night," an exhaustive look at the scandal that shook the city of Oakland, as well as a history of decades of corruption inside the OPD.

People in this episode

Host: Sunni Khalid

Guest: Darwin BondGraham

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Oaklandside

Books & works: The Riders Come Out At Night

Places: Oakland

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