Phone: (510) 834-9670 

Email: policeofficers@opoa.org

April 29, 2022 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

OAKLAND – Today, April 29, 2022, the Oakland Police Department welcomes twenty-six (26) new officers to its ranks. The Academy graduation ceremony will be held at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center at 10:00 am. Every Oakland Police Officer welcomes these new men and women into our law enforcement family.  

  

However, they are joining the beleaguered Department, facing high crime with police staffing levels at their lowest in a decade. The Oakland Police Department is losing existing police officers to other police departments faster than it can hire new officers to replace them. In 2021, eighty-six (86) police officers left, and forty (40) officers have left so far in 2022. Officers are leaving to serve others in communities where they are valued as dedicated and well-trained public servants.  

Oakland Police Officers' Association President Barry Donelan said, “Oakland needs hundreds of additional police officers. Our dwindling ranks of police officers are struggling to address high levels of violent crime. Today’s addition of new police officers is truly welcome as the wait times for our residents who call 911 for a police officer continue to grow.” 

The staffing crisis at the Oakland Police Department means no traffic enforcement, no walking officers, mandatory overtime for the few Oakland Police Officers that remain, and continued extended wait times for residents who need a police officer.