After implementing new policies and trainings, stops of Black civilians in Oakland dropped by 43%—without any uptick in crime. In one pre-post study of a training designed to improve relations with the public, our footage analysis revealed a marked decrease in officer language that tended to trigger escalation, and a marked increase in language that built trust.
Over a 10-year period, the OPD continued to reform and refine its practices. And, in many respects, that effort paid off. For example, after the department implemented a foot pursuit policy to avoid chasing suspects into backyards and blind alleys, officer injuries dropped by 70%. And officer-involved shootings, which had previously averaged about eight per year, dropped to a total of eight over a five-year period.
Returning to Oakland
When I returned to Oakland not long ago, I found myself in an elevator with a fellow Black woman who worked for the police department. She told me that for years, the department would dismiss claims from community members about how they had been negatively treated, insisting that officers treat everyone professionally. “Data,” she said, “gave us a way to be heard”—a way for individual stories to become fodder for systemic change.
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