Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver

California's premier full-service law firm with an emphasis on the representation of peace officers in disciplinary, criminal, labor, workers' compensation, personal injury and other civil matters.

  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer

Oakland investigates accusations against police monitor

August 20, 2012 by David Shirley

From: Oakland Tribune

Matthew Artz, 08/20/12

Potentially just months away from becoming the first U.S. city to lose control of its police department, Oakland has opened an investigation into accusations that the department’s federal monitor recently made inappropriate statements to city leaders.

Attorneys for the city did not detail the accusations or reveal which city officials leveled them against the monitor, Robert Warshaw, in a motion filed late Friday in federal court.

Deputy City Attorney Jamilah Jefferson wrote that the city is “duty-bound” to review the “potentially damaging” allegations concerning “communications between the court monitor and city officers” and asked U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson to seal all documents in connection with the investigation.

On Monday, the city filed a revised motion and asked that Friday’s motion be withdrawn and sealed because it contained “confidential and sensitive information that … should not be part of the court’s public record.”

Speculation is that the accusations stem from one or more meetings that included Warshaw, a former deputy drug czar in the Clinton Administration, and City Administrator Deanna Santana. Santana said she couldn’t comment on what happened because it is part of a personnel investigation. Warshaw could not be reached for comment Monday.

Henderson has tentatively scheduled hearings for December to consider stripping the city control of the police department because of its failure to fully comply with reform measures spelled out in a 2003 agreement that settled the Riders police misconduct case.

As monitor, Warshaw is responsible for evaluating the department’s progress in achieving the reforms. His most recent reports have faulted police for stagnating on several tasks, all of which were supposed to be completed four years ago.

The city still has not disclosed details of the allegations against Warshaw to attorneys for the police union or the plaintiffs in the Riders case.

“Obviously, something serious happened that people are concerned about,” said the union’s attorney, Rocky Lucia. “I’m hopeful that it is not something that will impair implementation of the (settlement agreement) and the progress that the city has made, but I don’t know.”

Jim Chanin, one of two attorneys who represented plaintiffs in the Riders case, said the city was required to provide them with the allegations against Warshaw at the same time it filed the court motion.

“I know of no character issue involving the monitor that I’ve ever seen other than the fact that (city officials) don’t like his reports,” Chanin said.

The city pays Warshaw’s New Hampshire-based firm, Police Performance Solutions, $1.78 million a year, to monitor its progress in implementing the reforms. However, it lacks the power to fire Warshaw, who is an agent of the court.

Earlier this year, Henderson granted Warshaw new powers and required Chief Howard Jordan to consult with the monitor before making many major decisions.

City and leaders are concerned that if Henderson puts a federal receiver in charge of police, the receiver could force the city to increase spending on its undermanned department to the detriment of other already hard-hit services. A coalition of Oakland community organizations called Coalition for a Safe Oakland recently formed seeking to intervene in the settlement agreement in hopes of preventing a federal takeover of the department.

Filed Under: RLS In The News Tagged With: rockne-a-lucia-jr

Consultation Form

Offices across California to serve you.
Contact us now to schedule a consultation.
Contact form not loading? Click here!
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC publishes this website as a service to our clients and other friends for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions, and the transmission of information through this website is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between sender and receiver. Internet subscribers and online readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.

© 2023 Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPTREJECT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Contact Us

  • News Alerts

Official logo for Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver Logo
  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      ▼
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    ▼
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
Hotline phone numbers. Northern California: 925-609-1699. Southern California: 310-393-1486.