One of the problems with many police forces today is the fact that many of the officers live outside the areas where they work. This is probably the case with a good many of the Oakland officers. If they had a vested interest in the community I suspect their attitudes would be less confrontational in many instances. The solution to this as I see it is to introduce resolutions before the City Council asking them to require all officers working on the force to reside within the city of Oakland(most preferred) or in the least within the county as a prerequisite for employment. When they reside outside the city/county I think you get more of a “mercenary mindset.”
Also, on a related note, one of the more disturbing trends I see these days on college campuses is the establishment of “university police departments”. I think this is the wrong way to go and that private security is a much better approach(more opportunities for student employment), plus providing a more relaxed atmosphere which is what campuses should strive for.
About 7% of OPD resides in Oakland. I agree that requiring a quota of Oakland residents among the OPD would be crucial to real reform. Problem is that the OPD already has a lot of recruiting trouble according to the media anyway. So there’s a real — or perceived — question if they could fill the force that way.