By Matthew Artz
Oakland Tribune
OAKLAND — The city’s court-appointed police leader responsible for satisfying long overdue reforms has expanded his mission to include bolstering the ranks of Oakland’s severely undermanned force.
Concerned that scheduled police academies won’t produce enough recruits to offset retirements and resignations, former Baltimore Police Commissioner Thomas Frazier is demanding quick action to stem attrition, boost recruiting efforts and hire officers from other departments.
Like many major police departments, Oakland has generally chosen to train its own recruits rather than hire from other departments. The last so-called lateral academy fared poorly, police sources have said. Many of the recruits quickly left Oakland for other jobs, and those who remained lost their jobs when the city laid off 80 police officers in 2010.
Full Story: Oakland Police Department leader shifts focus to hiring more cops