Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick issued this statement in the matter of Court-Appointed Monitor Robert Warshaw’s report on the Pawlik Shooting.
Mr. Warshaw’s report on the Pawlik shooting is purposely misleading and attempts to hide important issues that should be of public concern.
These are the facts:
I proposed that the Department bring in outside experts completely independent of the Oakland Police Department to lead the Executive Force Review Board. This would have been the most transparent and reform minded approach for coming to a fair and impartial conclusion. Mr. Warshaw blocked that effort and prevented the independent investigation.
Even without an independent investigation, as I had proposed, at least four review boards or investigative agencies examined the conduct of the OPD officers involved in Mr. Pawlick’s death.
The Executive Force Review Board was chaired by Deputy Chief LeRonne Armstrong and included two OPD captains. In addition, the Police Commission President Thomas Smith, a city attorney, and a former federal Magistrate Judge Maria Elena James observed the EFRB’s proceedings. The EFRB unanimously voted that the shooting was in policy.
Likewise, the Citizen Police Review Agency investigated the shooting. The CPRA is made up of investigators who work for the Police Commission. The CPRA also unanimously found the shooting in policy.
In addition to the EFRB and the CPRA, the Criminal Investigations Division and Internal Affairs Division concluded the shooting was in policy.
In short, these four entities came to the same conclusion that I did: the shooting, while awful, was within policy.
This years-late ‘report’ by Mr. Warshaw must be read in context. In May, I filed a claim against the City of Oakland because the Police Commission and the Mayor fired me for blowing the whistle on the Commission’s improper conduct. Mr. Warshaw knows that I have been critical of him and that I have called for him to be removed. This ‘report,’ coming years after the incident and months after I filed my claim, appears to be his effort to defend himself and the City. I will not be intimidated. I intend to file my case in court shortly.
Enough is enough. It is beyond time for Mr. Warshaw to go. He is charging the Oakland taxpayers millions of dollars a year as “Monitor” and “Compliance Director” of the OPD. His interest is not in Oakland, its citizens, or the police department. Mr. Warshaw cares about Mr. Warshaw and protecting his annual seven-figure fees. Mr. Warshaw is an impediment to meaningful reform; Oakland deserves better.
Stay tuned.