On October 11, the Oakland Police Commission voted 5-1 to reject CPRA investigator Anthony Finnell’s investigation report and closing of the complaint filed in November of 2017 by Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission chair Brian Hofer and several co-complainants of untruthfulness by Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick in statements made about the August 2017 West Oakland ICE raid. East Bay Express: Oakland Review Agency Exonerates Police Chief Over False Statements Regarding ICE Raid.
The raid by Homeland Security Investigations on a home on 27th Street in West Oakland,which followed the termination of an OPD/ICE cooperation agreement, led to several charged hearings in Oakland and an eventual change in policy to avoid all cooperation with immigration enforcement and all divisions of ICE. Originally claimed to be a human trafficking operation, the raid was later revealed by diligent investigative work by Indybay reporter Dave ID, privacy chair Hofer and others, to have resulted in no criminal charges of any kind and the attempted deportation of a young undocumented Guatemalan man.
The complaint revolved around three untrue statements by Kirkpatrick. A press release on August 16th that stated the OPD/ICE MOU was no longer in effect, when the 30-day termination request had not even been made. The agreement remained in effect until September 25, 2017. And two statements at a September 6th District 2 Town Hall meeting caught on videotape where the police chief stated that one person had been charged with a crime (no one was ever charged with a criminal offense) and that the raid was not a deportation matter, when there was no matter in play but the attempted deportation.
The investigative body did not issue their report exonerating Kirkpatrick until two days before the complaint expired, leaving the unhappy Police Commission with few options, but they indicated their strong displeasure with the inadequate report and closing of the claim.
Claim co-signer Oakland Privacy member Tracy Rosenberg testified at the hearing. Other co-complainants included Pamela Drake, John Jones III, Allan Brill, Michael Kaufman, Margaret Cunningham, Linda Olvera, Judith Stacey, Sharon Rose, Rebecca Merton and Mary Vail.
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