Allen v. City of Oakland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allen v. City of Oakland
Court	United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Full case name	Delphine Allen et al v. City of Oakland
Docket nos.	3:00-cv-04599; 3:02-cv-04935
Court membership
Judge(s) sitting	Thelton Henderson
Keywords
42:1983 Civil Rights Act

The case of Delphine Allen et al. v. City of Oakland is a major civil rights lawsuit. It is also known as the Riders Case or Riders Scandal. This case happened in a special federal court and was about police officers in Oakland, California. It led to the police department being watched by the court for a long time.

People who sued said that four experienced police officers, called the "Riders," treated them badly. They claimed these officers mistreated people, used their power unfairly, and sometimes hurt them. The people also said that the Oakland Police Department (OPD) ignored these problems.

Lawyers John Burris and James B. Chanin represented the people who sued. Julie Houk, who worked with Mr. Chanin, also played a big part in the case. The lawsuit lasted for almost 14 years.

In 2003, everyone involved agreed to a settlement. This agreement included paying $10.9 million to 119 people. Also, the Oakland Police Department had to make many changes. A special team was chosen by the court to make sure the police followed the rules. As of early 2019, the city had not yet fully completed all the changes.

What Happened: The Riders Scandal

The "Riders" were four police officers in the Oakland Police Department. They were seen as very good officers. New police officers often looked up to them.

How the Problems Came to Light

The problems with these officers became known because a new police officer spoke up. He had only been on the job for 10 days after leaving the police academy. He quit his job and told the police department's Internal Affairs Division about what his co-workers were doing.

This led to many stories about police misconduct by the four Oakland PD officers. These officers were known as "the Oakland Riders." In total, 119 people filed lawsuits. They claimed the officers had unfairly hurt them and held them without reason. The city later agreed to pay about $11 million. The Oakland Police Department also agreed to make big changes. All the police officers involved lost their jobs. Three of them were found not guilty in their legal cases. One officer left the country to avoid facing legal action.

The Lawsuit Against Oakland

On December 17, 2000, Delphine Allen filed a lawsuit against the city of Oakland. His case was later combined with many other similar lawsuits. In total, 119 different people were part of this big case against Oakland and its police.

In 2003, the city agreed to a settlement. As part of this agreement, the city paid almost $11 million to the 119 people who sued.

The Agreement and Changes

This agreement was the largest legal settlement in Oakland's history. On March 14, 2003, the court approved the settlement.

The agreement brought big changes to how the police department worked. It also changed how officers dealt with the public. This case was very important to the city. It was the biggest case of police misconduct in Oakland in many years. Even though the settlement cost a lot, lawyers said it could have cost the city much more if the cases had gone to trial. They pointed out that some victims had spent more than 25 years in prison because of false accusations. For comparison, Los Angeles paid $40 million to settle a similar police issue.

The money went to 119 people who filed federal lawsuits. They claimed that four police officers had mistreated them and planted false evidence on them in the summer of 2000. The people said that the Oakland Police Department either encouraged this bad behavior or ignored it. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson approved the settlement after 18 months of talks.

After the Agreement: What Happened Next

On August 20, 2003, the court chose an independent team to watch the police department. This team's job was to make sure the city followed the agreement. In January 2010, a new monitoring team was chosen to take over.

A report from January 17, 2012, said that the police department had not improved. On January 24, 2012, the court ruled that the Oakland Police Department still had not followed the settlement rules.

On October 4, 2012, the lawyers for the people who sued asked the court to take over the Oakland Police Department's operations. The police department asked for more time to follow the rules.

New Director to Oversee Police

This request led to a new agreement. The court appointed a "Compliance Director." This director was given a lot of power. They could look into, investigate, and fix problems with the Oakland Police Department's rules and practices. This was to make sure the police followed the settlement agreement. The Compliance Director could even remove the Chief of Police. They could also demote other high-ranking officers.

The court's order from December 12, 2012, also told the Oakland Police Department to work on reducing:

• Incidents where officers used force without good reason. This included pointing firearms at people or officer-involved shootings.
• Incidents where officers treated people unfairly because of their race or background.
• Complaints from citizens.
• High-speed car chases.

On June 10, 2016, Oakland's mayor, Libby Schaaf, announced that Oakland PD Chief Sean Whent had resigned. Some reporters thought he wanted to prevent another scandal. This would help end the federal court's oversight of the department.

Other Related Issues

Keith Batt, the new police officer who first reported the problems, later reached his own agreement with the city. He received $625,000.

From 2001 to 2011, the City of Oakland paid a total of $57 million to people who claimed they were victims of police abuse. This was the largest amount paid by any city in the San Francisco Bay Area during that time.