The Oakland Police Officers Association called on Oakland Mayor Shen Tao (Democrat) to resign immediately on Tuesday amid an ongoing federal investigation and a looming recall vote. Fox News Digital report.
Huy Nguyen, the union’s president, said at a recent press conference that Thao’s office has drained law enforcement resources and failed to address the city’s continuing crime crisis.
“It’s a lengthy process.”
“Today, we call for Mayor Shen Thao’s immediate removal from office for the city’s many failures, including crime, the fiscal crisis and the chaos caused by the FBI raids,” Nguyen said. KTVU“Our citizens experience this tragedy every day. They can’t leave their homes, they can’t walk into downtown Oakland, they can’t call 911 and get the services they need.”
Nguyen said staffing shortages and limited police resources mean police departments are unable to respond to all emergency calls, risking longer response times.
In response to the police union’s demands, Tao Video Statement He tried to defend his record on social media.
“It’s really unfortunate that OPOA is clearly playing politics,” Thao said. “Right now, in this very delicate time, we need to come together. We think what we’re doing in terms of a comprehensive approach to public safety is working.”
Citing data from the Oakland Police Department, Tao argued that rates of many crimes, including murder, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, theft and motor vehicle theft, are declining.
“Public safety is my number one priority,” Thao continued. “Under my administration, we have put more officers on the streets than ever before in the past three and a half years.”
Police unions have disputed Thao’s claims, saying not enough is being done to provide law enforcement with the resources they need.
“Now is the time to invest more in our city, hire more police officers, retain our police officers and solve our crime problems, and going forward, that’s what I expect from the next mayor,” said Oakland Police Vice Chairman Tim Dolan.
Mayor Thao will face a recall election in November after residents gathered enough signatures to force a vote, but the police union doesn’t think he should wait that long.
“If she resigns by this week, an election would be held in November instead of waiting for a recall. After a recall, the election would be in April, prolonging the process at a time when a new budget needs to be drawn up immediately,” Nguyen explained.
Thao is currently under investigation by the FBI, and although no charges have been filed against her, federal agents searched her home last month.
The mayor has maintained that the investigation “is not about me.” But the investigation has expanded recently, with the FBI requesting phone book records from the Oakland Police Department. Federal investigators have also requested documents showing all federal funding sources from 2021 onward.
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