Re:One Oakland police officer made $490k in overtime
by triceratops on Tuesday August 18, 2026 @11:48AM
(#49347499)
> Nguyen said in a statement
That's the head of the police union. Not an objective outsider.
> It is true that OPD is severely understaffed by hundreds of officers
And despite increasing staffing a little, overtime went up a lot. Two things can be simultaneously true: Oakland PD is understaffed and Oakland PD isn't managing overtime spending well.
If they only correct the understaffing problem without fixing overtime, they're going to exacerbate the budgetary issues. It's important for officers to be well-rested when doing their work.
"“At this staffing level, more officers will be forced to work excessive overtime, which in turn will accelerate attrition,” Nguyen said in a statement. “We cannot meet the needs of our community without forcing officers into more shifts.”
It is true that OPD is severely understaffed by hundreds of officers. Mayor Barbara Lee is attempting to shrink the staffing gap, with plans to increase the number of officers. "