Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Tempers Flare at Oakland Police Commission Meeting Over Kirkpatrick Firing

A STRETCH OF LONE TREE WAY IS

STILL SHUT DOWN WHILE OFFICERS

INVESTIGATE.

TONIGHT OAKLAND POLICE

COMMISSIONERS MET FOR THE FIRST

TIME SINCE FIRING CHIEF ANNE

KIRKPATRICK.

KPIX5'S ANDREA NAKANO SAYS THE

COMMISSION GOT AN EARFUL FROM

BOTH SIDES.

Reporter: THE FIRING OF

ANNE KIRKPATRICK WASN'T AN ITEM

ON THE AGENDA, BUT IT WAS THE

TOPIC THE COMMUNITY WANTED TO

ADDRESS.

EVEN THE COMMISSION CHAIR

STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE FORMER

CHIEF FOR THE WAY SHE LEFT THE

CITY OF OAKLAND.

THE POLICE CHIEF HAD TO GO.

Reporter: A LOT OF SUPPORT

FOR THE POLICE COMMISSION AFTER

IT VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO FIRE

CHIEF ANNE KIRKPATRICK LAST

WEEK.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A

DEPARTMENT THAT STARTS

FOLLOWING THE RULES, THAT STOPS

LYING TO THE PUBLIC, THAT

ACTUALLY PROTECTS THE INTEREST

AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE

COMMUNITY.

Reporter: THOSE WHO BACKED

THE COMMISSION'S DECISION SAY

THEIR BIGGEST GRIPE WAS THE

LACK OF FAIR POLICING.

MY MOM LIVES IN EAST OAKLAND

AND I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF THE

CITY FOR OVER 57 YEARS.

THE POLICING THAT IS GOING ON

IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD IS

DIFFERENT THAN THE POLICING

THAT GOES ON IN MONTCLAIR.

Reporter: AFTER HER FIRING

KIRKPATRICK CRITICIZED THE

POWER THE POLICE COMMISSION

HOLDS AND THE WAY SHE WAS FIRED

WITHOUT CAUSE.

TONIGHT THE COMMISSION FIRED

BACK.

KIRKPATRICK'S RECENT MEDIA

GAMES TO TRY TO ATTACK THE

MAYOR OR DISCREDIT THIS

COMMISSION ONLY REINFORCE THAT

WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.

Reporter: THIS WEEK ROUGHLY

200 POLICE OFFICERS GATHERED AT

THE POLICE UNION HEADQUARTERS

TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO THEIR CHIEF

FOR THREE YEARS.

MARIA PINKOSOF, A PARAMEDIC,

WORRIES WHAT KIRKPATRICK'S

DEPARTURE WILL MEAN FOR THE

DEPARTMENT.

THE MORALE WHILE SHE WAS

THEIR LEADER WAS WONDERFUL.

THEY HAD A CHIEF THEY COULD

LOOK UP TO AND TRUSTED AND FELT

LIKE THEIR CHIEF HAD THEIR

BACK.

THE MORALE HAS DIPPED.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING

ABOUT LEAVING.

Reporter: SOME QUESTION WHO

IS HOLDING THE COMMISSION MADE

UP OF CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS

ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

THESE CIVILIANS JUST WALK

INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND

SAY YEAH, THIS IS HOW IT'S

GOING TO GO NOW.

I JUST SEE A POWER GRAB MORE

FROM THE POLICE COMMISSION THAN

A SUPPORT.

Reporter: THE OAKLAND CITY

COUNCIL IS NOW CONSIDERING

EXPANDING THE POWERS OF THE

POLICE COMMISSION.