Oakland Revives Police Cadet Program With $900K Private Grant

Oakland's Public Safety Committee unanimously advanced a resolution to reinstate the city's dormant police cadet program, funded entirely by a $900,000 Oakland Police Foundation grant — a concrete move to rebuild a recruitment pipeline as the department operates 116 officers below authorized strength. The meeting opened under the shadow of a weekend mass shooting that killed two, including an Oakland educator.

• $900,000 privately funded cadet program heads to full council after unanimous committee vote, targeting Oakland youth as young as 15

• OPD operating at just 499 of 615 sworn positions, with cadets designed to free up officers for law enforcement duties

• Weekend mass shooting kills two, injures five, including educator Leticia Bobo — the third Oakland educator lost to violence in recent months

• Public commenters press for accountability metrics, NSA compliance, and detail on the program's long-term pipeline track record

The centerpiece of Tuesday's Public Safety Committee meeting was a presentation by Chief James Beere, Oakland Police Department, on a plan to bring back OPD's cadet program after it was cut during the 2023-24 budget cycle. The program, funded by a $900,000 grant from the Oakland Police Foundation split across fiscal years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, would create nine cadet positions for Oakland high school students — with a significant change: the minimum age drops from 17.5 to 15.