In a surprise move late Monday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson appointed former Baltimore Police Commissioner Thomas Frazier as the compliance director in charge of overseeing Oakland’s progress with stalled federal reforms that have dragged on for more than a decade.
Frazier’s new role may prove discomforting for Oakland’s leaders: his firm heavily criticized OPD’s conduct during Occupy Oakland in a city-commissioned report released last summer. Moreover, City Administrator Deanna Santana unsuccessfully tried to redact the Frazier report’s most critical findings.
Frazier will earn $270,000 in annual salary. His first day of work will be March 11.
