GETTING POLITICAL WITH POLICE POLICY

HAVE YOU noticed how seriously Oakland police are taking cues from
Oakland City Council policy makers? It make me wonder whether this is
the way to run a police department.

I called an Oakland police officer after the Presidents Day planting
of marijuana seeds in the lawn at City Hall.

There seemed to be no effort to stop the medical marijuana protesters
from scattering seeds on the well-kept grass of another kind.

Why not, I asked, especially since it was reported in the Tribune
along with a photo of the planting spree that there were some cops
standing not far away.

The group was protesting the impending council action to reduce the
number of plants a patient can grow for personal medicinal use from 72
to 18. Ever since the city found out there is a batch of medical
marijuana cafes downtown, there's been a hunt for ways to reduce their
number.

Council President Ignacio De La Fuente's image was featured at the
plant-in with an effigy scarecrow. He was the bad guy for trying to
limit medical pot users to less weed.

I figured maybe marijuana seeds were not illegal, or maybe the cops
figured the seeds wouldn't grow anyway because they need more warmth
than we get in Oakland this time of year.

But those weren't the reasons at all. I was reminded by an officer of
fairly high rank that catching pot users is a low priority of the City
Council, so maybe nothing was done to stop the protest for that
reason. He wasn't saying that definitely was the case, but hinted it
could be.

Given that little tip, I began to imagine what could happen if police
strictly observed council policy in all arrests.

We're on a street corner as two cops are discussing whether they
should arrest a suspect or not.

"Do we know City Council policy on this?" asks Cop One. Cop Two says:
"Let me check." He pulls out a little black book. "It says here this
offense is a medium to high priority."

"OK," says Cop One. "But how did they vote? Where was Desley on this?"
Cop Two: "She was for it."

Cop One: "Where was Nancy?" Cop Two: "She was against it."

Well, it could happen, if it hasn't already.

The next thing I noticed was the decision by District Attorney Tom
Orloff not to prosecute the people arrested last month in support of
striking supermarket workers.

De La Fuente was one of those arrested when he was among demonstrators
blocking the entrance to the Rockridge Safeway.

Police Lt. Dave Kozicki, in command of about 70 officers, called the
Orloff decision a political one that conflicts with what police
believed the district attorney was going to do.

It sure looked that way, but if that was the case, why was De La
Fuente arrested? Shouldn't the arrest of the president of the council
be a low priority? I guess not if he wants to look real good with the
unions but not go to jail.

Kozicki told the Tribune he and other officers had met with Orloff in
advance and asked what evidence they would need to file charges.
Orloff said later his decision was political only in the sense that he
is elected to make decisions. He decided that because the
demonstration was peaceful there would be no point in filing charges
that could lead to a costly and lengthy trial.

How political can you get and not be political?

Kozicki said he agrees the protest was peaceful, but it did disrupt
residents who were deprived of police services while they were busy
dealing with the protest, which, he said, cost $20,000 in police overtime.

For his part, De La Fuente said he was glad he wasn't going to jail,
but would do it again because the cause of the Safeway strikers is
"the biggest crises" in America.

Orloff's comments were another sign that Oakland police better listen
carefully when elected officials speak, before and after events.

Meanwhile, intrepid advocates of medical marijuana are proposing an
initiative for the November ballot that would tax and regulate sales
of weed, and the council has ordered new regulations for medical pot
hang-outs. There were no details on the marijuana tax, but any tax
seems to be attractive to revenue-hungry council members.

The initiative would also direct the police department to treat the
private use of marijuana by adults as its lowest priority until
cannabis is legalized in California.

If that passes, the police will be following the policy of the voters
directly, which sounds a lot better than putting in calls to Ignacio,
Nancy, Desley, et al.