Oakland Police Chief James Beere: Last Man Standing, Part 2

Oakland Police Chief James Beere: Last Man Standing, Part 2

James Beere [https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Police/OPD-Executive-Staff]’s appointment as the Chief of Police for Oakland marks the end point of 10 years of drama inside the Oakland Police Department (OPD). OPD has some unfinished business, however, that may impact Chief Beere’s tenure. The most serious threat with long-term consequences for the Department is the case of OPD Homicide Detective Phong Tran [https://www.ktvu.com/news/woman-says-oakland-homicide-investigator-coached-testimony-and-paid-her]. In April 2023, while I was the Alameda County District Attorney, we charged Detective Tran with felony perjury and bribery. At the time, I noted that we were required to review at least 125 cases as a result of Tran’s alleged misconduct. Almost every case Tran touched was vulnerable to challenge because of his lack of credibility. Eventually the number ballooned to 200 cases. This episode walks you through the flawed investigations riddled with conflicts of interest and attempted cover-ups of Detective Tran's misconduct, and the consequences for Oakland residents:  a two-year extension of federal oversight, hundreds of convictions over ten-year period in jeopardy and potentially millions of dollars in damages for wrongful convictions. In the face of it all, it is unclear if the new District Attorney will be able (or willing) to prosecute Detective Tran, or get to the bottom of what is potentially deep corruption inside OPD. Failing to effectively prosecute Tran will effectively close the books on the 200 cases allegedly infected by his misconduct. And we will never know where Tran got the money to allegedly bribe witnesses and who else was in on that scam [https://oaklandside.org/2023/06/13/oakland-police-phong-tran-perjury-witness-intimidation-internal-affairs-investigation/]? If the District Attorney drops the case against Tran, Chief Beere may also be able to close that chapter in Oakland’s history and put the Tran scandal behind him without addressing the unethical and possibly illegal “practice” of paying witnesses for their testimony in Oakland.  If the Tran case ever actually goes to trial, it may open the door for more scandalous revelations about OPD and practices inside the DA’s office for getting convictions in Alameda County.  Then the question will be, how will Chief Beere respond and what will he do about it? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081/support]

New Oakland Police Chief James Beere: the Last Man Standing

James Beere [https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Police/OPD-Executive-Staff]’s appointment as the Chief of Police for Oakland marks the end point of 10 years of drama inside the Oakland Police Department. After working behind the scenes to support the leaders of the Department and the community for decades, James Beere is literally "the last man standing." This is a look-back of how we got here. In this episode of Pamela Price Unfiltered, Attorney Price breaks down the twists and turns of the last 10 years of Oakland Police Chiefs, coming and going, and the scandals that marred their tenures. Starting with the Celeste Guap scandal and the failed leadership of former Mayor Libby Schaaf, to the death of Joshua Pawlik, through the flawed internal affairs investigations of Sgt. Michael Chung and Detective Phong Tran, and ending with the strange days of Chief Floyd Mitchell, OPD has been unstable and chaotic for 10 years.  Whether Chief Beere can meet the hopes of Oaklanders for a better police department is the question of the hour.  Stay tuned for Part 2 about OPD's unfinished business which may or may not impact what happens next! Support the show for raw unfiltered conversations! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081/support]

Lawyers Who Care - Samalin Wealth Interview with Attorney Pamela Price

Lawyers Who Care features compelling stories from attorneys who go above and beyond for their clients. Your host, Andrew Samalin, principal of Samalin Wealth, talks with these inspirational lawyers about the times they exceeded expectations in their role as legal counsel to ensure the support and well-being of their clients. In this brief interview with Attorney Price, she shares her journey to the United States Supreme Court, her challenging days in foster care, making it to Yale College "by the grace of God" and becoming California Lawyer of the Year and a Super Lawyer serving the SF Bay Area and California for forty-plus years. "A career defined by courage, persistence and a commitment to using the law as a tool to serve people." Original interview published May 13, 2026 on Lawyers Who Care. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081/support]

Police Misconduct: How Public Accountability was Terminated in Alameda County

In this episode, host Pamela Price sits down with Alex Feigen Fasteau, a seasoned veteran prosecutor with over two decades of experience in San Francisco and Alameda County.  Together, they pull back the curtain on the complexities of the justice system, from prosecuting economic crimes and sexual assault to the high-stakes work of the Public Accountability Unit.  Feigan Fasteau shares how he was summarily fired by the interim appointed District Attorney less than two weeks after she took office, and there was no transition of the cases the Public Accountability Unit was handling for two years.  In this episode, we discuss: The Opportunity: What drives a 20-year San Francisco prosecutor to join the Alameda County DA’s office? The Transition:  How Feigen Fasteau and anyone with less than a year tenure was fired by the interim appointed District Attorney without any consideration of their work or their worth to the people of Alameda County. Systemic Issues: Addressing the "criminalization of poverty" and systemic racism from within the prosecutor's office. Police Accountability: The logistical and legal hurdles of charging peace officers, including the reality of "qualified immunity" and the need for independent investigations. The Maurice Monk Case: A look into the supervision of high-profile cases involving in-custody deaths and public records. The "Blue Wall": The challenges of finding independent officers willing to sign affidavits against their own. Alex shares his unique journey from being hired by Kamala Harris to becoming the Director of Public Accountability for Alameda County and now, transitioning into civil rights law. #PamelaPrice #JusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #PublicAccountability #LegalTalk #DistrictAttorney #CriminalJustice #CivilRights #AlamedaCounty #Unfiltered #LawAndOrder #RealTalk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081/support]

Beyond Epstein & Diddy: The National Reckoning on Gender Power and Justice

In this powerful short segment from the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section's Spring Meeting, I dive into the "Women in the Wake of Epstein and Diddy" panel.  While high-profile cases like Jeffrey Epstein and Sean "Diddy" Combs dominate the headlines, they reveal a much deeper, systemic issue within the United States: the normalization of exploitation. In this short take, I explore: * The transition from "romanticizing" figures like Hugh Hefner to the "national reckoning" of today. * How the legal system often fails survivors, particularly those from marginalized communities. * The startling statistics of gender-based violence and why 50-60% of incidents go unreported. I also share a tribute to the trailblazing women—from Diane R. Williams to the Epstein survivors—who paved the way for accountability. It’s time to move past systemic indifference and start listening to the voices that have been silenced for too long. #GenderJustice #EpsteinCase #Diddy #SocialAccountability #LegalReform #EndHumanTrafficking #SurvivorsVoices #JusticeForWomen Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437081/support]