Police Academy Official
Explains Training Violations
in “Riders” Trial

OAKLAND — Oakland police academy coordinator Sgt. Anthony Banks testified yesterday that Officer Clarence Mabanag violated training protocols while serving as mentor to former Oakland police officer Keith Batt, the whistle blower in the “Riders” case.

“The goals start off very small, orientation-type things,” banks told the predominantly female jurors. “Riding around and jumping out of undercover vans is something I don’t think should be done with a new officer.”

Batt resigned after only nine overnight shifts in the mandatory field officer training program, which assigns each police academy graduate to an experienced officer who supervises 13 additional weeks of real-world training in police procedure.

Banks was the first police officer Batt approached with his allegations of misconduct by officers working the “dog watch” overnight shift on the streets of West Oakland.

In his testimony, Banks broke down in excruciating detail the week by week goals of field officer training, which he called a “building block process” with very specific, incremental objectives for the rookie officer and clearly spelled-out guide lines for the trainer.

Early on the new officer tackles the philosophy of when to use force, how to handle evidence, and writing accurate reports. The patrol car’s radio and computer are off-limits until halfway through the program, with the use of batons and other weapons reserved for the final weeks, which may extend from 13 to 20 if necessary.

Earlier Keith Batt had testified that during his first two weeks on patrol with Clarence Mabanag, Matthew Hornung, Jude Siapno, and Francisco Vazquez, he was instructed to beat suspects until told to stop. Banks told the court that rookie officers are not even supposed to hand-cuff suspects until a month into field training.

“Young rookies need to learn how to see beyond the hood of the car,” said the sergeant, describing the difficulties of paying attention to more than just the road while driving on patrol.

Defense attorney Edward Fisher suggested that the confusion described by Banks created overwhelming stress for the then 23-year old, impairing his ability to understand what was really happening.

Prosecutor David Hollister encountered several objections from Fisher and the two other defense attorneys when he questioned Banks about how Mabanag’s alleged behavior during the “dog watch” shift deviated from the protocols outlined by the police department.

After a brief huddle with the judge, Hollister continued, very carefully rephrasing his questions about alleged brutality and allegedly unlawful stops of suspects.

Extreme caution characterized the entire morning in Judge Leo Dorado’s third-floor courtroom at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse in Oakland. An extra bailiff posted by the door has kept a watchful eye on the handful of journalists and attorneys observing the proceedings.

Dorado began Tuesday’s proceedings by questioning two jurors who shared an elevator with Sgt. Banks and an attorney shortly before court began. After close to half an hour, the judge was satisfied that nothing occurred that might have colored the jurors’ understanding of the case.

Banks was then called to the stand, where he remained for the entire day, delivering concise testimony about his three years running the police academy and coordinating field officer training.

He said about 30 percent of police academy graduates drop out of field officer training. An officer must complete field training to become permanently employed by the Oakland police.