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Court-Appointed Watchdog Says Oakland Police Fails To Protect Whistleblowers

OAKLAND (CBS/AP) -- A court-appointed monitor says the Oakland Police Department is failing to protect officers who report internal wrongdoing.

The monitor's 97-page quarterly report submitted to a federal judge last week says the department is not meeting standards of whistleblower protection it agreed to as part of a legal settlement.

Oakland Police Sgt. Charles O'Connor is on medical leave after he said he experienced retaliation for reporting that his partner had beaten a drunken and handcuffed prisoner.

Police experts say failing to protect whistleblowers fosters a code of silence that leads to the toleration of misconduct.

Robert Warshaw was appointed monitor as part of the department's $10.5 million settlement of lawsuit alleging widespread police abuse and misconduct.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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