CHP, Oakland Police in Dispute Over Plainclothes Officers at Protests

The California Highway Patrol says it notified Oakland police that plainclothes officers would mingle with protesters demonstrating against police brutality in the East Bay.

The Oakland Police Department says otherwise.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Police say the CHP never informed the department that officers wearing civilian clothes would attend the demonstrations held in their city over the last several weeks.

A CHP plainclothes officer brandished his handgun at protesters after his partner was exposed as a police officer and knocked to the ground. The CHP officer didn't fire his gun and said he pulled it from its holster out of fear for his partner's safety.

CHP says plainclothes officers were assigned to gather information that would help prevent protesters from entering freeways.

Last week, Golden Gate Division Chief Avery Browne held a news conference and stood by the intelligence-gathering tactic. Browne said the actions of the two plainclothes officers, who he did not identify, would be investigated. But he said he believed they acted appropriately. Both are detectives in the agency's Bay Area auto theft unit, he told reporters.

Browne acknowledged the incident could be upsetting to some. "The highway patrol is extremely cognizant and very sensitive to the display of a gun," Browne said at the news conference. "It's very disturbing and upsetting to individuals who are attempting to protest, and we recognize that."

NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez and Bay City News contributed to this report.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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