Gerry Shih/The Bay Citizen

Oakland Police Department officers

Heated negotiations between Oakland city officials and police union leaders ended Tuesday night with 80 hung heads and fears of more police layoffs to come.

“I’m shocked,” said James Rowbotham, who turned in his gun and badge late Tuesday afternoon. “I was still having last-minute hope.”

The City Council had passed a plan in June to lay off 80 police officers to help close the city’s $30.5 million budget deficit. But with the layoffs, set for Tuesday at 5 p.m., looming, city officials agreed to meet with union leaders to explore last-minute alternatives.

Hours passed in Mayor Ron Dellums’ office. A lone citizen hovered amid the television cameras, hoping for good news. Over two days, the two sides explored five options.

But they couldn’t come to an agreement.

As a result, 80 of the department’s most recent hires left work for the last foreseeable time Tuesday, stopping at headquarters downtown to hand in final paperwork.

“It’s gut-wrenching. It’s disheartening,” said Naomi Johnson, who graduated from the police academy with Rowbotham two years ago. The two former officers stood uniform-less at the Oakland Police Officers’ Association headquarters on Fifth Street – Rowbotham in a black T-shirt and jeans, Johnson in a summer dress – nodding their heads as union president Dom Arotzarena addressed news reporters about the cuts.

The city’s final offer was to allow police to ease into a 9 percent contribution to their pensions over a three-year period. The city also asked that newly hired officers delay collecting their pensions until age 55, instead of 50.

The union agreed to all those provisions, but the sticking point was the assurance of no more layoffs. The city agreed to one year, but the union wanted three.

“That was never a negotiable point,” said Mayor Ron Dellums, speaking to reporters at City Hall after the council voted down the union's counter-offer. “We could never carry on our fiduciary responsibilities with that promise.”

Union attorney Rocky Lucia said the outcome was unfortunate for residents of the nation's fourth-most dangerous city.

“This is a very dark day for Oakland,” he said.

The department, already stretched for staff and resources, faces new challenges with fewer officers.

The department has cut units, including its problem-solving officers, to backfill the empty patrol positions, viewed as the most important in the department because they are the first to respond to 911 calls.

Rowbotham said his supervising sergeant has now been demoted to patrol to fill an empty position. As a newer officer, Johnson worked the undesirable overnight shift. A more senior officer has now taken her place.

The staffing need is so great that detectives have also been moved into patrol, which means many officers will now be responsible for detective work. That’ll take more time and require more training, something Johnson feels doubtful the department can provide. Police also plan to rely more on online reporting for non-life-threatening crimes such as burglary, vandalism, illegal dumping and even extortion, so residents may not see an officer when they first report a crime.

Council member Jane Brunner said the council would welcome future negotiations with the union, but for now both sides will focus on asking voters for help.

Both the city and union say they hope November ballot measures will allow them to rehire the officers and avoid 122 more layoffs set to come in January.

“The city’s in a very deep hole,” Lucia said. “There’s a lot of anger, but that’s not going to do us any good.”