For Immediate Release: November 6, 2026
OPD NEWS:
Oakland Police Department Welcomes 15 New Officers
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) welcomed 15 new officers from the 197th Basic Recruit Academy at a ceremony at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland today. “The department and city have invested in you to devote yourselves to public safety. As officers serving the city of Oakland, your responsibilities go beyond fighting crime,” stated Oakland Police Chief James Beere. “Build trust in our community with openness, professionalism, and respect.”
“Congratulations to the 15 brave recruits of the 197th Police Academy who are officially ready to serve as Oakland Police Officers, a critical part of our comprehensive public safety strategy,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “Earning this badge requires courage, commitment, and dedication, and I am grateful to every one of you for stepping up to keep our residents safe.”
“Our top priority in Oakland is the safety of our community, and to the dedicated professionals who’ve pushed themselves through this academy and who are embarking now into their new roles, the City shares our deepest thanks and warmest welcome to the team,” Interim City Administrator Betsy Lake said.
The 197th Academy Class includes one woman and fourteen men. Officer Elexsio Pelayo was named class valedictorian. The newly sworn officers are Paris Abraham, Samuel Dawit, Dylan Esver, Ariani Gatewood, Joshua Jones, Andreas Mokos, Pete Ornelas II, Antoine Owens, Elexsio Pelayo, Daniel Rodrigues, Joselito Sarmiento http://Jr., Pratham Sharma, Dijon Starks, Donovan Survine and Asim Zafeer.
We welcome these graduates as valuable additions to the Oakland Police Department family, bringing the total number of sworn officers to 613.
Additionally, the 197th Academy graduating class included one officer from the Piedmont Police Department and one from the Bart Police Department.
