Summary: Capt. Ersie Joyner never wanted to be a police officer. 30 years after joining the force, he is now a decorated veteran of the Oakland Police Department and heads Oakland’s Ceasefire program, which is responsible for comprehensively addressing serious violence—specifically gun violence—within the community. The program has been a huge success. Captain Joyner sat down with Ed to discuss his reluctant journey into policing and how his police department was forced to innovate in the face of rising violence. With violent crime on the decline in Oakland, and with use of force issues riding the same trend, we asked Capt. Joyner about how a city once plagued with crime and violence navigated such a positive about-face.
