The Oakdale City Council on Monday, July 7 ratified its formal response to the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury, confirming that the Oakdale Police Department is fully compliant with all state-mandated training requirements.

The response addressed the findings in the Grand Jury’s 2024–2025 “Oakdale Police Department Mandated Training Implementation Report,” which was delivered to the city on June 25. The investigation originated from the previous year’s review and assessed how the department had addressed mandated training deficiencies noted during the 2022–2023 cycle.

Interim City Manager Jerry Ramar summarized the findings during the council meeting, stating, “The Oakdale Police Department is in compliance with the 2023–2024 POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) cycle. All sworn officers are current or have valid waivers, and our master training plan is up to date.”

The report praised the department for its transparency and proactive approach.

“Leadership at the Oakdale Police Department was fully cooperative and transparent,” the Grand Jury wrote, commending the city’s thorough documentation and timely responses.

Oakdale began addressing training shortfalls as early as 2021 by front-loading courses into the first year of the POST cycle, allowing flexibility for unexpected scheduling conflicts. As of December 2024, all sworn personnel – from chief to patrol officer – were confirmed compliant, with eight already meeting their 2025–2026 requirements.

Councilmember Jeff Kettering, a former law enforcement trainer, acknowledged the effort, saying, “This is difficult to do. You guys have done an amazing job in the responses – much more detailed than I would have expected.”

Mayor Cherilyn Bairos added, “Bottom line – we’re in compliance. This is the finding. This is the end of it – until next year.”

The city will continue updating its training plans and convening its training committee as needed to maintain compliance moving forward.