Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf confirmed that, Oakland police is all set to fire four of its officers and will suspend seven others without pay for their roles in a sex abuse scandal. The issue sparked national outrage earlier this year.

According to the mayor, the officers, some of whom may have already resigned, were found guilty of administrative charges of attempted sexual assault, assisting in the crime of prostitution and accessing law enforcement databases for personal gain, among other offenses.

Schaaf said at a news conference, that, “I want to send a clear message to the victims of sexual abuse and exploitation living in our city. We see you. We hear you, and we are here to help you.” “And to those who exploit these victims and profit or take pleasure in their pain, we see you too.”

"I am deeply sorry for the harm that this scandal has caused, particularly to community trust," Schaaf said. He said that, the discipline "sends a loud and clear message that we will hold our officers to nothing but the highest standards of professionalism and integrity."

“I want to thank the residents of Oakland and the dedicated men and women of Police Department for their patience as we’ve conducted this investigation,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf in a Facebook post. “We care deeply about this community and its officers and believe that the outcomes in this case will root out misconduct, encourage a culture of transparency and continue the work of restoring trust.”

The Oakland Police have been probing allegations that officers were having sexual contact for nearly a year with a self-described teenage sex worker. The woman has told authorities she first met an Oakland officer along a stretch of International Boulevard notorious for the sex trafficking of underage girls.

Civil rights attorney John Burris said that, "I’m hopeful that there are criminal charges because they should be prosecuted." "We’re talking about men police officers having sex with a minor."

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Nandini