Alameda County DA shakes up leadership of civil rights and police accountability teams

No public explanation given for the changes

OAKLAND — On Tuesday, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced a reorganization at the top of her civil rights and public accountability teams, naming new interim leaders for each unit without addressing what happened to the prosecutor she previously appointed to oversee them.

According to a statement released by her office on Tuesday, two attorneys have been assigned to lead the Civil Rights Bureau and the Public Accountability Unit, which are in charge of prosecuting police officers accused of misconduct and excessive force, as well as reviewing cases under the state’s Racial Justice Act.

Kwixuan Maloof, the senior assistant district attorney Price appointed to lead those units shortly after taking office, was not mentioned in the statement. When asked about Maloof’s status, Price spokesperson Patti Lee declined to comment, citing a personnel matter.

However, according to a copy of the memo obtained by this news organization, Maloof, a former San Francisco public defender, was transferred to the office’s Consumer Justice Bureau in a memo Price sent to her staff on Friday. According to the memo, his new assignment began on Monday.

Attempts by this newspaper to contact Maloof on Tuesday evening were futile.

Price tasked Maloof and a team of attorneys and investigators with reopening cases cleared by her predecessor, DA Nancy O’Malley, when she announced the formation of the Public Accountability Unit in January. The list included Mario Gonzalez’s death in custody by Alameda city police, as well as two on-duty fatal shootings by an Oakland officer more than a decade ago.

Maloof’s Public Accountability Unit was kept busy in the months that followed.

Prosecutors charged Oakland homicide Detective Phong Tran with multiple felonies in April, including perjury and bribery, after investigators claimed he paid a witness to falsely testify in a murder trial and then lied about the alleged payoff. An Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled in June that there was enough evidence to send the case to trial.

In May, a juvenile institutional officer and two deputies from the sheriff’s office were charged with multiple felonies in connection with separate incidents at two different detention facilities. Nicole Perales, the officer, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child and oral copulation with a minor. According to prosecutors, the deputies, Sheri Baughman and Amanda Barcamontes, were accused of falsifying records in connection with an inmate suicide at the Santa Rita Jail.

Members of the Public Accountability Unit recently appeared in court to prosecute Amilcar “Butch” Ford, a former Alameda County prosecutor and staunch critic of Price who was charged last month with a misdemeanor stemming from his time in the office.

The misdemeanor charge against Ford stems from a court declaration he filed disclosing information in the case of a San Leandro police officer facing manslaughter charges for the fatal shooting of a man while on duty in 2020. In it, Ford highlighted quotes from Maloof, including, “I came here to charge cops.” They had better be prepared. They should look me up.”

Ford, who spoke out against Price’s policies at an April rally outside the courthouse, has since left the office and is now working for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Price stated in a press release announcing the new appointments on Tuesday that the team leaders “signal the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office’s dedication to transparency, civil rights enforcement, and accountability for all.”

Demarris Evans, a former public defender in San Francisco, has been named interim branch head of the office’s Civil Rights Bureau. She has taught at San Francisco State University and “pioneered racial justice units, advancing equitable practices through litigation and community engagement,” according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office.

Former San Francisco prosecutor James Conger has been named interim head of the Public Accountability Unit. According to the press release, while working across the Bay, he assisted in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving police misconduct.