Fallen Oakland Officer Tuan Le’s widow says city is asking for $461; police union outraged

By RYAN CURRY

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    OAKLAND, California (KGO) — The widow of Tuan Le, the Oakland police officer who was shot and killed while trying to stop a robbery, claims the city is asking her for $461. They sent her an invoice and claim that money is from the ransomware attack back in February of 2023 where Le was accidentally overpaid.

The Oakland Police Officers Association calls this move from the city outrageous.

“We were furious,” said Huy Nguyen, the president of the POA. “It’s devastating to experience what she is going through.”

Nguyen says the city was potentially willing to take money away from Le’s wife’s death benefits. The invoice was sent back in May, and Nguyen says the union was trying to get the city to drop the debt. Nguyen says Le’s wife is still grieving.

“The city attorney’s office reaching out to our executive director asking about insurance policies and other benefits to pay $461,” he said. “Do you really want to waste this much money and effort into doing this?”

The police union sent a check to the city for $461 and asked the city to be done with the matter. We reached out to Oakland officials, and they told us in a statement they will forgive the debt.

Their statement: “In February 2023, one effect of the ransomware attack on the City of Oakland was that the City issued payroll to all of its approximately 5,000 employees without the usual payroll system available to keep those payments accurate. In more than 120 cases where individual employees were overpaid, City staff have been following a standardized process to recoup those overpayments.

Officer Le was among those employees. The authority to waive the City’s process and waive an overpayment of this nature rests with the City Administrator. Now that this matter has been brought to his attention, City Administrator Johnson has directed staff to waive this debt. There is no need for further action by Officer Le’s family, and we consider the matter closed. The City Administrator’s Office will continue to work with OPOA leadership and all of our labor partners to address issues regardless of how material.

The City stands with Officer Le’s family and apologizes for any distress or inconvenience this issue has caused for them, and we will continue our unwavering support.”

No one from the city was available to go on camera for an interview. Nguyen says he hopes the city is more respectful of officers and their families, especially if they die while on the job.

“If your husband or your wife die in the line of duty, you would hope you feel that there is some sense of support from the city,” he said.

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