Crime in Oakland

Crime is a problem in Oakland that does not have a simple solution.  We need our city leaders to make a dediciated priority to reducing crime here.  Mayor Dellums in his State of the City address pointed out that hiring more police officers is needed, and stressed that it is only part of it.  Simply hiring police officers is not a complete solution.  The mayor proposed several initiatives to combat crime. 

In order to reduce crime, there has to be a comprehensive plan that deals with all aspects of criminal behavior.  First, there has to be the basic security of our city.  People must feel safe in their homes and businesses. 

To do so, we need more police.  Oakland’s police force is grossly understaffed and losing a minimum of 5 officers a month due to retirement or withdrawal from the force.  A police shortage is an issue that has lingered for a number of years. 

In 2004, the city initiated a hiring freeze of Oakland police officers.  In addition, even though the citizens of Oakland voted to tax themselves, the Measure Y funds were not used to hire more officers.  As a result, the Oakland police force is caught in a numbers crunch.

Mr. Dellums proposed starting more police academies to train officers simultaneously.  This excellent idea will train more officers and make more available for on-street duty.  Perhaps the city could contact he local community college system to see if they can establish a police training program at Laney or Merritt Colleges. 

The lack of responsibility by some  Council members is appalling.  All the Council members were on the Council when a hiring freeze was implemented and Measure Y funds not used. The majority of the council has not pushed for solutions, but passively ignored the crime problem. One Council member offered a very weak excuse that the police chief never presented a plan for them in 5 years

As a city political and elected leader, why did she not push the issue, require the City Administrator and police chief to present a plan, set deadlines to ensure that we had an adequate police force? Or explore other alternatives.  This crisis is too severe to engage in passive finger pointing.  This is a severe breach of public safety caused by the failure to act by some of our elected officials.

Crime has to be combated on numerous levels.  The city cannot depend solely on the police department to stop crime in our cities.  There must be a comprehensive plan that includes immediate security, crime prevention, suppression and rehabilitation. 

In addition to training more police force, the city must explore alternate ways to ensure public safety.  Community policing is an idea to get more officers into the neighborhoods so that they prevent crime, not just respond.  The city should explore ideas such as police cadet services to patrol our commercial districts and neighborhoods.

With the current shortage, the city should contact the governor and attorney general to use state resources to help increase our law enforcement presence in the city.  Former mayor, now attorney general, Jerry Brown has offered to assist Oakland.  Well, this is the exact way that he can help.  The attorney general’s office has access to uniformed police officer that can be loaned to the city to help protect our neighborhoods.  

The city can add crime suppression activities that will lower the rate of crime in our city.  For example, the city can explore ways to prosecute minor like vandalism, auto burglaries, break-ins and others that destroy the quality of life in our city.  The police generally do not respond to these minor crimes and they are rarely prosecuted.  The city can explore a response to these crimes like community service, rather than jail time, to show these perpetrators the harm they are causing to their own community.

Most of the crime in Oakland stems from the drug trade. The city can coordinate with the Federal US Attorney’s office and the state Attorney General’s office to prosecute major drug dealers in our city.  Too many resources are used to prosecute small street level dealers while the major suppliers run amuck in our city.  It is advantageous to use the federal prosecutor because they have more resources to devote to this type of criminal activity.  We have to send a message that tells major drug dealers they are not welcome in Oakland. 

The resources of the city and state governments can be used to suppress crime by responding quickly to hot spots and active criminal activity.  Study after study has shown that if you increase the law enforcement presence in an area, the rate of crime decreases.  The city has to enact a rapid response team and other calming devices to keep these hot spots of crime from boiling over.

The city should work with the school districts to offer alternatives to crime.  The city could initiate a program of leasing facilities for after school programs to get our kids of the streets and doing something productive.  It could be academic, recreational, social interactive or simply a safe haven from the criminal streets. It also would help the school districts by infusing much needed funds for other programs.  The city could outreach to numerous businesses, non-profits foundations, and citizen volunteers to use their resources to create alternatives to crime.  

Rehabilitation is a key component of stopping criminal activity in Oakland.  Over half of the crimes committed in this city are done by repeat violators.  These people have been punished and are back on our streets.  However, they come with no training, skills or service to re-enter society.  They simply resort back to a life of crime.

The city has to work to break this cycle.  We have to fund training programs like Men of Valor to provide alternatives to ex-offenders.  We have to ensure that there are rehabilitation programs available so that we can break the cycle of crime.  The city should explore with the county regarding its work programs and see if it can be expanded to include ex-offenders as well.

It is time to try something new and different in Oakland because the old current political ways are not working.  We need to change the city’s response to crime and explore alternatives to solve the crime problem.  It will not go away under the current methods.  It will take hard work, commitment and political leadership to change our city and build a better Oakland.  Be we can do it, for our children, we have to.

Clinton Killian is an attorney in downtown Oakland, an Oakland resident, a former Oakland Planning Commissioner and a candidate for Oakland City Council. He can be reached at: (510) 625-8823 or email: clintonkillian@yahoo.com.   Website: www.clintonkillian.com