Oakland Police and Jobs
Mayor Dellums presented a plan to the Oakland City Council to increase funding for police recruitment and training by spending $7.7 million of Measure Y funds. This positive action was met with opposition from the Measure Y Oversight Committee and the Oakland City Council. Instead of acting quickly to implement the Mayor’s plan, it has been in discussions for the last 3 weeks.
As you recall, in 2004 Oakland citizens agreed to tax themselves by passing Measure Y. This created a pool of funds for the city to use to recruit and train more police officers. For the most part, the funds have not been spent and have been accumulating in the City Treasurer, unused.
The measure also set up an oversight committee to make recommendations to the city council on expenditure of the funds. The committee voted 8 to 1 against the Mayor’s proposal to use the funds. They claimed that all or part of the $7.7 million the Mayor requested should come from the City’s general budget. Yes the same budget that has a projected multi million dollar deficit come June, three month’s away.
The majority of the city council refused to support the Mayor’s plan. They wanted money expended for other programs and less funds for outreach and advertisement. The proposal is now being reworked by the city council and will be presented at a later date.
Given the urgency of hiring and training new police officers, it seems strange that the Mayor’s aggressive proposal would be bogged down in bureaucratic bickering. It seems that the opposing city council members could have simply met with the Mayor and voiced their concerns so that they could be addressed in the proposals.
This public stalemate is benefiting no one, certainly not the citizens of Oakland who desperately need more police for their public safety. Let’s hope that these turf battles get resolved so that the city can start training more officers, getting them on the street and protecting our citizens.
Another part of the Mayor’s plan is to increase community policing in Oakland. You can see the benefits of community policing by attending any Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council meeting (NCPC). There, the citizens get to talk directly to the officers who patrol their neighborhoods. They ask questions to the officer, get access to resources, and help police resolve their neighborhood problems.
The police get to talk directly to citizens and detail the type of assistance they need. They get to explain their procedures so that the citizens are comfortable with their actions. In all, it becomes a win-win situation.
Community policing will not work without more officers available. The city must complete the Mayor’s plan to train more officers and place them on the streets. This will increase the safety and lower the fear in our neighborhoods. It also shows citizens that they are partners with the police in reducing crime.
Then, other city resources can be used to ensure that all the tangible problems that crime produces, like loitering, graffiti, abandoned cars, street robberies and others can be addressed and reduced. This improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods and makes Oakland a better place to live.
It appears that the majority of the city council is removed from the day to day reality of Oakland citizens. While they fiddle, our crime problem goes unresolved. We need a council that is fully engaged in the solution of crime and the improvement of the quality of life in our neighborhoods. The city council must provide their political leadership so that community policing becomes a reality throughout Oakland. Our basic safety requires that the training be funded immediately.
Speaking of city council leadership, a government study shows that the East bay lost 4,500 jobs last year. That is equivalent of all the jobs in Oakland’s City Center, and then some. We need those and more jobs now here in Oakland. The City must take action to retain and recruit more jobs into Oakland. Because more jobs, along with more police, help to combat crime in our city. Let’s hope the debate and solutions to job creation moves along faster than hiring more police. Oakland deserves better.
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
