Oakland Mayor and Police Chief announce new plan to fight crime

By Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News Service

March 1, 2006

OAKLAND (BCN) - Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Police Chief Wayne Tucker said today that the city is redeploying its officers in order to better fight what they describe as a clear surge in violent crime in the city.

Oakland police say that in the first two months of 2006, compared to the first two months of 2005, there has been a 200 percent increase in homicides, a 148 percent increase in shootings and a 109 percent increase in robberies.

Speaking at a crowded news conference at the Police Department, Tucker said six police service area commands as well as the traffic enforcement section have been reorganized into a unified command that will be flexibly deployed to match police resources with crime trends.

Tucker said that in a second step that will be implemented soon, the department will reassign 13 officers from their duties at the Oakland International Airport back to the patrol division.

He said that will be a "force multiplier" for the Police Department because the officers will provide much-needed support to the patrol division.

Brown said the plan calls for "a refocus and emphasis on crime fighting," stating that the department has so many demands for so many services that sometimes "crime fighting gets lost" in the shuffle.

Brown also said "other agencies need to be on board" in the fight against crime in Oakland, singling out the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and court officials for criticism.

The mayor said the Board of Supervisors has "dramatically reduced" the number of probation officers in the county even though many parolees need supervision, and said that court officials allow ex-felons caught with firearms to be released back onto the streets after posting only $10,000 bail.

Brown described the redeployment as "a strategic effort to go where the crime is" and said it's crucial because the city needs to let criminals know that "the streets of Oakland are not a playground of thugs, gangs and shooters."

Tucker said the department is moving quickly to train and hire more officers, stating that it is about 100 officers short of the total of 803 officers the city wants to have on duty.

Copyright © 2006 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

####