Why is Oakland’s mayor on a public safety blitz?
Why is Oakland’s mayor on a public safety blitz?
Also: Coliseum update, dirt bikes and ATVs, business closures
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Story of the week
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao went all-out on a public safety campaign last week, hosting five town halls where she and key members of her administration gave presentations on the state of Oakland’s public safety crisis.
Attendees could submit written questions on index cards, which were screened by staff. They didn’t take live questions from the audience. Two of the events are available to watch on the mayor’s YouTube page.
Portraying confidence: Thao acknowledged things are bad — which she said she inherited from prior administrators — but insisted her strategy is working.
She leaned heavily on recent data that says homicides and shootings are down compared to last year.
Thao wasn’t shy about taking credit for a number of safety initiatives she thinks will get Oakland back on track, including alternative policing programs and better use of technology. More on those below.
But is the mayor’s confidence warranted? While Thao tried to comfort residents, there are serious questions, both about Thao’s strategy and the purported progress. Here are a few of the topics she covered…
Officer shortages. Thao admitted Oakland doesn’t have enough police officers, but blamed not having enough money.
She tried to take credit for bringing in CHP officers to help, which Gov. Newsom spearheaded earlier this year and has continued to deploy in Oakland.
Oakland has the fewest officers per violent crime in the country, and under Thao, Oakland has eliminated more than a hundred officer positions.
At one event, Thao claimed she never took funding away from OPD, which drew audible reactions from the East Oakland audience at Allen Temple Baptist Church, and she stated “that’s disinformation.”
Alternative policing. Thao and team said programs like ‘Operation Ceasefire’ and MACRO not only offset a shortage of police resources, but produce better outcomes for public safety.
However, MACRO, which is designed to offload police resources to community responders for non-emergent calls like homeless issues and mental health calls, is actually 5x more expensive than the police it’s supposed to replace — concerning in a city where the mayor blames budget shortfalls for lack of police.
At the events, Thao encouraged voters to approve Measure NN, a tax increase to fund violence prevention programs.
Use of technology. Thao and Floyd Mitchell, Oakland’s recently-appointed Police Chief, were eager to talk about the hundreds of real-time ‘Flock’ cameras and use of drones.
But similar to the success of the CHP influx, the Flock cameras were part of a broader East Bay initiative funded again by the state, not by the city.
Accountability. When asked about repeat offenders, Thao and Mitchell claimed the police are doing their job, and it’s up to other law enforcement (read: district attorney, state and federal authorities, etc.) to get criminals off the streets.
While DA Pamela Price, who’s also facing a recall in November, has been under immense scrutiny, it was an interesting attempt to pass the blame.
Hail Mary: Thao and her team are clearly trying to go on offense in the months leading up to the recall election. The question remains whether the credit taken is credit deserved.
In other news…
The city finally entered into a formal agreement to sell its stake in the Coliseum to AASEG. Notably, the city’s deal gets $20M less for its stake than what AASEG is paying the A’s for their half ($125M). Assuming the deal closes in 2 years, AASEG will begin the decade-plus process to find the money to fund and complete its $5B redevelopment plan. (SF Chronicle)
Swarms of dirt bikes and ATVs — which aren’t street legal — drove through Oakland and San Francisco last weekend. The event was widely publicized on Instagram. Police were unable to stop groups due to “safety reasons.” Most of the drivers weren’t wearing helmets, and CHP said if a suspect gets injured in pursuit, it “becomes a liability” for CHP. (SF Gate)
The Hilton hotel on Hegenberger Road next to the Oakland airport shut down last week. It’s another on the long list of businesses to leave the area, including In-N-Out, Denny’s, and two Starbucks, among others. Workers at the hotel noted rampant crime as a problem. Meanwhile in downtown, Shake Shake also closed saying they were unable to keep the store open due to a slowdown in business in the area.
Candidate for City Council’s At-Large seat, Charlene Wang, had a bag with $1,000 in campaign donations stolen by a homeless woman during her campaign kickoff event last weekend. Running on a platform to address homelessness and crime, when she called 911, Wang said the police never showed up, as is typical in these types of cases. (Fox)
Charges were dropped against one of the defendants in the fatal shooting of Oakland police officer Tuan Le. No details were given as to why the charges were dropped, and the police union said they were “concerned” with the decision. The three remaining suspects, including the alleged shooter and alleged getaway driver, still face murder charges. (KTVU)
📚 Oakland Proud
Steph Curry’s foundation (Eat. Learn. Play.) committed $25M to bridge the reading and writing gap for 10,000 Oakland elementary students over the next five years. This is on top of the $50M Curry and his wife committed to Oakland students last year.
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Detailed, SPECIFIC needs for Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park:
• A series of internet linked video cameras on the light poles in and around the park, especially at the entrance / exit, and at key buildings. Police could view these live at any time.
• Establishment of a security station / coffee-snack shack in the existing, small building between the Garden Center and Bandstand beach. Snacks were sold there years ago.
o This would be a place where people could report crime, where ambassadors / police could park their security car, and stop in and meet people (coffee with a cop), where you could buy coffee etc., and even where a drone could be launched to track ongoing crime. There could perhaps be a hotline to police dispatch. Include a lost and found.
• An attractive fence around the Boating Center. There is precedent; fences now exist around the Garden Center, Cameron Stanford House, and Fairyland. You can't steal something if you can't get it past the fence while on camera and when a light is on you.
• Motion sensor lighting (with nearby, multiple cameras) that turn on by sensing motion. To be active only at night when the park is closed, and in places where people should not be at night.
o A sudden bright light could deter crime before it happens. Protect these by installation in areas out of reach, and/or with shielding. The lights would go off after a set time. Seeing a light where it should not be will also attract attention.
• Multiple, prominent (LED) signs in Lakeside Park advising of active crime prevention actions in place such as bait cars, recording cameras, gps locators, and use of other surveillance equipment.
o Note: San Francisco is using bait cars, and gps locators. The LM Institute has such a programmable sign.
• Deployment of "Torch" fire detectors to protect existing buildings in Lakeside Park. Inexpensive ($299) insurance compared to the loss of a building.
o When activated by a smoke, visible or infrared sensor, they send a notice by wireless transmission, allowing rapid response. Each can cover 10 acres. The size of a large fist, they can be securely mounted out of sight, high up in a tree, high on a building, or on a light pole to prevent theft.
• A $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons committing a crime in Lakeside Park.
"Oakland has the fewest officers per crime in the country", I'm curious, Where did you get this statistic? Conventionally, police manning levels are measured in the number of "officers per 10K population". One problem with the "officers per crime" metric is that it could award a inefficient or ineffective police department with more officers when in fact structural/organizational changes are in order. For example, Oakland has had the highest violent crime rate of any of the sixty largest California cities over the last twenty years. The OPD is still under federal court order oversight from the 2003 Riders debacle. Do you think that adding more officers to this mix will improve the situation?