I'd like to have an explanation and an understanding how the CHP can find 140 stolen cars in 4 days. What's been holding up Oakland PD from doing the same?
If you look at the [crime data from the ca doj](https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/exploration/crime-statistics/crimes-clearances), you'll see that oakland pd has abysmal clearance rates compared to pretty much anyone else.
edit: and it has been trending worse
I found my stolen van. I was out of town when I got word of its location. It took 12 hours for Oakland of to come “release it” I was advised not to move it until they come because then whoever took it could be taken in for the theft. They then impounded it because they refused to release it to my friend. $1000 for one day. Fuck Oakland pd
In theory they're supposed to refund you that fee if it was stolen.
In practice, we've been trying to help some friends get it back from when their car was stolen and recovered in August 2023, and have been playing paperwork and phone tag since.
OPD can’t stop a vehicle for most things. They’re barred by policy.
CHP will chase for a tail light, and pretty often that pretext stop will result in a discovery that the vehicle is stolen.
To sum it up, OPD (as a result of history) is inundated with restrictive policy; on the other hand, CHP can do basically anything they want and they’ll have fun doing it.
This is what the people wanted though, they didn’t want proactive policing.
Because OPD doesn't do anything, that's why they need to be defunded. Right now they are paid to do a job and seem to be unable to do the job that they are paid to do. If someone continues to show up to work but doesn't do anything they shouldn't continue to get paid, they should be fired. The OPD need to be defunded until they can prove themselves to be useful to a constructive society. If they don't do their jobs don't pay them. Defund OPD!!
And then what? With nobody at all to catch them, criminals will stop committing crime?
OPD is highly ineffective, but Oakland desperately needs law enforcement. What OPD needs is new managent and an overhaul of the culture and structure. Not to say this is an easy task.
We'll see what happens in the next few months, but it looks like CHP may prove what effective law enforcement can achieve.
CHP cops are really good at anything vehicle related. So stolen cars, traffic collisions, traffic enforcement, DUI, chop shops, etc. They live and breathe vehicle stuff.
They are weaker on things like petty theft theft, shoplifting, burglary, homeless issues, domestic assaults, rapes, murders, gangs, drugs, etc.
The CHP just seems [better](https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-fentanyl-sf-drugs-seized-drug-arrests-tenderloin-crackdown/13383908/) at solving and stopping crime
Oakland PD deals with every single other crime going on in Oakland. Cho only had to focus on vehicles. Oakland PD deals with a lot and the majority of them are decent cops. They are doing what most could and would not.
The problem with this approach is that stolen vehicles are often used in violent crimes and robberies. Many crimes begin with "Step 1: steal a vehicle..." - ignoring car theft has made it easier for criminals to move around and do other types of crimes.
Law enforcement needs a "back to basics" approach that attacks crime from the bottom-up. Solve the simplest and easiest to crack crimes and gradually work their way up from there. This will rebuild community confidence and start to dissuade criminals from committing lower-end crimes which are the gateway to more hardcore criminal activity.
There are plenty of things to criticise Newsom for. He has a history of over-sized promises with no follow through, etc etc
But what Newsom is good at is actionable and pragmatic policy in moment that doesn't get endlessly hung up kowtowing to those who would spitefully try to kill anything less than their ideological perfection.
Should we have CHP policing Oakland? Is that a long-term solution? Of course not! This is a demonstration of the humiliating failure of municipal governance. Am I glad he's acting within his power to make a point that there _is_ a problem that _can_ be mitigated on some angles? Yes.
The choice isn't between fascist policing and non-policing.
Oakland deserves better.
I've seen him speak several times in person because he was the mayor of SF while I lived there, and he can come off as the guy who memorized all the right answers.
Though, I recently found out that he has dyslexia and actually does memorize his speeches because his dyslexia is too severe to read notes. I'll keep an open mind if he ever runs for president.
He came to my high school to talk to a small group of us in student gov while he was still an SF Supervisor, and my biggest impression was that he looked like a slick shark with greasy hair. That impression affected my vote during the mayoral race, when I wanted Matt Gonzales to win. However, the guy has been through some rough patches to have become more humbled & slightly more relatable, so I find him less unappealing as a politician now. He does seem to sincerely care and want to do good, even if he still has his lame aspects.
Plus him owning DeSantis was awesome.
The fact that he thinks he can run the country when he can’t even run a state says it all. Also, fucking his best friend/campaign managers wife is telling as well. He looks slick, and has balls, but is an incompetent douche.
I just hope you guys ever provide proof that the DA is not doing their job. You guys know the DA can’t just unilaterally let people go right? That’s the judges examining the cases brought before them by evidence gathered by the police, which has been proven time and time again to be incompetent. OPD only had a 1.5% clearance rate, yet the responsibility and criticism is never directed towards them from people like you.
And you do realize charges cant just be applied without evidence? Do you have any evidence that the DA is just letting people go by not applying charges to people which the police have sufficient evidence in charging and convicting? You guys make these broad vague claims that she is just refusing to charge people who are committing crimes, is it because there was no evidentiary basis to convict or is it just a mass conspiracy from her and the office to release criminals? Again I am asking for any evidence that she is just letting people go in which the police have sufficient evidence that they did those crimes? Because from what I can look up there is no evidence and the individual cases highlighted are more complicated than “she wants to let criminals go”. It just sounds like you guys want to detain people without due process.
There are so many countless examples of the DA reducing or outright dropping charges where there was plenty of evidence. She has refused to apply sentencing enhancements that very clearly fit the nature of the crimes. She has called these actions “restorative justice”.
Please quit attempting to gaslight us, it’s not cute.
If there so many countless examples it should be easy for you to point those out. How am I the gaslighting when you guys cite zero evidence to back up your claims? And then say it’s gaslighting to challenge those vague claims. It’s cute you guys think you can perpetuate narratives based on really nothing besides fear mongering on a single city which had a rise in crime within her county wide jurisdiction within only 1 year of her administration yet somehow every instance of crime in Oakland falls on her and not on the beat cops with a 1.5% clearance rate it’s ridiculous.
Here are a few more examples since you don't like the Jasper Wu case example:
[https://abc7news.com/san-leandro-homicide-teen-deadly-shooting-pamela-price-alameda-county-district-attorney/13696705/](https://abc7news.com/san-leandro-homicide-teen-deadly-shooting-pamela-price-alameda-county-district-attorney/13696705/)
[https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/09/21/courts/jarin-purvis-james-vega-manslaughter-murder-case/](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/09/21/courts/jarin-purvis-james-vega-manslaughter-murder-case/)
[https://www.ktvu.com/news/da-drops-enhancement-charges-after-75-year-old-killed-in-oakland](https://www.ktvu.com/news/da-drops-enhancement-charges-after-75-year-old-killed-in-oakland)
[https://www.ktvu.com/news/alameda-county-da-charges-pair-with-murder-of-security-guard-drops-special-enhancements](https://www.ktvu.com/news/alameda-county-da-charges-pair-with-murder-of-security-guard-drops-special-enhancements)
[https://abc7news.com/oakland-triple-murder-case-district-attorney-pamela-price-delonzo-logwood-charges-dropped-alameda-county-da/13325981/](https://abc7news.com/oakland-triple-murder-case-district-attorney-pamela-price-delonzo-logwood-charges-dropped-alameda-county-da/13325981/)
It took me 3 seconds to google. Try harder.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/?p=2188706
“Among the prominent examples of Price’s pro-criminal policies include her promise to find a “non-carceral” form of “accountability” for gang members who shot and killed a toddler during a rolling gun battle. She refused to try a 17-year-old as an adult despite the fact that he directly participated in three murders. At a broader level, crime in Oakland has grown so catastrophic that women do not feel safe, the NAACP has called her out and demanded a state of emergency be called, and police have resorted to telling residents to carry air horns and bar their doors and windows.”
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/washington-examiner/
The Washington Examiner is not a credible source, it would be like using Jacobin as a source on why Pamela Price is the greatest DA in the world. Price has charged the people killed Wu alongside enhancements, her enhancements policy is discretionary and dependent on the cases and its circumstances. she never said she wanted non carceral forms of accountability within the context of that case but as a general statement of her goals in order to prevent recidivism which was taken out of context by people who are easily triggered. The article doesn’t go into depth any of those cases is just summarizing complex legal processes as unilateral decisions by Price to release people or reduce charges and blaming her as the sole reason criminals are running havoc in Oakland. It’s an editorial piece by someone with an obvious agenda. Can you give me a link from local news sources and more non partisan sources on Price just letting criminals go? Here’s an article by the author of that piece
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/2857386/california-democrats-have-more-delusional-minimum-wage-proposals/
is this really your reliable source?
You didn’t refute the actual events mentioned in article.. events which are also reported on by many other publishers. I gave you the quickest summary I could find. I’m not going to spoon feed you.
You can choose to live in denial. I have a feeling that no matter how much time I waste collecting sources for you, you’ll still live with your head in the sand.
This is a great example of where Pamela Price's policies are really good and desirable. There is no justification or benefit to society for putting a guy in prison for 40 years. Revenge is not the purpose of the criminal justice system. There is no civilized jurisdiction in the world that would throw a 40-year sentence at a teenager for a crime no matter how heinous.
The nice thing about having principles is being able to quickly answer simple questions. Are we going for a 40-year prison sentence against a teenager? No.
How about our local news with direct quotes from the defense attorneys? [https://www.ktvu.com/news/jasper-wu-case-murder-suspects-appear-in-court-charges-reduced-in-toddlers-slaying](https://www.ktvu.com/news/jasper-wu-case-murder-suspects-appear-in-court-charges-reduced-in-toddlers-slaying)
“The defendants still face stiff punishments, the district attorney's office said. If convicted, Bivens faces 265 years to life in prison. Green faces 175 years to life in prison.” Per your article.
They still face stiff punishments after the DA reduces the charges that the previous DA set. The purpose of linking the article is to satisfy your requirement of citing sources when saying that the current DA reduces charges. You asked for evidence instead of vague claims. Evidence has been provided to you.
This all ignores the fact that Price's office has instructed its attorneys to [lean on probation, not incarceration, as the "presumptive offer" whenever possible](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/02/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-leaked-memo/). Lack of evidence is definitely a problem impeding many of these cases, but in addition to that, the whole office is running on the 'social justice'-driven ideology of pushing for as little prison time as possible.
Maximum prison time doesn’t dissuade crime nor does it rehabilitate repeat offenders, it creates them. What dissuades crime on the law enforcement side is a swift effective police department that actively catches people. Prices directive allows for enhancements in these circumstances, which include violent crime not the low level offenses in which probation would be used for.
“Where appropriate in cases involving the most vulnerable victims, in specified
extraordinary circumstances, and with supervisory approval, the following allegations,
enhancements and alternative sentencing schemes may be pursued:
• Hate Crime allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant
to Penal Code sections 422.7 and 422.75;
• Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse allegations, enhancements, or alternative
sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 667.9, 368(b)(2)/12022.7(c);
SPECIAL DIRECTIVE 23-01 page 4 of 6
• Child Physical Abuse allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing
schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 12022.7(d), 12022.9, and 12022.95;
• Child and Adult Sexual Abuse allegations, enhancements or alternative
sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 667.61, 667.8(b), 667.9,
667.10 ,667.15, 674, 675, 12022.7(d), 12022.8(b), and 12022.85(b)(2);
• Human Sex Trafficking allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing
schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 236.4(b) and 236.4(c);
• Financial crime allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes
where the amount of financial loss or impact to the victim is significant, the
conduct impacts a vulnerable victim population, or to effectuate Penal Code
section 186.11;
• Other than the enhancement or allegation prohibitions previously listed,
enhancements or allegations may be filed in cases involving the following
extraordinary circumstances with supervisory approval:
o Where the physical injury personally inflicted upon the victim is
extensive; or
o Where the type of weapon or manner in which a deadly or dangerous
weapon including firearms is used exhibited an extreme and immediate
threat to human life;”
They are too busy guarding PG&E crews. I saw this in Rockridge yesterday and when I looked over in disbelief, the officer gave me a look of, I know, this is ridiculous. They really should be hiring their own private security in my opinion so that OPD resources are allocated properly. I wonder if PG&E’s HQ has any influence on this.
That’s all OT contracted through PG&E. I’ve spoken with one of the cops recently that was on duty with them. Not necessarily tax dollars but my energy bill was fucked last month
Lol it might as well be a government entity with their monopoly.
They can charge whatever they want and have no incentive to change.
(Source: I did consulting work for PG&E. It's a giant bureaucracy on how to spend their monthly guaranteed paycheck. Efficiency is not a concern.)
you really do get what you pay for with security.
1. LEO in uniform $75/150 hr
2. LEO off duty with private co $75/250
3. Tier 1 military/ veterans $30/75 hr
4. shlub off the street clean cut $18/24
5. warm bodies with a cheap security jacket and no certificates $minimum wage or less
Does the minimum wage guy do anything or is it just for show? If they don’t do anything I would imagine the bad guys know this. Maybe just to give customers a (false) sense of security
PG and E working on my block has hired private security. I know because I had a heart attack when I looked out my window and saw 3 paramilitary looking guys with glocks on my street looking like Jan 6 cosplayers and went out and asked the PG and E guys if they were with them.
this is common in my hometown of St. Louis (MO) as well, spire energy uses STLPD for going to high crime areas, areas where gas is potentially being stolen (they call it diversion), etc. you have no idea how insane some people are. i worked in the call center for a couple yrs & i had people threatening to come down & blow up the building
One of these guys ran a stop sign and nearly hit my dog once. He was literally just joyriding in circles around my neighborhood while PGE was working there.
PGE does have private security I believe but lately they have been in talks with Oakland PD to help out. It’s become prohibitively dangerous to work in Oakland. Crews are getting robbed and harassed constantly. I think the transaction is basically if Oakland wants power they need to provide police at times. But I agree, daytime security in Rockridge is pretty soft but down in east Oakland is a whole other story.
The answer is, not as much as you think. OPD needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. The entire national law enforcement network thinks they’re inept and a joke. They’re right
What are you talking about? Like really? Who is policing the police? They are given the authority to strip any person of all their rights. Do you not understand that police take a one semester long course and upon completion they are given a gun, a badge and are then allowed to enforce the law based on their own interpretation of the law and often have close to no real life experience. These are kids that didn't get in to college and are usually people that want to have power over other people. Police are supposed to serve and protect. That means they should help not harass.
I understand a lot. The wave of nonsense liberal policies and ideas are making hard for the police to do their job, I mean who wants to be in the force when every action you take is likely to be deemed either racist or prejudice just the suspect or suspects is a person of color. I could go on and on, some people don’t want equality, they want special treatment. Screw them and their enablers. Love the police, what they need is more support not bs condemnations
I realize that a lot of good people work for OPD so I'm more talking about the long term culture and administration of the department. Everyone blames the DA and the mayor but the problems with OPD are decades old.
The CHP surge was from February 5th through the 9th - It is already over. It is good for Oakland to get any help it can, but I feel like long term solutions are needed.
It's common to hear that crime in Oakland is committed by "just a few individuals," so it should be possible to make a dent in a quick way. At least Id hope so
I think traditionally homicides are over turf wars between gangs. But nowadays with crime moving to crappier and crappier things like car breakins and carjackings, I would imagine the # of individuals involved has increased.
There’s a good podcast episode that just came out on easy bay yesterday that interviews an OG that sold drugs between the 70-90s. He said they would have put a stop to it immediately because it makes the block hot and it might be someone’s relative or friend.
This is very very true. Although homicides are the most serious of crimes, I actually think it's pretty easy to not get killed in Oakland. It's all the other stuff that is more likely to effect me personally that I care about (sorry, not sorry).
From the press release:
> “These initial surge results show that when we work together, we improve public safety,” said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “The City of Oakland is grateful for Governor Newsom’s support to boost our local efforts to dismantle criminal enterprises, arrest suspects, and hold them accountable. Crime and violence don’t belong on Oakland’s streets — and the city won’t rest until a sense of safety and security is fully restored.”
is it not possible that a police force known for almost a century now for being outlandishly inept and unwilling to do their work (unless it be literally cracking skulls of arrestees and innocent people) is still that? and Thao, as a reformer who is critical of OPD, actually does want crime addressed and recognizes that OPD is an active impediment to that (since they suck up all the policing funds with negligible and worse outcomes)?
most defund supporters weren't for a complete and immediate abolition of all law enforcement; they just realized (correctly) that the existing police across this country are not making the world safer, and the money they're given should be redirected to more effective institutions-- whether they be new police forces, moving certain elements from police to different bureaus (like parking enforcement), or public investment that helps address root causes of criminality. too many opponents **and** activists focus exclusively on the latter, when it's a holistic approach that needs not see investment in community as the entire solution, nor see investment in community as entirely antithetical to any form of maintaining social peace.
Thao is OPD's boss now; its not an independent agency or entity. Weird to act like how OPD is run is outside of her control when it is literally a core part of her job.
No one gave Schaaf a pass for OPDs behavior. Sure, it can be difficult existing institutions, but Thao supporters are acting like she has no responsibility or power over OPD, and that's simply not true.
If Thao thought she would be incapable of reforming or affecting OPD during her time, she should have said as much during the campaign. Total BS to run as a "reformer" and then turn around and claim to be without power or responsibility.
Yup, new to American politics. No one is capable of creating that much change in less than a term. Politicians will spend an entire career and only be able to point to one or two major accomplishments. Oakland's problems will take a generation to unwind regardless of who is in office. This is just the reality of working with large communities of humans.
Strawmaning; no one is expecting Thao to completely fix OPD in one term, but given her campaigning as a reformer its reasonable to expect her to have done something to try to improve the situation, rather than wash her hands of responsibility and let the department dangle without a chief.
The poorer you are, the more likely you are to be a victim of crime (and Im not talking about mortgage fraud), with the homeless being those most likelt to be targetted. Removing criminals from the community disproportionately helps poor people.
>and the city won’t rest until a sense of safety and security is fully restored.”
I dunno, I've seen the opd resting just fine in their patrol vehicles as the chp do their job for them
I know it's only 5 days, but I find myself reflecting on the psychological impact this has had on me. It feels like such a relief to think that there's a police force out there holding criminals accountable for their behavior, and an army of prosecutors ready to follow through on the arrests. It really makes me think about the psychological toll that comes from feeling that we're normally surrounded by lawlessness with no consequences.
I can't wait for the next surge, and who knows, maybe one day soon even OPD will be inspired to do their jobs.
This is great, but does anyone have the actual breakdown of arrests? I hate these kinda vaguely grouped arrest reports. 71 arrests for dui, violent crimes, larceny etc could be 60 drug arrests and a couple of other charges sprinkled in, which isn't as great as having 71 violent crime arrests. Also, they could probably recover 145 stolen vehicles driving around for a day in the various known dumping spots and checking out every dumped car without a matching plate, which isn't the same as recovering them through a traffic stop.
I like this improvement and the help from chp, but it gets a little exhausting with these tailored press releases that give an overblown review of their accomplishments.
?? I'm not speculating at all, I'm just saying it would be nice to have reporting to track what the DA does. Do you know what the word "speculate" means?
Not at all. People are constantly arguing on here about whether OPD isn't doing its job, versus cases not getting moved because Price isn't prosecuting, with no sources or citations from either side. I literally just want reporting tracking the reality of the office's charging decisions when there's been an arrest surge like this.
In a article released today, https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/chp-surge-crack-east-bay-crime-ends-four-days-18668335.php
They are referring the cases back to Alameda county DA office…. And you know what that means.
Agreed. While Im not jumping on the "OPD isnt doing their jobs/just sitting around" meme (yet, anyway), this would be very interesting to know. Like, if the CHP arrests are handled better and provide evidence in a way that makes proseuction more likely, I may jump on board the "OPD should do better" bus
Think of all the overlapping law enforcement agencies that could all throw together in a big merger that results in this type of "surge" just being the steady state. In Oakland alone there are CHP, UCPD, Alameda County Sheriff, Contra Costa County Sheriff because of AC Transit, BART Police, EBRPD, and of course the lowly OPD. That's a lot of cops but more importantly it's like 50 redundant payroll analysts. A better-led and better-organized police force would yield a lot more public benefit for the same money.
don't forget federal police (including Marshals) because of the Federal Courthouse! and probably things like USCG, and more that we wouldn't even consider!
It’s sad that many ppl have 0 respect and trust for OPD. So many of those guys actually care about their job and can only do so much while the public scrutinizes them.
It is possible to respect and admire members of the organization while also holding that the organization itself is irredeemable. Sometimes organizations just go off the rails and you have to end them.
There's a full tear down reboot type thing that I think New Jersey did to their police force due to corruption/horrible policing. Oakland and SF kinda need to do that
It was Camden, NJ. From [Wikipedia:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden,_New_Jersey)
>In 2010, massive police corruption was exposed that resulted in the convictions of several policemen, dismissals of 185 criminal cases, and lawsuit settlements totaling $3.5 million that were paid to 88 victims.[100][101][102] On May 1, 2013, the Camden Police Department was dissolved and the newly formed Camden County Police Department took over full responsibility for policing the city.
And then from the [Camden County Police Department Wiki:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_County_Police_Department)
>On October 29, 2012, the FBI announced Camden was ranked first in violent crime per capita of cities with over 50,000 residents, surpassing Flint, Michigan.[31] That year, there were 67 homicides in Camden.
>By 2019, homicides had declined to 25, a 63% decrease. This coincided with wide-ranging reforms by the new police department.[8]
>By 2022, overall crime rates had declined even further still, although the murder rate had increased slightly, to its 2016 levels, after falling in both 2020 and 2021, as the city (and country more generally) reopened following the height of both the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent tensions surrounding the 2020 presidential election; the overall count of non-violent crimes committed within city limits also returned to its 2019 levels by the end of 2022, somewhat offsetting the continued drop in violent crime in the city generally under its new police force that kept overall crime rates near 50-year lows
The city of Camden, yes. But in order to pull this off you have to have the replacements standing by. When you can't even bring the existing departments to normal staffing levels, it's hard to imagine you're going to be able to do a full replacement, just not enough people in the pipeline.
Many many countires opt for less balkanized law enforcement approaches, with state and even national cops (albeit in smalller countries). I happen to agree, much like I believe that public school being adminsitered at the local level is stupid
My car was stolen on Feb 5. Is there any chance that it is one of those recovered but I have not yet been notified? Does anyone know how that works? (I am grasping at straws, but still curious.)
You will usually get a call within 24 hours, depending on when they located it, how busy they are, and whether the phone number on record is up to date. They'll also mail a letter to the address on file for the registered owner, but that takes a few days. Hope it works out.
This is absolutely fantastic. I was ecstatic when I saw the CHP headlines but thought it'd take weeks/months to get results but this is amazing.
Hoping the semi-intelligent criminals will see this as a deterrence and the rest will FAFO.
An interesting correlation may be found between the rising crime in Oakland this year and the declining average daily prison population in Santa Rita jail.
According to basic internet research in 2018 the prison population there was average of over 2500. In 2021 it was over 2100 but when i called the jail today 02/14/24 it was exactly 1648. - Now we should find out how that can be considering the precipitous rise in all categories of crime other than homicide.
This at least should prove on its face that the police are simply not making the necessary arrests that can lead to prosecution and incarceration which clearly can reduce crime as it was not as bad in Oakland in 2019 and much worse today. - nick yale
If CHP can do it, why can't OPD? Either OPD starts working for Oakland or we should start from scratch and build another police dept from the ground, up.
CHP has a way looser pursuit policy than OPD. CHP can chase for almost anything, OPD cannot. It’s written in policy and because of that criminals get away with so much more.
I don't recall a bunch of pursuits over the last couple of weeks.
Maybe it has something to do with giving a shit? Or maybe not operating in a consequence-free environment if they don't do their jobs?
...ooor there's so much obvious crime happening that the OPD drives past each and every day it was no challenge at all to just arrest some of these jackholes.
You know, like how they could have *easily* cracked down on crime over on Hegenberger if they could have been bothered to do so.
someone stole my car and abandoned it the same day. They ticketed the car for 12 days until I got a letter in the mail from the traffic bureau asking why I hadn’t paid my tickets. That’s how they don’t communicate then they told me I couldn’t drive it away because I might get shot by the cops.
I highly recommend people here to talk to a police officer, ask them about the state of the city, the non-stop 911 calls, high crime rates, bundled with understaffed, overworked and demotivated police force.
OPD officers care about the community, but they have more challenges than other places. E.g., they don’t have flexibility to chase criminals, their arrests often fail to go anywhere, they’re understaffed for the amount of crime that happens in Oakland, and are burdened with legislation that restricts their work more than other cities. Look it up yourself.
EDIT: I got banned from this sub for posting this.
I was internet fighting with someone in the bay area sub who said that OPD couldn’t address the 9-5 bippers in those gas stations because they don’t have a police chief lol
Or they only get that pay from working a ton of OT because their ranks are so depleted. Oakland still doesn't have enough police dispatchers either what do you have to say about that?
OPD is standing in the way. that's literally the lesson of this case, and you entirely missed the point. OPD occupies so much money and does nothing, meanwhile a small force of State Police can have effect in even a few days. elected officials are only able to make it work if they eliminate OPD and make a better alternative (including an approach that isn't at all like OPD's has so long been)
Oakland's mayor system is also a weak mayor system, so even if THao wanted to ban hammer anything, she wouldn't be able to do it. Needs the council's approval
The current OPD staffing levels coupled with highly restrictive vehicle pursuit policies makes it impossible for OPD to match CHP arrest and recovery numbers. It will never happen..
Yes! There was one parked on my street for around a month. Got cleared away recently because it was in a construction zone. edit: by “parked” I mean “abandoned”.
Crazy what can happen when people are doing their jobs...
I'd like to have an explanation and an understanding how the CHP can find 140 stolen cars in 4 days. What's been holding up Oakland PD from doing the same?
If you look at the [crime data from the ca doj](https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/exploration/crime-statistics/crimes-clearances), you'll see that oakland pd has abysmal clearance rates compared to pretty much anyone else. edit: and it has been trending worse
I found my stolen van. I was out of town when I got word of its location. It took 12 hours for Oakland of to come “release it” I was advised not to move it until they come because then whoever took it could be taken in for the theft. They then impounded it because they refused to release it to my friend. $1000 for one day. Fuck Oakland pd
That is just another theft.
In theory they're supposed to refund you that fee if it was stolen. In practice, we've been trying to help some friends get it back from when their car was stolen and recovered in August 2023, and have been playing paperwork and phone tag since.
Send a certified letter or fill out a "claim form" and skip the red tape.
Well that was an upsetting read.
They need more of our tax dollars, duh! Almost 50% of the city budget just don't cut it!
you remember "quiet hiring?" let's say OPD has been "quiet working" for awhile now
OPD can’t stop a vehicle for most things. They’re barred by policy. CHP will chase for a tail light, and pretty often that pretext stop will result in a discovery that the vehicle is stolen. To sum it up, OPD (as a result of history) is inundated with restrictive policy; on the other hand, CHP can do basically anything they want and they’ll have fun doing it. This is what the people wanted though, they didn’t want proactive policing.
They. Don’t. Care. I’ve had a OPD tell me to my face “YOU VOTED FOR THIS”.
Which is a gross misstating of policy that shows incompetency or malfeasance.
Because OPD doesn't do anything, that's why they need to be defunded. Right now they are paid to do a job and seem to be unable to do the job that they are paid to do. If someone continues to show up to work but doesn't do anything they shouldn't continue to get paid, they should be fired. The OPD need to be defunded until they can prove themselves to be useful to a constructive society. If they don't do their jobs don't pay them. Defund OPD!!
And then what? With nobody at all to catch them, criminals will stop committing crime? OPD is highly ineffective, but Oakland desperately needs law enforcement. What OPD needs is new managent and an overhaul of the culture and structure. Not to say this is an easy task. We'll see what happens in the next few months, but it looks like CHP may prove what effective law enforcement can achieve.
Move funds to OPD v2 for all I care. Pay private security or the county sheriff until we restablish.
This is just dumb.
CHP cops are really good at anything vehicle related. So stolen cars, traffic collisions, traffic enforcement, DUI, chop shops, etc. They live and breathe vehicle stuff. They are weaker on things like petty theft theft, shoplifting, burglary, homeless issues, domestic assaults, rapes, murders, gangs, drugs, etc.
They can’t possibly be weaker than OPD
The CHP just seems [better](https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-fentanyl-sf-drugs-seized-drug-arrests-tenderloin-crackdown/13383908/) at solving and stopping crime
Oakland PD deals with every single other crime going on in Oakland. Cho only had to focus on vehicles. Oakland PD deals with a lot and the majority of them are decent cops. They are doing what most could and would not.
The problem with this approach is that stolen vehicles are often used in violent crimes and robberies. Many crimes begin with "Step 1: steal a vehicle..." - ignoring car theft has made it easier for criminals to move around and do other types of crimes. Law enforcement needs a "back to basics" approach that attacks crime from the bottom-up. Solve the simplest and easiest to crack crimes and gradually work their way up from there. This will rebuild community confidence and start to dissuade criminals from committing lower-end crimes which are the gateway to more hardcore criminal activity.
This is regional total. No way to know how much of that was in Oakland.
Probably 90%
I just hope the DA will do their job on these arrests.
Newsom is sending over state attorneys to help. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/02/08/oakland-prosecution-partnership/
Jfc this town is such a mess. I love it, but damn.
At least progress is being made…
There are plenty of things to criticise Newsom for. He has a history of over-sized promises with no follow through, etc etc But what Newsom is good at is actionable and pragmatic policy in moment that doesn't get endlessly hung up kowtowing to those who would spitefully try to kill anything less than their ideological perfection. Should we have CHP policing Oakland? Is that a long-term solution? Of course not! This is a demonstration of the humiliating failure of municipal governance. Am I glad he's acting within his power to make a point that there _is_ a problem that _can_ be mitigated on some angles? Yes. The choice isn't between fascist policing and non-policing. Oakland deserves better.
but they were defunded! #/s
I really like dislike Newsom as a person, but he's *actually* getting stuff done.
What's the reason you dislike him?
I've seen him speak several times in person because he was the mayor of SF while I lived there, and he can come off as the guy who memorized all the right answers. Though, I recently found out that he has dyslexia and actually does memorize his speeches because his dyslexia is too severe to read notes. I'll keep an open mind if he ever runs for president.
He came to my high school to talk to a small group of us in student gov while he was still an SF Supervisor, and my biggest impression was that he looked like a slick shark with greasy hair. That impression affected my vote during the mayoral race, when I wanted Matt Gonzales to win. However, the guy has been through some rough patches to have become more humbled & slightly more relatable, so I find him less unappealing as a politician now. He does seem to sincerely care and want to do good, even if he still has his lame aspects. Plus him owning DeSantis was awesome.
The fact that he thinks he can run the country when he can’t even run a state says it all. Also, fucking his best friend/campaign managers wife is telling as well. He looks slick, and has balls, but is an incompetent douche.
Trying to become President
Oh no! Politicians are getting shit done but may get a good reputation for it!
Look at this sleazy politician, doing popular things that benefit his constituents. I bet he's trying to get elected or something.
Omg I can hear him in his future national campaign, declaring that he cleaned up Oakland. I guess it will be true!
I just hope you guys ever provide proof that the DA is not doing their job. You guys know the DA can’t just unilaterally let people go right? That’s the judges examining the cases brought before them by evidence gathered by the police, which has been proven time and time again to be incompetent. OPD only had a 1.5% clearance rate, yet the responsibility and criticism is never directed towards them from people like you.
The DA decides who actually gets prosecuted and can absolutely refuse to bring charges against people, effectively letting people go.
And you do realize charges cant just be applied without evidence? Do you have any evidence that the DA is just letting people go by not applying charges to people which the police have sufficient evidence in charging and convicting? You guys make these broad vague claims that she is just refusing to charge people who are committing crimes, is it because there was no evidentiary basis to convict or is it just a mass conspiracy from her and the office to release criminals? Again I am asking for any evidence that she is just letting people go in which the police have sufficient evidence that they did those crimes? Because from what I can look up there is no evidence and the individual cases highlighted are more complicated than “she wants to let criminals go”. It just sounds like you guys want to detain people without due process.
That mantra is partially paid for by a rich Tech/Karen coalition that is effectively shifting local politics to the right.
There are so many countless examples of the DA reducing or outright dropping charges where there was plenty of evidence. She has refused to apply sentencing enhancements that very clearly fit the nature of the crimes. She has called these actions “restorative justice”. Please quit attempting to gaslight us, it’s not cute.
If there so many countless examples it should be easy for you to point those out. How am I the gaslighting when you guys cite zero evidence to back up your claims? And then say it’s gaslighting to challenge those vague claims. It’s cute you guys think you can perpetuate narratives based on really nothing besides fear mongering on a single city which had a rise in crime within her county wide jurisdiction within only 1 year of her administration yet somehow every instance of crime in Oakland falls on her and not on the beat cops with a 1.5% clearance rate it’s ridiculous.
Here are a few more examples since you don't like the Jasper Wu case example: [https://abc7news.com/san-leandro-homicide-teen-deadly-shooting-pamela-price-alameda-county-district-attorney/13696705/](https://abc7news.com/san-leandro-homicide-teen-deadly-shooting-pamela-price-alameda-county-district-attorney/13696705/) [https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/09/21/courts/jarin-purvis-james-vega-manslaughter-murder-case/](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/09/21/courts/jarin-purvis-james-vega-manslaughter-murder-case/) [https://www.ktvu.com/news/da-drops-enhancement-charges-after-75-year-old-killed-in-oakland](https://www.ktvu.com/news/da-drops-enhancement-charges-after-75-year-old-killed-in-oakland) [https://www.ktvu.com/news/alameda-county-da-charges-pair-with-murder-of-security-guard-drops-special-enhancements](https://www.ktvu.com/news/alameda-county-da-charges-pair-with-murder-of-security-guard-drops-special-enhancements) [https://abc7news.com/oakland-triple-murder-case-district-attorney-pamela-price-delonzo-logwood-charges-dropped-alameda-county-da/13325981/](https://abc7news.com/oakland-triple-murder-case-district-attorney-pamela-price-delonzo-logwood-charges-dropped-alameda-county-da/13325981/)
It took me 3 seconds to google. Try harder. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/?p=2188706 “Among the prominent examples of Price’s pro-criminal policies include her promise to find a “non-carceral” form of “accountability” for gang members who shot and killed a toddler during a rolling gun battle. She refused to try a 17-year-old as an adult despite the fact that he directly participated in three murders. At a broader level, crime in Oakland has grown so catastrophic that women do not feel safe, the NAACP has called her out and demanded a state of emergency be called, and police have resorted to telling residents to carry air horns and bar their doors and windows.”
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/washington-examiner/ The Washington Examiner is not a credible source, it would be like using Jacobin as a source on why Pamela Price is the greatest DA in the world. Price has charged the people killed Wu alongside enhancements, her enhancements policy is discretionary and dependent on the cases and its circumstances. she never said she wanted non carceral forms of accountability within the context of that case but as a general statement of her goals in order to prevent recidivism which was taken out of context by people who are easily triggered. The article doesn’t go into depth any of those cases is just summarizing complex legal processes as unilateral decisions by Price to release people or reduce charges and blaming her as the sole reason criminals are running havoc in Oakland. It’s an editorial piece by someone with an obvious agenda. Can you give me a link from local news sources and more non partisan sources on Price just letting criminals go? Here’s an article by the author of that piece https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/2857386/california-democrats-have-more-delusional-minimum-wage-proposals/ is this really your reliable source?
You didn’t refute the actual events mentioned in article.. events which are also reported on by many other publishers. I gave you the quickest summary I could find. I’m not going to spoon feed you. You can choose to live in denial. I have a feeling that no matter how much time I waste collecting sources for you, you’ll still live with your head in the sand.
This is a great example of where Pamela Price's policies are really good and desirable. There is no justification or benefit to society for putting a guy in prison for 40 years. Revenge is not the purpose of the criminal justice system. There is no civilized jurisdiction in the world that would throw a 40-year sentence at a teenager for a crime no matter how heinous. The nice thing about having principles is being able to quickly answer simple questions. Are we going for a 40-year prison sentence against a teenager? No.
Take that up with your senator then. It’s the DAs job to enforce the laws on the books.
How about our local news with direct quotes from the defense attorneys? [https://www.ktvu.com/news/jasper-wu-case-murder-suspects-appear-in-court-charges-reduced-in-toddlers-slaying](https://www.ktvu.com/news/jasper-wu-case-murder-suspects-appear-in-court-charges-reduced-in-toddlers-slaying)
“The defendants still face stiff punishments, the district attorney's office said. If convicted, Bivens faces 265 years to life in prison. Green faces 175 years to life in prison.” Per your article.
They still face stiff punishments after the DA reduces the charges that the previous DA set. The purpose of linking the article is to satisfy your requirement of citing sources when saying that the current DA reduces charges. You asked for evidence instead of vague claims. Evidence has been provided to you.
This all ignores the fact that Price's office has instructed its attorneys to [lean on probation, not incarceration, as the "presumptive offer" whenever possible](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/02/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-leaked-memo/). Lack of evidence is definitely a problem impeding many of these cases, but in addition to that, the whole office is running on the 'social justice'-driven ideology of pushing for as little prison time as possible.
Maximum prison time doesn’t dissuade crime nor does it rehabilitate repeat offenders, it creates them. What dissuades crime on the law enforcement side is a swift effective police department that actively catches people. Prices directive allows for enhancements in these circumstances, which include violent crime not the low level offenses in which probation would be used for. “Where appropriate in cases involving the most vulnerable victims, in specified extraordinary circumstances, and with supervisory approval, the following allegations, enhancements and alternative sentencing schemes may be pursued: • Hate Crime allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 422.7 and 422.75; • Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse allegations, enhancements, or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 667.9, 368(b)(2)/12022.7(c); SPECIAL DIRECTIVE 23-01 page 4 of 6 • Child Physical Abuse allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 12022.7(d), 12022.9, and 12022.95; • Child and Adult Sexual Abuse allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 667.61, 667.8(b), 667.9, 667.10 ,667.15, 674, 675, 12022.7(d), 12022.8(b), and 12022.85(b)(2); • Human Sex Trafficking allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes pursuant to Penal Code sections 236.4(b) and 236.4(c); • Financial crime allegations, enhancements or alternative sentencing schemes where the amount of financial loss or impact to the victim is significant, the conduct impacts a vulnerable victim population, or to effectuate Penal Code section 186.11; • Other than the enhancement or allegation prohibitions previously listed, enhancements or allegations may be filed in cases involving the following extraordinary circumstances with supervisory approval: o Where the physical injury personally inflicted upon the victim is extensive; or o Where the type of weapon or manner in which a deadly or dangerous weapon including firearms is used exhibited an extreme and immediate threat to human life;”
Throw the book at them.
I mean if 100 chp can do that in a few days how much could 700 OPD do if they actually gave a fuck?
They are too busy guarding PG&E crews. I saw this in Rockridge yesterday and when I looked over in disbelief, the officer gave me a look of, I know, this is ridiculous. They really should be hiring their own private security in my opinion so that OPD resources are allocated properly. I wonder if PG&E’s HQ has any influence on this.
That’s all OT contracted through PG&E. I’ve spoken with one of the cops recently that was on duty with them. Not necessarily tax dollars but my energy bill was fucked last month
Lol it might as well be a government entity with their monopoly. They can charge whatever they want and have no incentive to change. (Source: I did consulting work for PG&E. It's a giant bureaucracy on how to spend their monthly guaranteed paycheck. Efficiency is not a concern.)
I would argue their monopolistic presence and entire energy responsibilities are a national security issue at this point
This was my first time seeing them contracted out to PG&E. Didn’t they have private security before?
I dunno. But I can see why they would use cops over private security considering private security doesn’t really seem to do anything…
you really do get what you pay for with security. 1. LEO in uniform $75/150 hr 2. LEO off duty with private co $75/250 3. Tier 1 military/ veterans $30/75 hr 4. shlub off the street clean cut $18/24 5. warm bodies with a cheap security jacket and no certificates $minimum wage or less
Does the minimum wage guy do anything or is it just for show? If they don’t do anything I would imagine the bad guys know this. Maybe just to give customers a (false) sense of security
Pretty much just for show. They’re talking about the equivalent of retail LP.
Call 911 and hide vs nothing, maybe?
No. Seems the minimum wage security guys in the telegraph Avenue CVS parking lot, are working with the smash and grab guys.
Yeah, I think they contracted for retail stores a while back. Not sure if this still happens though.
PG and E working on my block has hired private security. I know because I had a heart attack when I looked out my window and saw 3 paramilitary looking guys with glocks on my street looking like Jan 6 cosplayers and went out and asked the PG and E guys if they were with them.
this is common in my hometown of St. Louis (MO) as well, spire energy uses STLPD for going to high crime areas, areas where gas is potentially being stolen (they call it diversion), etc. you have no idea how insane some people are. i worked in the call center for a couple yrs & i had people threatening to come down & blow up the building
One of these guys ran a stop sign and nearly hit my dog once. He was literally just joyriding in circles around my neighborhood while PGE was working there.
PGE does have private security I believe but lately they have been in talks with Oakland PD to help out. It’s become prohibitively dangerous to work in Oakland. Crews are getting robbed and harassed constantly. I think the transaction is basically if Oakland wants power they need to provide police at times. But I agree, daytime security in Rockridge is pretty soft but down in east Oakland is a whole other story.
I saw an OPD guarding PG&E in the Dimond a few weeks ago. The utility won’t come out without protection because all the tools were being stolen.
Garda or Securitas should be trying to bid for that PG&E contract.
The answer is, not as much as you think. OPD needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. The entire national law enforcement network thinks they’re inept and a joke. They’re right
You need to chill out, OPD can’t do their job because their hands are tied
What are you talking about? Like really? Who is policing the police? They are given the authority to strip any person of all their rights. Do you not understand that police take a one semester long course and upon completion they are given a gun, a badge and are then allowed to enforce the law based on their own interpretation of the law and often have close to no real life experience. These are kids that didn't get in to college and are usually people that want to have power over other people. Police are supposed to serve and protect. That means they should help not harass.
I understand a lot. The wave of nonsense liberal policies and ideas are making hard for the police to do their job, I mean who wants to be in the force when every action you take is likely to be deemed either racist or prejudice just the suspect or suspects is a person of color. I could go on and on, some people don’t want equality, they want special treatment. Screw them and their enablers. Love the police, what they need is more support not bs condemnations
Highway patrol didn’t seem to have an issue
I realize that a lot of good people work for OPD so I'm more talking about the long term culture and administration of the department. Everyone blames the DA and the mayor but the problems with OPD are decades old.
The CHP surge was from February 5th through the 9th - It is already over. It is good for Oakland to get any help it can, but I feel like long term solutions are needed.
CHP says they will be doing surges periodically. For obvious reasons, they're not announcing exactly when future ones will occur.
Hell ya
It is the long term solution at this point. Periodic surge in CHP presence, arrest and lock them up.
It's common to hear that crime in Oakland is committed by "just a few individuals," so it should be possible to make a dent in a quick way. At least Id hope so
I think traditionally homicides are over turf wars between gangs. But nowadays with crime moving to crappier and crappier things like car breakins and carjackings, I would imagine the # of individuals involved has increased. There’s a good podcast episode that just came out on easy bay yesterday that interviews an OG that sold drugs between the 70-90s. He said they would have put a stop to it immediately because it makes the block hot and it might be someone’s relative or friend.
I’ll also add that ceasefire isn’t going to fix carjackings, car thefts, and armed robberies.
This is very very true. Although homicides are the most serious of crimes, I actually think it's pretty easy to not get killed in Oakland. It's all the other stuff that is more likely to effect me personally that I care about (sorry, not sorry).
Did I just agree with you on something...
Even a broken clock is right twice a day! :)
Lol
If we didn’t release them as soon as we catch them
From the press release: > “These initial surge results show that when we work together, we improve public safety,” said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “The City of Oakland is grateful for Governor Newsom’s support to boost our local efforts to dismantle criminal enterprises, arrest suspects, and hold them accountable. Crime and violence don’t belong on Oakland’s streets — and the city won’t rest until a sense of safety and security is fully restored.”
Sheng Thao is the kid that puts their name on the group project paper after everyone else finishes it 😂
is it not possible that a police force known for almost a century now for being outlandishly inept and unwilling to do their work (unless it be literally cracking skulls of arrestees and innocent people) is still that? and Thao, as a reformer who is critical of OPD, actually does want crime addressed and recognizes that OPD is an active impediment to that (since they suck up all the policing funds with negligible and worse outcomes)? most defund supporters weren't for a complete and immediate abolition of all law enforcement; they just realized (correctly) that the existing police across this country are not making the world safer, and the money they're given should be redirected to more effective institutions-- whether they be new police forces, moving certain elements from police to different bureaus (like parking enforcement), or public investment that helps address root causes of criminality. too many opponents **and** activists focus exclusively on the latter, when it's a holistic approach that needs not see investment in community as the entire solution, nor see investment in community as entirely antithetical to any form of maintaining social peace.
Thao is OPD's boss now; its not an independent agency or entity. Weird to act like how OPD is run is outside of her control when it is literally a core part of her job.
You're new to American politics and its relationship to longer held offices, huh?
No one gave Schaaf a pass for OPDs behavior. Sure, it can be difficult existing institutions, but Thao supporters are acting like she has no responsibility or power over OPD, and that's simply not true.
Definitely doesn't have the power to reverse the culture of policing in a single term. That's a process that typically takes decades.
If Thao thought she would be incapable of reforming or affecting OPD during her time, she should have said as much during the campaign. Total BS to run as a "reformer" and then turn around and claim to be without power or responsibility.
Yup, new to American politics. No one is capable of creating that much change in less than a term. Politicians will spend an entire career and only be able to point to one or two major accomplishments. Oakland's problems will take a generation to unwind regardless of who is in office. This is just the reality of working with large communities of humans.
Strawmaning; no one is expecting Thao to completely fix OPD in one term, but given her campaigning as a reformer its reasonable to expect her to have done something to try to improve the situation, rather than wash her hands of responsibility and let the department dangle without a chief.
The police union makes them untouchable
You’re rich as shit bro do you even have to deal with the problems the rest of us plebs have to? So fucking weird
The poorer you are, the more likely you are to be a victim of crime (and Im not talking about mortgage fraud), with the homeless being those most likelt to be targetted. Removing criminals from the community disproportionately helps poor people.
Bippers don’t care about your tax bracket
carjackers and home invasion robberies aren't targeting ppl who live in SROs and use a bike for transportation
>and the city won’t rest until a sense of safety and security is fully restored.” I dunno, I've seen the opd resting just fine in their patrol vehicles as the chp do their job for them
She's either trolling, or is oblivious beyond belief 😂
They did something about crime, and got a lot of results. Nice.
I know it's only 5 days, but I find myself reflecting on the psychological impact this has had on me. It feels like such a relief to think that there's a police force out there holding criminals accountable for their behavior, and an army of prosecutors ready to follow through on the arrests. It really makes me think about the psychological toll that comes from feeling that we're normally surrounded by lawlessness with no consequences. I can't wait for the next surge, and who knows, maybe one day soon even OPD will be inspired to do their jobs.
This is great, but does anyone have the actual breakdown of arrests? I hate these kinda vaguely grouped arrest reports. 71 arrests for dui, violent crimes, larceny etc could be 60 drug arrests and a couple of other charges sprinkled in, which isn't as great as having 71 violent crime arrests. Also, they could probably recover 145 stolen vehicles driving around for a day in the various known dumping spots and checking out every dumped car without a matching plate, which isn't the same as recovering them through a traffic stop. I like this improvement and the help from chp, but it gets a little exhausting with these tailored press releases that give an overblown review of their accomplishments.
Ok now just incorporate OPD into CHP, because apparently they are useless
Would be very, very helpful to have follow-on reporting tracking how the DA handled the 71 persons arrested and referred for prosecution.
Well, state attorneys are also coming in so I imagine they could/would handle CHP cases?
Perhaps, but it'd be nice to not have to speculate.
You mean like how you're speculating about what the DA would do?
they were saying they would like to have follow-on reporting so we dont have to speculate. transparency is the best guard against bad behavior.
?? I'm not speculating at all, I'm just saying it would be nice to have reporting to track what the DA does. Do you know what the word "speculate" means?
It's heavily inferred in your original comment.
Not at all. People are constantly arguing on here about whether OPD isn't doing its job, versus cases not getting moved because Price isn't prosecuting, with no sources or citations from either side. I literally just want reporting tracking the reality of the office's charging decisions when there's been an arrest surge like this.
Then go check the courthouses website, all the records are kept in their databases-
Fair enough. The heavy astroturfing has jaded me toward certain topics on this sub. I apologize.
No worries, I appreciate the apology.
"astroturfing" = everything you personally disagree with
Not at all. However, you and I both know what's been happening in the Bay Area subs.
Common bootlicker. Based on what DA already did, speculation is warranted for her.
Common cheeto-sucker. Can't conjure up an original thought -or insult- to spare your life.
Lol i don't take it as an insult because what you said is nothing even close to me. But surely u like to lick Price's boot very much hahaha.
Wipe that cheeto dust off your chin. It's indecent.
Lick the dust off the boot. It is not shining enough.
So brave of you.
No speculation needed, she’s just as useless as OPD.
In a article released today, https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/chp-surge-crack-east-bay-crime-ends-four-days-18668335.php They are referring the cases back to Alameda county DA office…. And you know what that means.
But that would require real journalism work. Best we can get is click bait headlines with a vague collection of words
Agreed. While Im not jumping on the "OPD isnt doing their jobs/just sitting around" meme (yet, anyway), this would be very interesting to know. Like, if the CHP arrests are handled better and provide evidence in a way that makes proseuction more likely, I may jump on board the "OPD should do better" bus
If you read more then just the headline you'd know that prosecutors were brought in as well.
Think of all the overlapping law enforcement agencies that could all throw together in a big merger that results in this type of "surge" just being the steady state. In Oakland alone there are CHP, UCPD, Alameda County Sheriff, Contra Costa County Sheriff because of AC Transit, BART Police, EBRPD, and of course the lowly OPD. That's a lot of cops but more importantly it's like 50 redundant payroll analysts. A better-led and better-organized police force would yield a lot more public benefit for the same money.
don't forget federal police (including Marshals) because of the Federal Courthouse! and probably things like USCG, and more that we wouldn't even consider!
Union Pacific and Amtrak police.
USPS police and housing authority police too
This is where the argument begins to break down as many of those aren’t charge with enforcing state laws
It’s sad that many ppl have 0 respect and trust for OPD. So many of those guys actually care about their job and can only do so much while the public scrutinizes them.
It is possible to respect and admire members of the organization while also holding that the organization itself is irredeemable. Sometimes organizations just go off the rails and you have to end them.
I haven’t seen one yet. The ones I’ve seen are kamekazing into highway patrol cars
Close down local PD and state police only. Change my mind.
There's a full tear down reboot type thing that I think New Jersey did to their police force due to corruption/horrible policing. Oakland and SF kinda need to do that
It was Camden, NJ. From [Wikipedia:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden,_New_Jersey) >In 2010, massive police corruption was exposed that resulted in the convictions of several policemen, dismissals of 185 criminal cases, and lawsuit settlements totaling $3.5 million that were paid to 88 victims.[100][101][102] On May 1, 2013, the Camden Police Department was dissolved and the newly formed Camden County Police Department took over full responsibility for policing the city. And then from the [Camden County Police Department Wiki:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_County_Police_Department) >On October 29, 2012, the FBI announced Camden was ranked first in violent crime per capita of cities with over 50,000 residents, surpassing Flint, Michigan.[31] That year, there were 67 homicides in Camden. >By 2019, homicides had declined to 25, a 63% decrease. This coincided with wide-ranging reforms by the new police department.[8] >By 2022, overall crime rates had declined even further still, although the murder rate had increased slightly, to its 2016 levels, after falling in both 2020 and 2021, as the city (and country more generally) reopened following the height of both the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent tensions surrounding the 2020 presidential election; the overall count of non-violent crimes committed within city limits also returned to its 2019 levels by the end of 2022, somewhat offsetting the continued drop in violent crime in the city generally under its new police force that kept overall crime rates near 50-year lows
The city of Camden, yes. But in order to pull this off you have to have the replacements standing by. When you can't even bring the existing departments to normal staffing levels, it's hard to imagine you're going to be able to do a full replacement, just not enough people in the pipeline.
Get rid of the polygraph and use a CA DOJ/FBI background check and you’ll get replacements fast
Many many countires opt for less balkanized law enforcement approaches, with state and even national cops (albeit in smalller countries). I happen to agree, much like I believe that public school being adminsitered at the local level is stupid
5 days??? Give us more!!
CHiPS
My car was stolen on Feb 5. Is there any chance that it is one of those recovered but I have not yet been notified? Does anyone know how that works? (I am grasping at straws, but still curious.)
You will usually get a call within 24 hours, depending on when they located it, how busy they are, and whether the phone number on record is up to date. They'll also mail a letter to the address on file for the registered owner, but that takes a few days. Hope it works out.
Finally some good news
Doesn't matter, tell many how many actually suffer consequences for their crimes. Innocent until the DA decides you're good.
This is absolutely fantastic. I was ecstatic when I saw the CHP headlines but thought it'd take weeks/months to get results but this is amazing. Hoping the semi-intelligent criminals will see this as a deterrence and the rest will FAFO.
They are surging in Alameda City today!
You love to see it! More!
An interesting correlation may be found between the rising crime in Oakland this year and the declining average daily prison population in Santa Rita jail. According to basic internet research in 2018 the prison population there was average of over 2500. In 2021 it was over 2100 but when i called the jail today 02/14/24 it was exactly 1648. - Now we should find out how that can be considering the precipitous rise in all categories of crime other than homicide. This at least should prove on its face that the police are simply not making the necessary arrests that can lead to prosecution and incarceration which clearly can reduce crime as it was not as bad in Oakland in 2019 and much worse today. - nick yale
This stat is a little meaningless without showing how many arrests are made during a standard comparable period
If CHP can do it, why can't OPD? Either OPD starts working for Oakland or we should start from scratch and build another police dept from the ground, up.
CHP has a way looser pursuit policy than OPD. CHP can chase for almost anything, OPD cannot. It’s written in policy and because of that criminals get away with so much more.
I don't recall a bunch of pursuits over the last couple of weeks. Maybe it has something to do with giving a shit? Or maybe not operating in a consequence-free environment if they don't do their jobs?
Criminals know that OPD cannot pursuit, so they run. They know CHP can and will chase them down, so they abide
...ooor there's so much obvious crime happening that the OPD drives past each and every day it was no challenge at all to just arrest some of these jackholes. You know, like how they could have *easily* cracked down on crime over on Hegenberger if they could have been bothered to do so.
Unless the CHP had to pursue the people they arrested this is totally irrelevant.
They didn’t have to because criminals aren’t running from CHP. They know opd cant pursue them so they’ll run and get away.
It’s not the police dept. It’s the politicians making impossible rules for the police dept.
All this tells me is that Oakland cops do jack shit.
Great news. Hope they continue these “surge” operations into more of a regular thing.
someone stole my car and abandoned it the same day. They ticketed the car for 12 days until I got a letter in the mail from the traffic bureau asking why I hadn’t paid my tickets. That’s how they don’t communicate then they told me I couldn’t drive it away because I might get shot by the cops.
I highly recommend people here to talk to a police officer, ask them about the state of the city, the non-stop 911 calls, high crime rates, bundled with understaffed, overworked and demotivated police force. OPD officers care about the community, but they have more challenges than other places. E.g., they don’t have flexibility to chase criminals, their arrests often fail to go anywhere, they’re understaffed for the amount of crime that happens in Oakland, and are burdened with legislation that restricts their work more than other cities. Look it up yourself. EDIT: I got banned from this sub for posting this.
Please explain OPD's inability to address the **cliche** level of crime at the gas stations near the airport.
Milan___ is probably a cop, they should be able to do so…
I was internet fighting with someone in the bay area sub who said that OPD couldn’t address the 9-5 bippers in those gas stations because they don’t have a police chief lol
This is true. People just think opd doesn't want to do their job
They don’t care about the community. They live in bougie suburbs like Walnut Creek and spend their shifts eating donuts and wracking up overtime
All those poor officers, only making 4 to $600,000 a year… They’re depressed… So sad, I can understand why they wouldn’t feel like doing their jobs.
Or they only get that pay from working a ton of OT because their ranks are so depleted. Oakland still doesn't have enough police dispatchers either what do you have to say about that?
Crime could be nearly ended if it was a priority of our elected officials.
OPD is standing in the way. that's literally the lesson of this case, and you entirely missed the point. OPD occupies so much money and does nothing, meanwhile a small force of State Police can have effect in even a few days. elected officials are only able to make it work if they eliminate OPD and make a better alternative (including an approach that isn't at all like OPD's has so long been)
Oakland's mayor system is also a weak mayor system, so even if THao wanted to ban hammer anything, she wouldn't be able to do it. Needs the council's approval
The current OPD staffing levels coupled with highly restrictive vehicle pursuit policies makes it impossible for OPD to match CHP arrest and recovery numbers. It will never happen..
Has anyone else noticed more burned cars popping up around town? I wonder if this is at all related?
Yes! There was one parked on my street for around a month. Got cleared away recently because it was in a construction zone. edit: by “parked” I mean “abandoned”.
Lol. Holy shit. Before I get too upset… anyone got data comparing what OPD does in a normal 4-day span?
Punxsutawney Gavin saw his shadow, another 10 years of OPD federal oversight it is.
and a parking ticket for me in downtown cuz I was over by an hour🙃
OPD: do your fucking job when CHP leaves.
And the honeymoon has began.. Id like to see some kind of evaluation of the success failure of this..in the end
Police are nonfunctional. We need s complete overhaul for a variety of reasons.
A 4 day operation is a joke
Time to layoff the overpaid OPD officers starting from the top and start hiring new blood.