Oakland police chief announces crime decline – NBC Bay Area

Oakland police chief says crime is down.

Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said Friday that the latest figures show that his department's crime-fighting strategies are working, even as the department struggles with ongoing staffing and budget problems.

“There is still a lot of work to be done, but what we are doing now is showing results and that is reflected in the decline in crime that we are seeing,” he said.

The department held what it called a public safety meeting Friday to announce several arrests related to four recent murders and a spike in robberies. Gang-related and prostitution-related arrests were also discussed.

The arrests also include three suspects accused of killing a mother of eight children when she confronted suspected drug dealers.

Mitchell attributed the overall decline in crime to ceasefires, support from outside organizations and proactive measures such as widespread patrols.

He also addressed criticism of his department's sometimes slow response to so-called lower-priority crimes such as car break-ins or home burglaries.

“I would ask people to understand that we will reach out to them,” he said. “I don't like where we are now, but for staffing reasons we have to stick with the prioritization.”

New police figures show that crime has almost completely declined compared to the same period last year.

Mitchell also acknowledged recent criticism from the union representing rank-and-file officers, saying he knows property crime numbers can sometimes lag, potentially skewing the data. He also said a new system is in the works to fix that.

Not everyone is convinced by the numbers. The Oakland branch of the NAACP is rooting for the chief, but fears that the department's current staffing levels will make it difficult to maintain the crime decline in the long term.

“He's doing a great job. He's doing the best he can, remember about the police officers he has,” Bishop Bob Jackson said. “It's not going to be enough. It's not going to be sustainable. Then we're going to fuel them with overtime and so on and so forth. We're in a real crisis right now and it all comes down to money.”

Police say some of those arrested are not from Oakland. City Councilman Noel Gallo believes the laws need to be more strictly enforced throughout the city.

“This is an area that is lacking here in the city of Oakland,” he said. “Go to Oakland, you can do X, Y, Z and get away with it. We need to stop this behavior.”

Police, meanwhile, said arrests were only half the battle and pointed out that they also need the support of the district attorney to prosecute the cases brought to them.

“We will continue to present the cases to her and continue to advocate for the victims of this city because they are the ones who are affected,” Mitchell said.