Oakland officials eye police expansion to confront violent crime increase

Oakland officials are eyeing an expansion to the city’s police force to confront the increase in violent crime, which has resulted in more than 115 homicides so far this year.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) said her office is drafting a proposal to put before the City Council that would increase the number of active police officers and require the city to maintain a larger police force, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The mayor is also reportedly planning to propose that the budget cuts set to take effect next summer are reversed. The reductions would freeze 50 police department positions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Additionally, Schaaf reportedly wants to establish a new police academy class in the proposal and add a budget amendment to finance the initiative.

The mayor said a multipronged technique is needed to combat crime in the city, including stronger police forces and bolstered social services.

“We in Oakland believe in a comprehensive and effective approach to ending gun violence,” Schaaf said, according to the Chronicle.

“While we are not backing down whatsoever in our historic investments in prevention as well as a non-police response option called MACRO, we must address police staffing shortages and that is what we will do,” she added.

Schaaf’s comments came after a series of fatal incidents in Oakland over the weekend, which brought the number of homicides in the city this year to 118, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The crimes took place at a time when the police department’s force fell to 677 officers, the San Francisco Chronicle noted, which was reportedly the city’s lowest police staffing level in more than 10 years.

Additionally, the low number was reportedly the first time police staffing had fallen below the minimum 678 officers are required in accordance with a 2014 tax measure that finances portions of public safety programs in Oakland.

Schaaf said erosion at the police department — worsened amid pandemic hiring changes, a defective bail system and the pandemic’s impact on families and the criminal justice system — came amid a “perfect storm” that has led to an increase in violence, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The city of Oakland took steps in September to address the rise in violent crime by approving a fifth police academy that will recruit cadets with “diverse backgrounds and from local community colleges and institutions.”