Calif. Police Chief: Violent Crime Drop Helped by Federal Partnerships

Oakland's police chief touted Tuesday a drop in shootings and violent crime over the past month, crediting the department's new partnership with federal and local law enforcement agencies.

Over the past 30 days, the department has partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on violent crime investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on firearm recoveries and ballistic analysis.

The department is also partnering with a county task force focused on auto thefts to investigate carjackings.

Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said having a "high level of focus" on recovering guns allows them to prevent shootings.

"This came on the heels of the deadliest week of the year in the city of Oakland, with the loss of eight lives in a seven-day period," said Armstrong.

It's unclear if the dip is related to the partnership or another factor, such as the end of summer, when violence typically falls.

Armstrong's comments came a day after a fatal shooting in East Oakland and as the city has recorded 103 homicides so far this year, on pace with last year's devastating toll. Armstrong called the partnerships an "all-hands-on-deck" approach that has contributed to a decrease in gun violence and an increase in confiscating guns on the city's streets.

Over the past 30 days, shootings decreased by 25% and homicides went down by 10% compared to the same time period last year. Over the past four weeks, nine people have died from gun violence, compared to 17 people during the prior four weeks.

Armstrong said over the past 30 days, the department has confiscated 82 firearms — 30% of which are ghost guns. In total, the department has recovered 1,235 firearms this year; 1,199 were confiscated in 2021.

Police reform advocates have slammed Oakland's partnerships with outside law enforcement agencies in the past, arguing the partnerships disproportionately impact Black and brown people.

In 2021, when Mayor Libby Schaaf requested help from the California Highway Patrol, activists and a council member attacked her decision — underscoring tensions over how to handle the rise in violent crime in Oakland.

That tension is playing out in the mayor's race,

as 10 candidates fight to replace Schaaf, who is terming out. A poll released last week from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce also found that respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence — 97% said it's an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime.

"We are really working towards making Oakland safer for everybody," Armstrong said.

In addition, Armstrong said he added a traffic enforcement unit, which cited 40 people in the span of several days.

Armstrong said he will extend his plan another 30 days and that he expects, as the department rebuilds its staffing, it will rely less on outside agencies for help. The police department is budgeted for 752 officers, but has 678 officers on staff.

Armstrong said nearly two-dozen police trainees will graduate Friday, bringing the department's numbers over 700 for the first time in a long while.

To help with staffing, Armstrong also announced Tuesday that the department received $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to hire 15 additional officers over the next few years.

"Oaklanders need to feel like we're doing something about the level of violence they're experiencing everyday," Armstrong said, adding, "I hope it feels a little bit better."

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