Crime along East Oakland’s troubled Hegenberger corridor, which leads to the Oakland International Airport, has decreased since last year amid a greater presence of law enforcement and more collaboration with community groups, Mayor Sheng Thao announced on Monday.
“We are seeing some promising results,” said Thao, flanked by law enforcement and business leaders at an event in front of the Oakland Airport Hilton hotel. “We are seeing that crimes — whether it’s burglaries, property crimes, homicides — all in this corridor, they are trending down.”
The multipronged effort includes an increased police presence in the area, the deployment of “safety ambassadors,” and a private security team hired to patrol various businesses along the corridor.
This all comes in response to public pressure after years of rampant car break-ins, carjackings and other crimes that have plagued the corridor that connects the airport to the rest of the city. Crime along Hegenberger Road drew national attention in January when In-N-Out Burger announced plans to close its only Oakland location, at the Hegenberger exit off Highway 880, citing crime concerns. The restaurant, set to close next week, will be the first location the chain has ever permanently shuttered in its 75-year history.
“We all know crime has caused significant impacts on a lot of our businesses, and specifically the tourism sector here in Oakland,” said Dhruv Patel, president of Ridgemont Hospitality, which owns multiple hotels near the airport. At the press conference, Patel said that things have been improving with the city’s focus on the neighborhood. “The increase in police, sheriff and CHP presence is welcomed by hoteliers, residents and tourists alike. The ambassador program will only continue to build on that and bolster our overall collective efforts.”
“In the past several months, we have seen an overall improvement along the corridor,” Patel said.
Oakland police said property crimes in the area have gone down since mid-2023.