Oakland Police Say Violent Crime Is Down, But Guns Are an Issue in West Oakland

Oakland’s police chief touted a decrease in violent crime at a Friday news conference, where police also announced arrests in several cases that made headlines over the summer and promised their efforts will remain focused on issues and areas of most concern to residents.

Police Chief Floyd Mitchell’s remarks came in response to Oakland’s inclusion in a recent report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association that shows a decrease in all crimes across the country during the first half of this year compared to last year, including double-digit percentage decreases in robberies and homicides in Oakland.

“It’s important to understand that when you look at our violent crime, it is decreasing, and we know these numbers are very accurate,” he said. “We are having challenges with our property crime, but we have seen a significant decrease in our property crimes as well.”

So far this year, there have been 47 homicides in Oakland, compared to 52 in 2023. Rape is down 8%, robberies are down 15%, and aggravated assaults are down 4% compared to the first half of last year.

Oakland’s crime data has come under scrutiny before. Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Oakland has been publishing misleading crime data for years. The review found police statistics overstated a reduction in crime, though it did find OPD’s data for homicides and violent crimes to be “mostly accurate.”

San Francisco also saw a decrease in its violent crimes, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association report.

Meanwhile, Frederick Shavies, deputy chief of the Police Department’s Bureau of Investigations, said the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a young woman in Dallas in connection with the July 6 shooting death of another young woman at a First Friday celebration in Oakland.

Assistant Chief James Beere said Oakland police arrested three separate groups of people linked to two dozen assaults and robberies around the Westlake Christian Terrace retirement home near Lake Merritt.

“We’ve taken several proactive steps to sustain our operations and maintain the public safety in that area to work with the community leaders and meet with the residents,” Beere said. “We’re not taking our foot off the gas. We’re going to keep going forward, and we’re going to listen to the voices and concerns of our residents.”

Beere said there has been an “uptick” in violent crime recently in West Oakland, adding that within the last three weeks, police have arrested several suspects and seized firearms equipped with things like high-capacity magazines and multi-burst triggers, “essentially making them machine guns.”

Along with targeting gun violence in West and East Oakland, Beere said OPD will continue to target human trafficking on International Boulevard.

“The people that are engaging in these activities are involved in a multitude of different crimes, and this actually reflects what we do see of those arrested,” Beere said, listing off several arrests, including a man from Arizona. “None of those arrested were actually Oakland residents. They come from all over the state, as well as one from out of state, which we see quite frequently.”

Chief acknowledges failures over officer misconduct

Mitchell said Friday that the department is reviewing its internal affairs policies and training after a federal monitor said its response to alleged officer misconduct remains inadequate.

The federal monitor said in a report last week that Oakland police mishandled cases involving perjury and bribery allegations against a homicide detective and a sergeant who fired his gun inside a city building.

Asked about progress on the issue, Mitchell said turnover of the entire executive command staff is partly responsible for addressing failures within the internal affairs division, but he’s addressing those issues now.

“Yes, there are some issues out there, but from my lens or the seat that I sit in, I want to make sure that we are continuing to educate our staff so we don’t continue to have these failures that keep us out of compliance,” Mitchell said.

The department has been under federal court supervision since 2003. A hearing in that case is set for next month.