Oakland leaders, residents hope license readers can put dent in crime
OAKLAND -- Eleven-year-old Norris Terrell loves going to church. Part of it is because he gets to leave the house. On Sunday morning, Terrell's aunt London Watson took him to Acts Full Gospel Church where they sang and danced along with the choir.
"My mom is scared to let me go outside because there are always shootings," Terrell said. "People are dying, people are getting shot."
The sixth grader said he's heard plenty of shootings in his west Oakland neighborhood.
"Mad, sad because I'm always inside the house. I don't really like it. I like being outside playing basketball, football, riding my bike," Terrell said.
He supports a new crime-fighting tool promoted by Mayor Sheng Thao.
Mayor Thao and city leaders plan to install 300 automated license plate readers so the technology could provide more leads and video evidence for investigators. They believe the cameras will enhance community safety.
"I'm on the fence about it," said Terrell's aunt London Watson, who's concerned about privacy.
"I like it," Terrell said. "Because it'll help. Let's say somebody's family member died and the criminal was wearing a mask. If (the police) have a license plate, it'll be easy to find them."
Oakland police reported 11,109 stolen cars in the first nine months of 2023. They said some were being used to commit other crimes.
Some people wondered if the stolen cars and cars with no plates will limit license plate reader effectiveness.
Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church also questioned if the police department staffing shortage would allow for follow-up investigative work. He would like the city to hire more cops to patrol the streets.
"There are some people who are saying that it's going to work. I'm willing to try anything to get crime down in the city of Oakland because, right now, that's the number one problem," Jackson said.
Police report violent crime in Oakland has gone up 21 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year.
Terrell said he supports anything that can lower crime so he can play outside.
"If a bad guy tries to kidnap me or do something to me, it'll all be seen on footage," Terrell said.
The city council is expected to approve the license plate readers within the next month or two. They hope to have the cameras up and running by early next year.
License plate readers aren't new to Oakland. About 30 police cars are equipped with them but the police department says they stopped using those cameras earlier this year due to policy-related issues.