Oakland police's social media account for reporting car thefts shut down after less than a day
OAKLAND — The Oakland police shuttered a social media account meant to help residents with auto burglaries just days after announcing its launch.
Police on Thursday said they created the account @oaklandautoburg on X in order to make it easier for residents to report vehicle thefts, and they would be able to message them starting Friday.
However, by Friday night, Oakland police thanked residents for participating in their Auto Burglary Suppression Investigation, and they said they would be deactivating the account until further notice.
Thank you, Oakland, for your participation in our Auto Burglary Suppression Investigation. We are deactivating this account until further notice. If you witness a crime in progress, please call 911.
— OaklandAutoBurg (@oaklandautoburg) October 28, 2023
This comes as a new report from MarketWatch on the most and least safe places in the country for drivers listed Oakland and Detroit as the two worst American cities for car thefts based on 2019 crime data from the FBI.
Auto burglaries are up 36% this year from 2022, according to Oakland police.