Oakland Police Chief Wants More Officers On The Street
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Oakland's top cop is looking to reorganize his department, after a new report shows violent crime is up in the city.
The latest 90 Day report shows that while crime is down in some areas, other Oakland neighborhoods have seen a spike of as much as 35 percent.
Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said many suspects are becoming bolder, even acting out violently in broad daylight.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
"Under these circumstances where there are a lot of people outside, a lot of witnesses, there is just a wanton disregard for human life," he said.
Jordan said he wants to do all he can to maximize the number of officers on the streets.
"We're going to consolidate some of the problem-solving officers and form crime-reduction or enforcement teams to be proactive," he said.
But Oakland City Council President Larry Reid said there have already been more than 60 murders in Oakland this year and he sees no end in sight.
"Certainly we would like to hire additional police officers to put out on the streets," said Reid. "But we don't have the money to do that."
Jordan said one of the encouraging things that came out of the latest report is that federal agents over the last couple of months have arrested more than a hundred people in Oakland, including suspected members of a violent gang.
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