Oakland police sets up social media accounts for residents to report car break-ins, burglaries
OAKLAND -- Earlier this week, Oakland police announced they are turning to social media to combat car burglaries, even as a new report found drivers in the East Bay city are more likely to have their car stolen than in any other city in the U.S.
The 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.
The Oakland Police Department says auto burglaries are up 36% this year from 2022.
"This year alone, we have had 11,300 locked auto burglaries in the city," said Interim Assistant Chief Trevelyon Jones.
The department is going to use social media as a tool to combat auto break-ins.
"If you send stuff to us immediately, we are going to have staff monitoring the platforms and they will be able to relay intelligence," said Jones.
Starting Friday, OPD will launch their pilot program where people can report an auto burglary via direct message on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, at the handle @Oaklandautoburg.
"If you see something suspicious, DM the details of individuals, vehicles, and the crime's location," the posts to Instagram and X read.
Citizens are warned not to get involved by trying to stop the crime in progress. For Oakland residents like Jean Wagnon, who was born in the city, this is welcomed news.
"I think it's amazing," said Wagnon.
While helping a sick friend, she spends a lot of time in the Adams point neighborhood. She says she and other neighbors deal with auto break-ins constantly.
"Apparently someone followed one of the cars into the garage and they were driving a stolen car," said Wagnon. "So to compound their problems, the gate doesn't open. So they had to ram and ram the gate."
She says the gate was broken for five weeks. Other residents in the building said police were slow to respond. While OPD is hoping the new social media handle will help, not all neighbors are optimistic.
One resident who shared her concerns about the new plan did not wish to go on camera.
"The issue and crimes in Oakland are so complex that you can't solve it with Twitter, right?" she said. "If we fundamentally want to address crime, we have to address all the structural inequality."
Wagnon and other neighbors say they are looking forward to see how effective this new social media tool will be.
