Oakland Residents Call For Private Security In Wake Of Deadly Shooting
OAKLAND (KCBS) – The shooting death of a popular dog walker in Oakland has her neighbors renewing calls for private security.
66-year-old Judy Salamon was shot and killed while she was driving a few blocks from her home on Fern Street in the Fairfax neighborhood. Police said shots were fired into her car around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon, sending it rolling down a hill and crashing into a parked vehicle.
Oakland Residents Call For Private Security In Wake Of Deadly Shooting
Her neighbors have left candles and flowers on the sidewalk where Salamon was killed and others gathered Thursday night, some with their pets, to remember the woman some knew as "the pet nanny."
On a fence at the scene of the crime is a flyer announcing a Saturday meeting at Maxwell Park to talk about private security, something Salamon had been advocating for before her death.
It's an option many Oakland neighborhoods have turned to in the wake of a severely understaffed police department
"We've got about 180 people signed up. We need 240 to start," said Bill Irwin with the Maxwell Park Neighborhood Council. "Basically, they'll patrol the neighborhood and call the police, call the homeowner if there is any trouble. We're hoping it will help catch criminals in the act."
Some argue that, because Salamon was in her car when she was shot and killed, it's unclear whether security would have helped.
But Irwin said for $15 a month, neighbors would at least have another pair of eyes and ears on the watch.
This was Oakland's 56th homicide of the year. Police said they are hoping surveillance cameras in the area might provide some evidence, as they have not made any arrests in the case.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
