Oakland Police increases presence throughout the city

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Starting Saturday, Oakland residents will have more police officers on patrol as part of the police department’s summer safety plan to combat crime.

Oakland’s summer safety plan aims to implement crime prevention measures to counter violent crime two weeks after the mass shooting during the city’s Juneteenth celebrations.

The Oakland police want to prevent the chaos of Juneteenth. At a large gathering near Lake Merritt, 14 people were shot. Deputy Police Chief James Patrick Beere says the police officers who arrived helped prevent deaths.

“I’ll say it right now. A life was saved because the police were on the scene and reacted immediately,” he said.

OPD’s summer safety plan begins Saturday. More officers will be on patrol by car and on foot.

Beere says officials from a special resources division will work with the agency’s ceasefire division, which reduced the number of murders and shootings between 2012 and 2019.

“Police presence will be increased throughout the city, but enforcement will also be more targeted so that we will target those who commit robberies, burglaries or violent crimes,” he said.

The California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office are also part of the Summer Safety Plan and conduct routine traffic stops and drunk driving enforcement activities.

“There are certain areas of the city where we have tragically lost lives due to reckless driving and speeding. They will continue to enforce their measures,” Beere said.

Police are also asking the public to do their part this summer and are offering these four tips to reduce risk:

• Be alert to suspicious characters, as some suspects target inattentive drivers.
• Stay calm and do not resist.
• If possible, store items in your vehicle or under your seat.
• If you are being followed, drive to a safe location and call 911.

“The community is the most important thing here,” Beere said. “We won’t be able to do this alone, we won’t be able to arrest everything unless people come forward and give us information.”

Beere says the OPD is still understaffed with 709 officers, but schedules are being adjusted to ensure there are enough personnel available for the summer security plan.