OPD Meets with Merchants and Residents to Offer Tips on Fighting Crime
Toribio offered a few comments about OPD strategies and
staffing and responded to questions. The
Captain told the group that many of the robberies were occurring between the
hours of 10 pm to 2am. To try to add
patrols at that time he indicated that Problem Solving Officers (PSOs) who
usually had their work shift ending at 11pm were being re-scheduled to have
their shifts end at 2am. He also
indicated that where swing shift and graveyard shift overlap (that 10pm to 2am
time frame) extra patrols would be made available.
Efforts are also being made at OPD to better manage response
to emergency calls. Toribio indicated
that in a recent three month period patrol officers were being asked to respond
to 42 calls during a 10 hour shift. This means officers are moving call to call
almost the entire shift rather than patrolling. By making appointments,
postponing non-emergencies and better allocation of officers, Toribio hoped to
free up more officers to engage in regular patrols. He did indicate however that officers,
including Crime Response Teams, are often called to parts of the city facing
higher rates of violent crime.
Toribio was asked about Neighborhood Watch and he encouraged
people to join and be involved. He did
emphasize that people should observe and report and not attempt to engage a
suspect. When asked about the hiring of
private patrols, Toribio expressed support for the idea and said he directed
his officers to get to know private security personnel in their areas. Toribio did say any private patrol should be
identifiably and professionally dressed, he suggested they should patrol an
area and engage people (rather than just standing against a wall) and they,
like citizens should be eyes and ears and not crime fighters themselves.
People were encouraged to keep their property well lit,
porch lights as well as lighting on the side of buildings. The use of security cameras was also
encouraged. And in addition to
monitoring your own property it is permissible to aim cameras in public space
as people do NOT have a reasonable expectation of privacy in those public
spaces.
Among the 45 people who turned out this morning were Chris
Jackson of the Rockridge BID, Paul Junge of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of
Commerce and Oakland City Council member Dan Kalb.
Labels: Captain Anthony Toribio, Oakland Crime, oakland police department, OPD, robbery of a KGO producer, Rockridge area
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