New report: violent crime rate in Oakland is falling

Preliminary reports suggest that Oakland may see a decline in violent crime, including murder.

According to a new report from the Major Cities Chiefs AssociationOakland is one of several cities that have a reduce in murder and other violent crimes.

The report compiles data from police officers in some of the largest cities in the United States and Canada, including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Using data from cities across the country Oaklandside reported a 17 percent drop in the murder rate when comparing the totals from January to June in 2024 with the same period in 2023.

Because the data is preliminary, we won't know the true change in violent crime until the full year's data is collected. This means that year-end statistics may look different than the current trend.

Another reason to view this assumed decline in violent crime with caution is previous report by the San Francisco Chronicle about misleading crime data from the Oakland Police Department.

According to the Chronicle, the OPD compared previous years' annual totals with incomplete annual figures from the current year, which makes crime trends appear better than they actually are. It's unclear if the Major Cities Chiefs Association's report has the same problem and if they rely on the OPD's allegedly misleading data.