Oakland police chief says overall crime is down, but acknowledges victims' pain

OAKLAND, California. – Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said Friday that crime in the city has declined overall, but acknowledged that perceptions of crime, especially among victims, may not match the data.

“I think we're on the right track, but there's still a lot of work to do,” Mitchell said. “What we're doing now is showing benefits, and that's reflected in the reduction in crime that we're seeing.”

Mitchell made his assessment after serving for about 100 days as the top police officer.

The police chief said overall crime and violent crime are declining, but property crime remains a challenge. He said he understands the statistics are little comfort to victims of assault or violence.

“I want to make sure we do our best to soften the blow you have experienced as a victim,” he said.

He said he was also aware that citizens were upset about officers' response times.

“I don't like where we are now, but for staffing reasons we have to keep the priorities in place and we'll get on it, it might take a little longer,” Mitchell said.

He says his officers are working hard to catch criminals, but he suggested that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has concerns about some charging decisions that could make crime victims even more likely to become victims.

The police chief said he has had discussions with Price and wants to maintain a working relationship while also “communicating our frustration with how some of the cases are being handled. But I'm not here to criticize. I'm here to make sure we continue to do our job.”

The police chief says he has witnessed some of the city's recent violence firsthand. He said current crime-fighting strategies like Ceasefire appear to be working. Under that program, community leaders and police officers intercept those most at risk of gun violence — during visits known as “call-ins” — and warn them — they need to get their act together or face legal consequences.

Officers made arrests in connection with shootings across the city and seized high-performance weapons, including several firearms “equipped with high-capacity magazines, automatic triggers and multiple-fire weapons, making them essentially machine guns,” said Deputy Police Chief James Beere.

The police chief says the Oakland Police Department is considering changing the department's pursuit policy to allow officers to pursue suspects for property crimes. The department is also looking at how to better allocate resources and whether patrol districts need to be reassigned.

Henry Lee is a crime reporter for KTVU. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan