Oakland police say violent crime has decreased, but guns are a problem in West Oakland

Deputy Police Chief James Beere said Oakland police have arrested three separate groups of people linked to two dozen assaults and robberies around the Westlake Christian Terrace nursing home near Lake Merritt.

“We have taken several proactive steps to maintain our operations and ensure public safety in this area by working with community leaders and meeting with residents,” Beere said. “We are not letting up. We will continue to listen to the voices and concerns of our residents.”

Beere said West Oakland has seen a recent “uptick” in violent crime. He added that police have arrested several suspects in the past three weeks and seized firearms equipped with, for example, high-capacity magazines and multiple rounds, “which basically makes them machine guns.”

Beere said that in addition to combating gun violence in West and East Oakland, OPD will continue to target human trafficking on International Boulevard.

“The people who are engaging in these activities are involved in a variety of different crimes, and that actually reflects what we're seeing in the arrests,” Beere said, listing several arrests, including an Arizona man. “None of the arrests were actually Oakland residents. They're from all over the state, and one is even from out of town, which we see quite frequently.”

Chief admits failures due to misconduct of officials

Mitchell said Friday that the department is reviewing its internal policies and training after a federal monitor said the department's response to alleged officer misconduct remained inadequate.

The federal watchdog said in a report last week that Oakland police mishandled perjury and bribery cases involving a homicide detective and a sergeant who fired his weapon in a city building.

When asked about progress on the issue, Mitchell said that turnover throughout the command was partly responsible for addressing the shortcomings in the Internal Affairs Division, but that he is now addressing those issues.

“Yes, there are some issues out there, but from my perspective, or my standpoint, I want to make sure that we continue to train our staff so that we don't continue to have these kinds of lapses that result in us not being compliant,” Mitchell said.

The department has been under federal court supervision since 2003. A hearing in the case is scheduled for next month.