Tonight's Meeting Program
Please join us this opportunity to discuss the plan with the Chief followed by small neighborhood based break out groups.
- 6:30 pm: Sign-in, pick up surveys & socializing
- 7 pm: Welcome & Introductions
- 7:10 pm: Chief Batts will present his Strategic Plan Overview and Police & Community Survey Results
- 7:40 pm: Questions
- 8:10 - 8:45 pm: Break Out Groups by Neighborhood Council/Crime Prevention Districts to discuss:
- What can the community do to help OPD do their jobs more effectively
- How can OPD improve the level of trust and respect from the Community of
Oakland?
- 8:45 - 9 pm: Return Surveys & Refreshments
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VISION 1: BY 2015, OAKLAND IS ONE OF THE SAFEST LARGE CITIES IN CALIFORNIA -- BOTH IN REALITY & PERCEPTION
Serious Crime Down 10% for 2009
2009 was the second year of double digit drops in many crime categories. In 2008 serious crimes dropped 14%; this equals nearly a quarter less crime in the last two years. These are figures reported in the Tribune, which did a good year end summary.
Assault with a firearm: 25 percent drop
Vehicle Theft: 20 percent drop
Carjacking: 17 percent drop
Armed/strong-armed robbery: 8 percent drop
Residential robbery: 8 percent drop
Domestic violence: 5 percent increase *
Residential burglary: 7 percent increase
Rape: 8 percent increase *
* Domestic Violence , Rapes, and some simple assault charges have nearly tripled over the last 4 years due in part to increased reporting as a result of better police training, increased family services officers, advocacy and support programs provided by new Measure Y and Family Justice Center resources.
So far in
2010
crime stats are running about
31% lower than last year. Despite this 3 year trend, most Oaklanders
believe crime has increased.
RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTIONS
- Use state-of-the-art technology to develop a gang and drug intelligence capability
- Consolidate and strengthen gang
and drug field enforcement
- Develop a Major Crimes Unit to
focus on investigations of violent
crimes - Modify and strengthen existing
laws and ordinances that could help
protect members of the
Community and provide more effective
crime-fighting tools - Work with the Oakland Unified
School District to reduce the level of truancy, and to provide Gang and
Drug Resistance Education and
Training to Elementary and Middle
School students. - In the long-term, expand Department
interaction with youth and youth development programs including
the Explorer Program, Police Cadet Program, Police Athletic
League (PAL), Youth Court, and Our Kids (O.K.) Mentoring Program
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VISION 2: OPD PROVIDES HIGH QUALITY SERVICE - CUSTOMER DRIVEN & FRIENDLY
The Community Poll shows that the following policing issues are most important to Oaklanders:
- Violent Crime 97%, satisfaction rate 53%
- Emergency 911 Response 97%, satisfaction rate 62%
- Illegal Gang Activity 91%, satisfaction rate 48%
- Domestic Violence 86%, satisfaction rate 63%
- Property Crimes 84%, satisfaction rate 47%
RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTIONS
- Address the deficiencies in OPD's call center and improve its call
taking and dispatch capabilities - Move as many police resources
into the field as is practical by
requiring as many sworn
personnel as possible to work two shifts
each month
in patrol - In the long term increase the
use of civilian personnel to handle
functions that are
currently being done by sworn personnel - Use state-of-the-art technology
to determine the demand or
workload and need for each OPD
service, and identify police
resources needed to
provide a reasonable service - Revise the deployment approach using state-of-the-art technology
to make sure patrol and other resources are matched with the
demand for services or workload to the extent possible - Provide a police presence in neighborhoods and establish beat
integrity for patrol units - assigning a patrol unit to each beat and
requiring units to remain in their designated beats as much as
possible - Obtain and maintain adequate patrol vehicles so patrol units can be
fielded
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VISION 3: OPD IS TRUSTED, RESPECTED & VALUED BY THOSE IT SERVES
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Community-Police Relations have been a historic problem in Oakland. Despite recent progress nearly a third of Oakland residents still distrust the Oakland Police Department.RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTIONS- Fully implement the Negotiated Settlement Agreement -
moving from compliance to making the concepts an integral part of
police management and operations - Reinforce ethical, honest, and professional values within OPD
- Increase the level of positive interaction between the police officers
in the field and members of the Community - getting officers out of
their cars to talk more with people in the neighborhoods - Improve Community awareness and interaction training for all
personnel, focusing on the Field Training Officers - Increase the Department's communication with, understanding of,
and interaction with Oakland's youth to improve relationships and
reduce violence - Expand the Department's efforts to develop Oakland youth and
residents for service in OPD, and recruit and select residents of
Oakland for positions to the extent possible - Improve the language capabilities of the Department and access to
the Department by Oakland's non-English speaking Community - Expand the number of Community volunteers working with OPD,
especially reserve police officers - Expand the use of Community advisory groups that provide input
and assist to identify and resolve issues - Use state-of-the-art technology to better communicate with
the
Community (twitter, facebook, blogs, texting, etc)
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VISION 4: OPD AND THE COMMUNITY WORK TOGETHER
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Oakland was one of the early pioneers of Community Policing and in recent years we have greatly increased community participation under Measure Y and increased Neighborhood Council/Neighborhood Alert groups. The Chief wants to expand the Community Policing commitment within the department. While Measure Y guarantees a beat officer for every neighborhood, that is far from making all police officers part of community policing. RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTIONS- Work with the Community, particularly those who have been involvedin community policing to move to a "Total Community Policing Model"with the entire Department fully committed to community policing - all segments of OPD involved in and supportive of community policing
- Re-establish the concepts of beat health and beat responsibility
- Improve communication and strengthen positive relations with peoplein the Community so they are more willing to provide information on crime
- Resolve the Measure Y implementation issues
- Incorporate the Neighborhood
Services function into OPD and develop a close working relationship with
field operations
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VISION 5: OPD IS AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION
SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES
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The Survey of OPD employees is equally revealing, only one in four OPD officers believe they are valued by the community. Some of the historical and recent issues affecting morale include:- The need for more police given the city's high crime rate
- Balancing contract costs versus the numbers of officers the City can afford when Public Safety makes up two thirds of the City's general fund budget.
- Over 80 percent of officers live outside of the city
- Court ordered mandates because of past police brutality and misconduct charges
- Recent arbitration rulings which gave the City more control over scheduling and reducing over time pay.
RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTIONS- Provide clear and consistent direction
- Improve communication within the Department by implementing initiatives of the Communications Focus Group
- Identify the demand for police services or workload for the Department and attempt to match personnel resources to work load
- Provide the basic tools needed by Department personnel to perform their functions
- Treat employees fairly and earn
their trust and confidence
- Effectively select and implement technology through a "Strategic
Technology Plan" - Improve personnel development and raise the standards for
promotion at all levels - Improve and streamline internal investigations and disciplinary
processes while maintaining high standards - Strengthen tactical knowledge, capability, and discipline within the
Department - Develop and implement a Career Development Program offering
mentoring, training and evaluation to assist employees in achieving
their professional goals - Improve the relationship and partnership between labor (both
sworn and civilian) and management - Monitor employee morale and issues through periodic employee
surveys
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