FAQs from District 7 Public Safety Town Hall (2022)

Scroll down to find the answer to questions presented during the Public Safety Town Hall

Watch our District 7 Public Safety Town Hall (2022)

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Public Safety in District 7

Police Beats and Community Resource Officers (CROs)

  • What type of situations do the Community Resource Officers (CROs) help to resolve?

    1. CROs focus on strategies for crime prevention. They engage in problem-solving projects and they attend Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) or Neighborhood Council meetings for support. They serve as liaisons with city service teams, lead enforcement projects and coordinate with other Oakland Police Department patrol and professional staff.

  • When can we expect to see these new police officers on the streets?

    1. The 187th police academy cadets graduate on the 29th of April, 2022. Following that, they go through a 4-week transition course. They start field training on the 28th of May, 2022.

    2. Here are our academy projections: https://app.box.com/s/1usebvqht3sq6gzwx87cj8fgtg4podi0

BFO-2 East Oakland Neighborhood Services Coordinator (NSCs) who work closely with the Community Resource Officers (CROs) are as follows:

To find what Police Beat you are in, you can use the following links:

Getting in Contact With the Oakland Police Department (OPD)

  • What are the current times for dispatchers to answer calls for service that come in via 911 and the non-emergency line? Is this data disaggregated by beat or district?

    1. Data on call volume is aggregated by beat. In a recent report, data shows the following call response times by priority:

PRIORITY 1 CALL: Emergency call which requires immediate response and there is reason to believe that an immediate threat to life exists.

  • Response Times:

    • 35% are dispatched within 1 minute.

    • 53% are dispatched within 5 minutes.

PRIORITY 2 CALL: Emergency call which requires immediate response and there exists an immediate and substantial risk of major property loss or damage.

  • Response Times:

    • 8% are dispatched within 1 minute.

    • 12.35% are dispatched within 10 minutes.

PRIORITY 3 CALL: Crimes in progress that require an immediate response but present no significant threat of serious physical injury or major property damage or any active incident or activity that could be classified as a possible crime or potential threat to life or property.

  • Response Times:

    • 14.93% are dispatched within 1 minute.

    • 17.98% are dispatched within 15 minutes.

PRIORITY 4 CALL: Requests for a police response that do not require an immediate response but there exists a likelihood that an officer's investigation will lead to the apprehension of a suspect based on suspect information or physical evidence.

  • Response Times:

    • 18.50% are dispatched within 1 minute.

    • 19.35% are dispatched within 15 minutes.

Median Call Response Times (based on available data)

  • Time incident created - Time Dispatched 00:04:41 (Median minutes)
  • Time dispatched - Arrival Time 00:04:25 (Median minutes)
  • Time incident created - Arrival Time 00:14:10 (Median minutes)
  • What is the industry standard for answering calls for service by dispatchers in the nation?

    1. According to the NENA standard, 90% of all 9-1-1 calls shall be answered within 20 seconds.

  • Why is the Oakland Police Department (OPD) no longer on the Police Scanner app?

    1. The police scanners that OPD uses are not available to the public, however, there are apps and devices available that can intercept those police scanner communications.

  • Is the 7th street Oakland Police Department (OPD) office relocating to the Oakland Coliseum?

    1. A resolution put forth by Vice Mayor Kaplan and Councilmember Fife to turn the 7th street OPD office into an affordable housing site has been passed, however, there are no updates on where this office may be relocated to.

  • How do you contact a Community Resource Officer (CRO)?

    1. The most efficient way is to contact Lt. Johnson (via email at rjohnson@oaklandnet.com or by phone (510) 777-8651) who can disseminate your concern to the staff, or check out the latest CRO contact sheet linked here: CRO Contact Information

BFO-2 East Oakland Community Resource Officers (CROs) who work closely with the CROs (and cover Beats 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35) are as follows:

Ceasefire program

  • Are the individuals you meet within Ceasefire the ones creating the violence? Why do you only have call-ins 5 times a year?
    1. The community-supported, 8 years strong, Ceasefire Program is actually a strategy inspired by the book Don't Shoot: One Man, a Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City by Robert M. Kennedy. Its structure is based on four components:

      1. Gathering data: Oakland Police Department (OPD), and other experts in the field gather crime analysis data that tells them what or who is driving gun violence in the city.

      2. Direct communication: Then OPD, the community, healthcare workers, and clergy come together to reach out to both the victims and drivers of violence (usually groups or gangs in retaliatory shootings).

      3. Support: They talk to the victims or drivers of violence providing life coaching meant to help interrupt the violence (which happens at a higher rate from August to November).

      4. Enforcement: If all else fails the drivers of violence are targeted for enforcement.

    2. The reason the call-ins happen 5 times a year is that you must ensure you’re being effective in both identifying drivers of violence (we go through a 2-month cycle to determine this), and implementing coaching that reduces retaliation. When you follow this cyclical strategy, you change behavior. Before this program, these drivers of violence were never given probation or parole and had never been given guidance or been talked to in a way that could change their behavior.

  • How do you collect the data for Ceasefire?

    1. Every Thursday the Oakland Police Department (OPD) meets with surrounding agencies and federal partners to go over every single shooting that happened in the previous 7 days. All this data is tracked by a scorecard that gives points to members of groups or gangs that are involved in these incidents. This helps them know where to focus their resources to help reassess their response to gun violence on a weekly basis.

  • How can a person reach Ceasefire?

    1. Neighbors can call (510) 773-0411 or email TJones@oaklandca.gov for more info regarding Ceasefire.

  • What communities do you work in and how do you execute outreach?

    • We work in communities where individuals are involved in gun violence. Outreach is executed by partnering with faith-based leaders, service providers, the District Attorney, the United States Attorney’s Office, victims of violence, and other community partners.

Department of Violence Prevention

ShotSpotter Technology

  • How useful is the ShotSpotter system for helping to deter gun violence or solve gun violence in Oakland?

    1. ShotSpotter is very effective. It allows officers to know where gunfire is coming from within seconds. This helps our officers get to victims within minutes and give them aid to increase their chances of survival. We recently expanded these in the city because it helps us know where we need to be by informing us on what areas are impacted the most by gun violence.

Traffic concerns

  • What are we doing to combat the use misuse of the dedicated bus lane?

    1. The Oakland Police Department does not have dedicated Traffic Enforcement officers. The Traffic Division does have an Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant and officers will focus on traffic violations during the overtime operations.

  • How can we get more officers assigned to 82nd and MacArthur to stop the weekday and weekend sideshows?

    1. The Oakland Police Department schedules extra officers on the weekends to focus on sideshows.

  • Will traffic cameras be installed at the intersection of 106th Avenue and MacArthur soon? Are their cameras being installed between 90th to 106th to discipline speeding/traffic violations like driving in the dedicated bike lane?

    1. We do not have an ETA for traffic cameras being installed at these locations at this time but we will alert the Department of Transportation (OakDOT) and the Oakland Police Department (OPD) that there is an increased need for traffic calming measures at these locations.

Neighborhood Cleanups

  • When will the blight, abandoned vehicles, and unhoused encampments at the park on the corner of B Street and 98th Avenue be cleaned up?

    1. The District 7 team is engaged with many community groups that host cleanups every month around Elmhurst Park. We will work to ensure that this area receives adequate services. We took a tour of this area with the Director of Public Works to discuss the issues impacting this area. We’ve also been working with our Homelessness Services Outreach team to discuss how to support our unhoused neighbors in this area. We recently launched a skate park at Elmhurst Park and even made significant investments for it to be made into a fun and safe place to enjoy. In addition to that Oakland Police Department is working closely with OAK311 and PSTs to start a tow sweep every other month to remove abandoned autos. Oakland Police Department will add 98th to the list of areas that have been impacted by this blight.

  • How many illegal dumping cameras are in District 7?

    1. So far the City has approved 10 illegal dumping cameras to be installed around Oakland and is looking to install more down the line. District 7 has received an equitable amount of these cameras, however, we are waiting for updates on that number and can keep the public updated once that information is confirmed.

Helpful Hotlines

  • Is the drug hotline monitored in multiple languages?

    1. The drug hotline is monitored in multiple languages including Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. If you do not speak one of these dialects, please call anyway and we will get a translator to translate your message to us. The drug hotline number is (510) 238-3784.

Housing and Evictions

  • How will the City deter the unhoused from the unsafe illegal practice of tapping into the power of our streetlight poles?

    1. Our partners at Oakland Public Works have initiated a program to help address encampments affecting the well-being of our neighbors. This program is still in the developmental stage but should be fully functional by the end of Spring. Part of their role is to offer permanent housing solutions to those living in encampments so that they no longer have to depend on these alternative sources of power.

  • When can landlords expect the moratorium to be lifted?

    1. Oakland’s moratorium on evictions and rent increases will continue until the Local Emergency is terminated by Oakland City Council.

  • What is being done about the illegal drug use of the unhoused in the encampment on 98th Avenue?

    1. Please report any instances of illegal drug use to our anonymous hotline at (510) 238-3784. Leave a recorded message where you give specific details about location, description of suspects and cars involved, as well as usual times of the illegal activity. The recorded messages are listened to and used to alert police to locations that need their attention.

Opportunities Around Oakland

  • Where can we learn about programs offering job training and how can we stay informed on entities bringing new businesses to District 7?

Other FAQs

  • Where can I watch the District 7 Public Safety Townhall recording?

    1. https://www.facebook.com/TrevaReidCityofOakland/videos/632946037782638

  • What does NEST stand for?

    1. NEST stands for Neighborhood Enhancement Services Team. NEST is a pilot program created to disburse services to areas of the City impacted by crime, blight, etc. Since its inception in late 2021, the pilot has focused on impacted Police Beast in Council Districts 6 and 7.

  • Is there a jail moving to Eastmont and if so what will be the impact on the neighborhood?

    1. There currently is no plan to bring a jail to Eastmont station.

Other District 7 Information

  • What other things can we, as residents, do to support your work in our community, District 7 specifically?

    1. One of the most important ways you can support us is to continue reaching out to us. Your questions and concerns truly help us better understand where to advocate for budget priorities, services, and programs. Your feedback is helpful for our team to better understand where we can target our efforts and our enforcement in activating services and programs. It is also helpful to have you speak out at Council Meetings where important decisions like budget and policy matters are being implemented from City Hall.

  • NSC – Neighborhood Services Coordinator, read more here:

Gender-based Violence hotline numbers and resources:

  • Family Violence Law Center: 800-947-8301
    • 24-hour hotline for victims/survivors of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and family violence.
  • Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR): 510-345-1056
    • 24-hour hotline for victims/survivors of sexual violence including commercial sexual exploitation.
  • Covenant House-Dreamcatcher: 800-379-1114
    • 24-hour hotline for homeless youth and commercially sexually exploited youth to find shelter.
  • Progressive Transitions: 833-266-4333
    • 24-hour crisis hotline for victims/survivors of all forms of gender-based violence.

Please review every FAQ. If you have questions, contact the District 7 team at district7@oaklandca.gov.