Crime
Oakland Awarded $4.5 million Federal Grant to Hire New Police Officers
Oakland will be receiving a $4.5 million grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to hire new police officers, Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland.
“Bolstering local law enforcement is an important component of developing a comprehensive approach to creating healthy and safe communities and preventing the violence that plagues too many of our nation’s cities,” said Lee. “
These competitive grants are essential to our police force, and this financial support will make a positive impact in the efforts to make our communities safer.”
Oakland received the highest amount of funding in California. Alameda County will receive $2.3 million to hire new officers.
Among those attended the media event were Associate Attorney General of the United States Tony West, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, OPD Police Chief Sean Whent, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Acting Director Joshua Ederheime and Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley.
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community-policing officers. The program provides salaries and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 Hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and community policing plans.
“This is a great day for the people of Oakland, who deserve and need a stronger police force,” Mayor Quan said. “This growth is part of a comprehensive strategy to rebuild the Oakland Police Department, and we’re seeing it pay off.”
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
California Black Media
Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
By California Black Media
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.
Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.
“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.
Ramos said the need to act is urgent.
“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.
Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.
According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.
In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.
“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.
“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.
AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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