NBC News is reporting that the Oakland Police Department “continues to lose burned-out officers at a growing rate — either to retirement or to another city.” OPD Chief LeRonne Armstrong announced that the department “has received nearly 10 either resignations or retirements [of officers] in the last three weeks. So officers are leaving at a pretty quick place."
The flight of cops comes at a time when “homicides in Oakland are up more than 100% since last year,” according to NBC, while other crimes, such as muggings, apartment thefts and car-break ins, also are alarming residents, not only in the flatlands where crime is traditionally a concern, but also in wealthier hill neighborhoods.
Chief Armstrong pointed to the Oakland City Council’s increasingly strident calls for “defunding the police” as adding to the stress OPD officers are experiencing.
The Coalition for a Better Oakland shares the Chief’s concerns. Police officers in Oakland already are among the most intensively-trained cops in the U.S. But radical organizations, such as the Anti Police-Terror Project and its allies on the City Council, continue to assault OPD, demanding further cuts to its budget. Lately there have even been calls to “Abolish” the Oakland Police Department.
It can come as no coincidence that Oakland City Council members have been hitting the road, holding meetings in their districts to talk to frightened constituents. These council members are feeling the heat. They know that OPD needs more officers, not fewer, to keep us safe. But the anti-police groups are well-organized, and while they are a minority in our city, their voices are loud and intimidating. We at the Coalition urge Oakland citizens to call their council member and demand full budgeting and full staffing for our beleaguered police department.