Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong is trying a new strategy to fight crime in the city. He’s planning to meet with citizens in every neighborhood to have conversations that hopefully will lead to solutions.
Oakland homicide crimes and property crimes have sharply increased this year. Armstrong told KCBS Radio last month that they have "have a real problem in Oakland," and cited there have been 65 homicides in 2021.
Armstrong attended a Safe Oakland rally at Lake Merritt on Saturday, and a community meeting on Tuesday at Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland to gain information from the community.
"There were still 30 some odd community members that came out and said to me: 'Chief there are some small things that you can do. Tell officers to be nicer when they drive down the street. Invest in more community engagement, we want to get to know our officers more,'" he explained during a news conference Wednesday.
The Oakland police head said there are 35 police beats in Oakland and he plans to hit everyone looking for answers.
"The people who know it the best are the people who experience it every day," Armstrong said. "They can tell you: 'If you do this, this would really be helpful.'"
Budget cuts for the the Oakland Police force kicked earlier in the month which could reduce staffing and Armstrong previously noted that they already don't have enough officers to handle the uptick in crime.
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