Public Safety Committee Meeting
May 10, 2022
22-0046
CITY OF OAKLAND
CITY HALL ONE FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612
COUNCILMEMBER LOREN TAYLOR (510) 238-7006
DISTRICT 6 [email protected]
Date: April 28, 2022
To: Public Safety Committee
From: Councilmember Loren Taylor
Subject: Violent Crime Investigations Management
Colleagues on the Council:
As our city continues to suffer from the devastating impacts of violent crime, it is important that we support victims and their families in getting the much-needed closure that they seek and the justice that they deserve. While I will continue to champion and fully support our significant investments into violence prevention, crime deterrence, and the elimination of root causes of crime (poverty, racism, and lack of investment in certain communities), I also support ensuring full accountability when Oaklanders and our visitors are attacked in our city.
The trauma caused by these violent acts is intensified when no one is held responsible.
Unfortunately, the percentage of violent crimes that we solve is too low, causing many to perceive a general lack of accountability for those who perpetrate these acts of violence. In light of several reports about Oakland’s low violent crime clearance rates, including the article titled, “Killings Soar In Oakland, But How Many Cases Are being Solved?” from November 2021, I initially sought to have more robust and frequent reporting of violent crime clearance rates through a publicly accessible clearance rates dashboard similar to what San Francisco has published on its website (https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/clearance- rates-dashboard) providing data on the types of crimes committed in the City, where those crimes have occurred, and the clearance rate for those crimes. What I soon learned is that a major obstacle to increasing the success of investigations is providing our investigators the tools to make their job easier, more efficient, and more productive. An investigations database will do just that and allow for improved performance and productivity from the department as well as provide the foundation for transparent reporting through internal and external dashboards.
This request is for an information report to better understand from the City Administrator and Oakland Police Department, our current clearance rate performance as well as a possible plan to develop and deploy an investigations management system that might help us to produce and regularly refresh a clearance rate dashboard.
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Public Safety Committee Meeting
May 10, 2022
22-0046
I look forward to receiving this information report and through the discussion developing a better understanding of how we on the council might work more effectively with City staff and community stakeholders to bring the necessary closure and justice to victims of violent crime in Oakland.
Yours in partnership and service,
Loren Taylor
Councilmember District 6