He says he now plans to streamline procedures to help deal with a lack of resources.
ABC7's media partner, the Oakland Tribune, reports Chief Batts believes the workload for officers under his command is "almost double" what a department the size of Oakland's should be expected to handle.
Batts says he's gone on ride-alongs with patrol officers who answer so many calls, there is no time left for proactive community-oriented policing.
He says the officers are doing all they can, but the department's procedures tie their hands. He hopes that streamlining those procedures and better organizing the upper ranks will give officers more time to focus on proactive policing.
