Data shows certain violent crimes are rising in Oakland as city nears full year without police chief
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Certain violent crimes in Oakland continue to rise as the city is nearing a full year without a police chief.
New data analyzed by the ABC7 News I-Team and released in the latest citywide crime report show robberies are up 38 percent since 2022 but are down slightly when compared to numbers a decade ago.
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Burglaries are up 23 percent compared to 2022 and motor vehicle thefts are up 44 percent. Both crime types stand out to be at the highest rate seen since 2013.
The last large burglary increase in Oakland was in 2019 with nearly 15,000 reported. In 2023, that figure was over 17,000.
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Motor vehicle thefts are steadily rising, from about 8,700 reported in 2020 to about 14,700 reported in 2023.
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As for homicides, there were 92 reported in 2013 and 126 reported in 2023.
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This rise in crime comes as there are renewed calls for the mayor to declare a state of emergency.
"It's just chaos... and the city just cannot afford the chaos," said retired Alameda County Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte.
Judge Harbin-Forte says a year without a police chief is unacceptable.
"So you know I have to say that this Mayor has blood on our hands and we just can't afford to have her in office any longer," she told ABC7.
In September, Mayor Sheng Thao said she would "declare a state of emergency" if a new police chief isn't selected by the end of the year. Instead, last week she rejected the three recommendations made by the police commission delaying the process until at least March.
MORE: Oakland Police Commission to search for new chief candidates after Mayor Thao rejects all finalists
"There's been a laziness and a lack of urgency to get a new police chief and restore public safety in Oakland," said Seneca Scott, the Executive Director for Neighbors Together Oakland who's also pushing to recall the mayor.
Scott told ABC7 the delay in the police search is costing taxpayers.
"Our mayor has spent more than $100,000 on consultants over this process which is only been continuously delayed," Scott said.
The I-Team asked the mayor's office how much money has been spent on consultant fees for the ongoing search for a police chief, but we are still waiting to hear back.
A new report ranked Oakland as one of the U.S. cities with a high cost of crime per capita. According to this report analyzing FBI crime data using research from the University of Miami and the University of Colorado Denver, Oakland is ranked 12th on the list with an average per capita crime cost of $5,710 -- that's higher than both Philadelphia and Atlanta.
