Oakland police pilot program using social media to stop car break-ins abruptly ends
OPD pulled the plug one day after it had urged public to start using @OaklandAutoBurg on Instagram & X to report auto burglaries
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland police shut down a pilot program Saturday that used social media for reporting auto break-ins while they were happening.
The Oakland Police Department pulled the plug one day after it had urged the public to start using @OaklandAutoBurg on Instagram & X to send direct messages reporting auto burglaries in progress.
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"The auto burglary social media reporting pilot was always intended to be a limited test," the police department said in a social media post. "The test concluded as scheduled and the accounts were deactivated as planned."
"This account will be reactivated ahead of our next test. Thank you to all who participated. The Oakland Police Department (OPD) will review the results of these tests and evaluate the next steps."
In announcing the program, police had asked anyone seeing something suspicious to "DM the details of individuals, & vehicles, and the crime's location. DON'T attempt to stop the crime!"
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Police were hoping to receive details including descriptions of individuals, vehicles, or license plates, along with the location of the crime.
"If it's safe, snap a pic/video from a distance," the department had advised.
As of Oct. 22, Oakland had recorded 11,382 auto burglaries so far this year -- a 36% increase over the same period last year, according to a weekly crime report by the department.
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