Oakland officials are reallocating $10 million of the city’s funds to provide financial support to the region’s police and fire departments after the Oakland City Council voted unanimously on Monday for the decision.
Recently, the new Oakland police chief addressed that the city has seen a massive surge in violent crimes this year. “We need resources. We need the community’s help to be able to reduce violence. Police can’t do it alone,” Chief LaRonne Armstrong said during a Monday press conference.
Police Funding
The chief said his department suffered resource shortages after authorities pulled $25 million from their budget. “Those millions of dollars were resources. They were officers,” Armstrong said.
Since the start of the year, Oakland officials have reported 41 homicides compared to last year’s 13, a massive 215% jump. Police also reported a spike in car robberies, recording 149 cases this year compared to only 57 last year.
Armstrong said every district of the city experienced a wave of car robberies. Police officers were forced to respond to 340 robberies since the beginning of the year.
“What we have is questions about defunding the police and a rise in crime so what we’re seeing is the rhetoric meeting the road,” news insider Phil Matier said, ABC7 News reported.
On Monday, Armstrong called the approved funding the first step in reducing the violent crimes occurring all around the city of Oakland.
