Building trust and legitimacy: Oakland's Interim Police Chief launches community tour to tackle crime

Oakland police kicks off 2nd annual community tour

Interim Chief Darren Allison talks with KTVU's Sal Castaneda about maintaining public safety and building trust in the local community.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Darren Allison wants to bring down crime in Oakland.

He’s been a sworn police officer with the city for nearly 30 years and as the interim police chief for the Oakland Police Department, Allison sees his role in spearheading the second annual community tour as a key component to building trust and relationships citywide.

"To be effective in what we do, we need to connect with our community, build relationships and be able to reach out to them not only when times are difficult, but also when times are going well," Allison told KTVU in his first interview with the station since he was appointed interim chief in February.

The tour is a series of block parties held throughout the summer in different neighborhoods across Oakland and comes at a time when Oakland is experiencing a rise in crime.

As of mid-May, Oakland has had 1,196 robberies, 1,251 aggravated assaults, and 4,840 motor vehicle thefts — up 4%, 10% and 27% respectively compared to 2022 — according to the city’s most recent data.

Allison hopes that OPD will be able to better foster relationships with residents during the community tours so that if a crime occurs, residents won’t hesitate to report it.

He said the tour will help build trust and legitimacy for the police in communities, which are "essential" for OPD.

"In those neighborhoods where we have trust as a foundational principle, we get cooperation, we get information and we can help them in a more meaningful way," he said.

A number of high-profile crimes across Oakland include a woman being robbed by two carloads of people and another incident of a toddler being hit by shrapnel in Trestle Glen; a 60-year-old man shot and killed while trimming trees in Maxwell Park; and a flower delivery driver shot in Uptown Oakland.

Just last month, over 500 frustrated residents packed a community meeting to express their concerns with the current state of crime in Oakland.

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But Allison said residents should not be afraid, rather they should remain "aware and present."

"[Residents] needs to know that the members of the police department are really focused on public safety," Allison said. "They care about this community and they’re out there in the community every day trying to solve crimes and hold those accountable who are bringing harm to our city."

The tour also comes amidst a tumultuous time for OPD itself.

Earlier this year, Mayor Sheng Thao fired former OPD Chief Leronne Armstrong for allegedly mishandling internal affairs investigations. Another OPD scandal involves a longtime OPD homicide investigator facing allegations he paid a witness for false testimony.

Although he didn’t directly answer on how he is ensuring previous scandals are no longer permeating throughout the department, Allison said he is working hard to bring stability.

"Just not the Oakland Police Department, but in the profession in general, there are challenging times and when you come in the first goal is to really stabilize everything, make sure that we stay focused on the mission, focused on public safety, focused on community engagement," he said.

OPD has increased its patrols and Allison hopes that a more visible police presence will help deter crime. In his nearly three-decade career, Allison has seen a lot and thinks that collaboration is vital for bringing down crime.

"We’ve had challenging times, budget times, staffing challenges, crime challenges," Allison said. "One of the things we need to do is not only focus on our mission, but work collaboratively with our city officials, with the justice system, our federal partners, our state and local partners and if we stay focused and work together we can come out of these challenging times."

OPD’s community tours will include free food, face paintings, pony rides, bouncy houses and other activities.

The first event is Wednesday, June 28 at 3 p.m. in Verdese Carter Park.