East Bay officials announce new regional safety partnership to tackle crime

OAKLAND, Calif. - Elected officials and law enforcement from several East Bay jurisdictions announced a regional partnership Wednesday to crack down on crime.

"We need to do something now. We're dealing with real public-safety issues now," said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who spearheaded the effort. "

"Perpetrators of crimes aren't constrained by jurisdictional lines. They don't stop when they get to a city's borders. That means that we cannot stay siloed," Arreguin said. 

This effort is more than just making sure police dispatchers notify their neighbors when criminals are leading cops on a chase into other cities. 

Officials say this plan will leverage technology, resources and inter-agency expertise to better identify crime trends on a broader level.

"This opportunity, this regional collaboration, will allow us to come together with more coordinated, strategic and intentional efforts to deliver on that model of love-life, not just in the city of Oakland but we hope throughout this region," said Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid.

Police and city officials from Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, San Leandro and Alameda County made their announcement outside a hotel along Hegenberger Road in Reid's East Oakland district, in a corridor that's seen a number of high-profile burglaries - and business closures. 

Berkeley Police Chief Jen Louis pointed to recent arrests in a spree of thefts from local Apple stores. One suspect, Tyler Mims, was caught on a viral video showing him stealing 50 iPhones from the Apple Store at Bay Street Emeryville, authorities said.

Mims and others were caught with the help of Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland police as well as the California Highway Patrol. Authorities said the crew's total haul was more than 300 iPhones worth more than $300,000.

"Some of that was some really good work, the connecting jurisdictions, and there was a combining of resources that enabled to follow on the next steps in an offense," Louis said.

San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez praised the collaboration, saying it would provide "the ability to share that data between our agencies to really operate regionally instead of as individual cities."

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com