Oakland leaders tout drop in homicide, crime rates

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police and politicians spoke on Friday morning at St. Columba Catholic Church to herald the nearly 30% drop in homicides this year compared to 2023, saying they believe the city is moving in the right direction toward curbing crime, but no one should immediately declare a immediate success. 

"Of course, we're here today touting the data," Department of Violence Prevention Chief Holly Joshi said. "But the reduction is by no means is a victory flag for the city of Oakland. What it does represent is a data point that tells us that we are on the right track, and that we need to continue our focus, and we need to continue having the resources that we have focused on."

Joshi said that the last 10 months has been "an absolute whirlwind of reorganization, retraining, promotions and refocus" in her department to implement the Ceasefire strategy.

"My violence interventionists spend every day and night in the community, building relationships with those most vulnerable to violence and proactively conflict, mediating and preventing retaliatory shootings," she said. "My life coaches work daily with those folks who've been identified as being most at risk of picking up a gun in the next 90 days, supporting them to make the behavior change and mindset shifts that it takes to get out of cycles of violence." 

Ceasefire has now become a national model that uses human intelligence gathered on the street and data to focus on the small group of people who are most likely to commit or fall victim to gun violence.

(L-R) Mayor Sheng Thao, OPD Asst. Chief James Beere, Holly Joshi. Nov. 1, 2024 

The program has three main goals: reduce gang shootings and homicides by focusing on the small group of people perpetrating these crimes; decrease recidivism and incarceration rates by offering at-risk groups real alternatives, like jobs, social services and life coaching; and strengthen police-community relations.

Still, crime continues to concern many, and is the main bedrock of the current push to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who could be voted out of office on Tuesday. Sheng's critics blame her for disappearing businesses, especially along the Hegenberger corridor, and the proliferation of car break-ins, among other things in the city. 

But the current data shows that crime is decreasing in Oakland. 

Oakland police reported 71 homicides so far this year — a 32% decline compared with this time last year, when there were 113 homicides. There were 126 homicides in all of 2023.

Robbery is down 24% this year compared to 2023, burglary is down 55% and aggravated assaults are down 15%, according to the latest crime report from the city. 

City leaders held their news conference at St. Columba church, as it was the birthplace of Ceasefire in 2012. 

Each year, Father Aidan McAleenan puts a cross outside his church on San Pablo Avenue to mark each person killed by homicide in the city. 

This year, he said he is on track to have to make less than 100 crosses for the first time since 2019. 

"Catholic social teaching talks about the common good," he said. "We, as a church, along with, the Diocese of Oakland, continue to work for and will work with anyone." 

Some of those people who are out working include police officers, Assistant Oakland Police Chief James Beere said.

He stressed that In October, there were zero homicides in Oakland. 

Beere credited officers, clergy and community members for stepping up together to reduce criminal activity and violence. He specifically thanked the California Highway Patrol for coming in to do traffic enforcement to free up Oakland officers to focus on violent crime and burglary. 

He said he was grateful there are now 200 cameras in the city to help capture suspects and criminal activity. 

And he said that with help from the Alameda County District Attorney and state Attorney General's office, a "numer of groups" have been charged with crimes and "that's actually made a significant impact." 

"We can't do this alone," Beere said. "We've known we've learned that arresting our way out of this just isn't going to work. We had to be more proactive."