Oakland police chief says overall crime down but acknowledges anguish of victims

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said Friday that crime overall is down in the city but agreed the perception of crime, especially from victims, may not line up with the data.

"I believe we're on the right path, but we have a lot of work still to be done," Mitchell said. "What we're doing right now is showing benefits, and that's evident in the reduction in crime that we're seeing." 

Mitchell provided his assessment after serving about 100 days as top cop.

The chief said overall crime and violent crime is trending downward but that property crime continues to be a challenge. He said he understands statistics are of little comfort to crime victims who have been attacked or violated. 

"I want to make sure we're doing the best we can to ease the blow you've experienced as a victim," he said.

He said he also realizes citizens are upset with response times by officers. 

"I don't like where we are now, but from a staffing issue, we have to stay within the prioritization of this, and we're going to get to you, it might take a little longer," Mitchell said. 

He says his officers are working hard to catch criminals. But he alluded to some concerns with Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price over some charging decisions that may further re-victimize those affected by crime.

The chief said he's had conversations with Price and that he wants to maintain a working relationship while at the same time "communicate our frustrations in regards to how some of the cases are being handled. But I'm not here to bash. I'm here to make sure that we're going to continue to do our work."

The chief says he's seen firsthand some of the recent violence in the city. He said current crime reduction strategies like Ceasefire seem to be working. Under the program, community leaders and police intercept those most at risk for gun violence - in visits known as "call ins"- and give them a warning - shape up, or face the legal consequences. 

Officers have made arrests in shootings across the city and recovered high-powered weapons, including a number of firearms "equipped with high-capacity magazines, auto-sear triggers and multi-burst triggers, essentially making them machine guns," said Assistant Chief James Beere.

The chief says the Oakland Police Commission is considering whether to change the department's pursuit policy so that officers are allowed to chase suspects for property crimes. The department is also looking into how to better allocate resources and whether police patrol districts need to be rezoned.

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/henrykleefan