The city of Oakland has experienced a dramatic crime surge since 2020 as arrests plunge and the police department struggles to fill vacancies.
From 2020 to 2023 burglaries increased by 99 percent, motor-vehicle theft surged by 72 percent, robberies jumped by 53 percent and homicides went up 16 percent, according to a supplemental police report on the Oakland public safety committee’s April 9 agenda. Arrests plummeted by 50 percent over the same period.
