Crime

Police identify man shot after car chase, link him to gang activity

The Oakland Police Department has identified the man shot and killed by two officers Monday afternoon in East Oakland after a car chase as 19-year-old Oakland resident Obataiye Edwards. At a press conference Tuesday, Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan said that the department was trying to prevent a gang-related shooting which officers were informed was set to occur yesterday in a West Oakland neighborhood known as “the ACORN.”

The OPD shares tips for avoiding crime during the holidays

Hot door knobs, swinging paint cans and pet Tarantula spiders may have defended the young Kevin McAllister against two burglars in “Home Alone,” but boobytraps may not be enough to protect your belongings during the holidays, when some kinds of crime typically increase.

Think Oakland’s deficit is easy to fix? Use this to do it yourself

After studying a recent New York Times interactive that offered readers a way to try different cuts and tax increases to decrease the national budget deficit, Oakland North decided to do the same—but on a smaller scale, focusing only on Oakland. Our interactive gives Oaklanders a way to try grappling with the city’s budget deficit themselves.

Public safety meeting addresses gang injunction, death of Derrick Jones

Half of Tuesday’s three-hour Public Safety Committee meeting at Oakland City Hall addressed November’s fatal officer-involved shooting of an unarmed East Oakland man. Oakland Police Department Chief Anthony Batts announced he has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigations to open a federal civil-rights investigation to determine whether the OPD officers wrongly used lethal force.

Oakland police share use of force training with public, media

As part of Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts’ new strategy to involve the community in policing policy, on Saturday officers held two sessions—one for the community and one for the media—on when police are legally allowed to use force. At police headquarters, officers explained the training they receive on when to use force, took questions on specific scenarios and brought visitors to their training facility where attendees were allowed to participate in interactive video simulations of dangerous scenarios officers face in the field.

A new chief for the BART police seeks to heal community ties

Ever since then-BART police officer Johannes Mehserle fatally shot Oscar Grant on the platform of its Fruitvale station nearly two years ago, BART—and particularly its police force—has struggled to rebuild its relationship with the communities it serves. New BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey says he’s the man for the job.