Safety

Oakland police arrest suspect in giant identity theft investigation

In cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service, the Oakland Police Department has shut down a large-scale ID theft plant in Hayward, police officers announced at a press conference today. In the apartment, police said they found what seemed to be an ID, credit card and check-making plant, with personal information for up to 1,000 Californians and possibly also out of state residents.

After a quake, what will happen to the Bay Area’s water supply?

What would happen to the water supply if a major earthquake struck the Bay Area? According to the East Bay Municipal District, which supplies water to most of the East Bay, there is a 32 percent chance of a magnitude 7 earthquake occurring along the Hayward Fault in the next 30 years. In a worst-case scenario, the Claremont Tunnel, which runs directly through the Hayward Fault and provides water for 800,000 of EBMUD’s customers, would be out of commission for 6 months.

Have you seen these men? OPD needs your help

The Oakland Police Department is looking for help finding two men who may have information about a 2009 murder case. The victim was  59-year-old Bounhom Manyvong, who was shot during his shift as a security guard at Auto Zone on 10111 International Blvd in Oakland. The men, whom OPD says are “people of interest,” are described as thin, African American, and in their twenties. One is approximately six feet tall, and was seen wearing a green fur-lined jacket, white t-shirt,…

Judge listens to final arguments in Fruitvale gang injunction hearing

A hearing about whether to impose a preliminary gang injunction against 40 alleged Norteño gang members in the Fruitvale neighborhood began nearly three months ago. On Friday afternoon, after weeks of exhibiting evidence and bringing forth witnesses, lawyers from both sides presented their final arguments to Judge Robert Freedman.

Squatter used empty Montclair home to hide stolen goods

The Oakland Police Department released a statement this morning describing an unusual twist in the department’s ongoing efforts to crack down on burglaries — on May 3 an officer responding to a trespassing call regarding an unoccupied home on Valley View Boulevard in Montclair found a squatter living inside with what appeared to be a vast collection of stolen items taken during at least 10 local burglaries.

And North Oakland’s worst pothole is…

After a week of voting on the 16 top offenders, 198 votes have been tallied. You decided which pothole was the best of the worst, the most unholy of the holey — and it won by a landslide.

Is Oakland ready for its next big earthquake?

Oakland is overdue for a major earthquake. The Hayward Fault, which runs along Highway 13 at the foot of the Oakland hills and streams through the Oakland Zoo and Mills College, has produced a significant earthquake on average every 140 years for nearly the past millennium. The last substantial earthquake caused by this fault was in 1868 … that was 143 years ago.