MORE OAKLAND OFFICERS AT ISSUE

Ballot Measures: Mayor Says Bigger Force Needed To Stem Rising Homicide Rates

In the far flung corners of Oakland's flatlands, there's been no respite to
the deadly violence.

Days passed, more killings, more outrage, sparking rallies by community
leaders and, ultimately, a series of ballot measures by Mayor Jerry Brown
to add 100 more officers to the police force.

Whether adding more officers to target high-crime areas can put a dent in
the city's spiking crime rate is hotly debated, with proponents saying
Oakland's police force is woefully understaffed and opponents claiming
money would be better spent on creating jobs and social service programs.

If the four measures are approved by voters next Tuesday, they would raise
about $70 million over the next five years through higher utility, hotels
and parking taxes, 90 percent of which would be used to hire 100 officers.
The remaining $7 million would be spent on violence prevention -- dealing
with victims of domestic violence, youth offenders, and probationers and
parolees in their transition into the community, and expanding after-school
programs.

Oakland's police department receives 800,000 calls for service a year, and
dispatches officers to 225,000 calls from a force of about 750.

"The arithmetic is simple. We need to have more men and women on the
streets of Oakland protecting the peace," Brown said.

The city, meanwhile, tallied its 94th homicide Sunday after a man was found
shot in East Oakland, surpassing last year's 87 killings. Oakland's
homicide rate eclipses those of neighboring cities, such as San Francisco
and San Jose. Still, city officials maintain Oakland has fewer officers per
capita than many large cities, including San Francisco.

"Officers have little time to spend with residents. We have to give many
the brushoff because we're rushing to get to another higher priority call.
It leaves us little time to deal with proactive issues," said Police Chief
Richard Word.

"It's frustrating for both sides -- the community who sees an officer
racing from one call to another -- and the police officer. Adding to the
force will help relieve some of that frustration."

Opponents, however, dismiss the proposal as a knee-jerk reaction to
violence and say that hiring more officers will not stem the rise in homicides.

Instead, they argue that the need for jobs and other services for
ex-offenders as a way to reduce crime, pointing out that poverty, a sagging
economy and high unemployment are to blame for most of the homicides.

Most of Oakland's killings are drug related. About 85 percent of the
homicide victims this year had an arrest history, as did many murder suspects.

Councilwoman Nancy Nadel suggests the city invest in an employment program
for ex-offenders -- an alternative she had proposed that was rejected by
the city council. "The solution is not more police, but jobs, especially if
we see that ex-offenders are re-offending, and it's difficult for them to
get employed."

Called Deceptive

Jordon Su, an opponent of the proposal for more officers, called it a
deceptive package that allots only a paltry amount to actual crime
prevention. "We need solutions that address poverty, more money for Oakland
schools, social services, programs for youth -- solutions that address the
root cause of crime, which is poverty, and not just add more police," said
Su, a community organizer for People United for a Better Oakland, which is
leading the campaign to defeat the proposals.

But Brown dismisses those arguments and maintains the city is already more
than generous with its social program spending. "Our mission is police and
fire. The city of Oakland which is overtaxed and over-borrowed is not the
venue to right the social ills more properly addressed to the state and
federal government," he said.

Others expressed concern about adding more police officers in light of the
police misconduct scandals that have rocked the department, citing cases,
such as the Riders -- four alleged rogue cops now on trial for assaulting
suspects, fabricating evidence and falsifying reports. In the last fiscal
year, Oakland paid out more than $1 million to settle cases involving
police conduct.

Neighborhood Patrol

Chief Word said that many of the new officers would be assigned in the
neighborhoods, and agrees that how the officers are deployed is as
important as adding officers.

To that end, 45 of the police officers will be assigned to target
high-crime areas, with another 27 patrolling on bicycle and foot; 15 would
be investigating violent crimes and the remainder would work with
probationers and help clear warrants.

Under three of the ballot measures -- GG, HH, II -- utility taxes, except
for low-income residents, would increase from 7.5 percent to 8 percent,
hotel taxes would jump from 11 percent to 14 percent and parking fees would
rise from 10 percent to 20 percent for five years.

The fourth, Measure FF, is an advisory measure that asks voters to decide
whether the money raised from the surcharges should be spent on more police
officers and the crime prevention programs.