18 new Oakland police officers formally took the oath Friday to protect and serve, as the city works to increase their police force and curb crime.
“We are trained in the academy to keep our bearings, to be professional, for the city of Oakland and to have sanctity of life. That is my goal to be able to help and educate others,” said Oakland police graduate Eyob Worku.Oakland has already recorded nine homicides this year. The latest, a teenager who was shot and killed Friday morning in east Oakland.
“As we increase the numbers back to our authorized strength, we can reintroduce some of the units that we had to dismantle before,” said OPD Deputy Chief Clifford Wong.The Oakland police officer’s association explained that while every officer helps, It's less than what the city had 20 years ago - and may not be enough to handle the city's demands.
“We had a million calls for service to 911 here in Oakland last year for the first time ever. We probably need about 1200 police officers just to manage the workload,” said Sgt. Barry Donelan with the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.
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