cawacko
Well-known member
How many people here would support gang injuctions or teenage curfew laws in their City if youth killings was a major issue? I understand the civil libertarian perspective of people have a right to go where they want they want and can associate with whom they want. Gangs and murders are continuing to be a major problem in Oakland and the situation is not improving. Other cities have had gang injunctions and curfews that have shown to have success. Tough situation.
Oakland police need a new standard tool - curfew
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts has asked for a teenage curfew ordinance since the day he took the job in 2009, but the request has garnered little interest among elected officials.
The city is a glaring exception among major cities in the United States, most of which have such laws on the books to keep youths from harm - or committing harm - on the streets.
"One of the things that jumped out at me in the 2008 stats was the number of juveniles shot while standing around in groups at night," Batts said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
Unfortunately for Batts and Oakland residents, other city leaders tend to do a lot of standing around when it comes to supporting measures to aid the city's law enforcement efforts.
Whether motivated by political enmity or ideology, the Oakland City Council was divided over whether to impose two gang-injunction zones in the city earlier this year, then placed a moratorium on any such campaigns even after the city prevailed in a legal battle over the ordinance.
The lack of support and enthusiasm extends beyond City Hall. Troy Flint, spokesman for the Oakland Unified School District, said there is little evidence to show curfews are an effective way to ensure child safety.
But in a city with 71 homicides so far this year, including six officer-involved shootings, and one of the highest rates of violent crime in the nation, it's an idea worthy of public debate. Or a ballot measure.
Three juveniles have been killed this year and five others arrested as suspected shooters, police said, while the vast majority of suspects and victims have been 18 to 25 years old.
What Batts is asking for is considered a standard tool used by law enforcement agencies all over the nation, state and Bay Area. San Francisco and San Jose have local laws on the books, and they can be a handy tool when they're needed.
In San Jose, 15-year-olds are required to be indoors after 10 p.m. Any person under 18 is prohibited from any public place after 11:30 p.m.
Budget cuts have forced San Jose to halt its curfew patrols, but the ordinance is still used to close juvenile parties and remove underage youths from suspected gang hangouts, said Sgt. Jason Dwyer.
In San Francisco, the curfew applies to children 14 and younger, and requires them to be indoors between midnight and 5 a.m., said San Francisco Police Officer Albie Esparza. All the curfews make exceptions for work, family, religious or special events.
Oakland's homicide count this year is more than the combined total of the Bay Area's two largest cities, which together have recorded 55 homicides. People in Oakland and beyond recognize the value of using all legal resources possible to stanch the violence and restore faith in the communities terrorized by it.
Mayor Jean Quan's spokeswoman, Sue Piper, said the mayor wants to have more discussions with Batts and is open to hearing a curfew proposal.
It's not enough for Oakland police to take on one of the highest crime rates in the country with a Police Department that is running 100 officers below its minimum staffing requirement.
Batts is saddled with wading through the city's political bureaucracy, its lobbyists, activists and politicians to ask for a resource that is considered standard in most big cities.
If Oakland officials are focused on coming up with ways to reduce the city's crime rate and curb violence aimed at youths, they need to support standard measures that drum up controversy in Oakland.
"They have a daunting task," Dwyer, the San Jose officer, said of Oakland. "It's not like day-to-day policing efforts are going to solve that problem." Oakland's problems will require "a huge catalyst," he added.
Batts understands this. Residents understand this. City leaders do not.
Oakland to rehire 32 officers laid off last year.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/05/BABV1KJH5A.DTL
Oakland police need a new standard tool - curfew
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts has asked for a teenage curfew ordinance since the day he took the job in 2009, but the request has garnered little interest among elected officials.
The city is a glaring exception among major cities in the United States, most of which have such laws on the books to keep youths from harm - or committing harm - on the streets.
"One of the things that jumped out at me in the 2008 stats was the number of juveniles shot while standing around in groups at night," Batts said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
Unfortunately for Batts and Oakland residents, other city leaders tend to do a lot of standing around when it comes to supporting measures to aid the city's law enforcement efforts.
Whether motivated by political enmity or ideology, the Oakland City Council was divided over whether to impose two gang-injunction zones in the city earlier this year, then placed a moratorium on any such campaigns even after the city prevailed in a legal battle over the ordinance.
The lack of support and enthusiasm extends beyond City Hall. Troy Flint, spokesman for the Oakland Unified School District, said there is little evidence to show curfews are an effective way to ensure child safety.
But in a city with 71 homicides so far this year, including six officer-involved shootings, and one of the highest rates of violent crime in the nation, it's an idea worthy of public debate. Or a ballot measure.
Three juveniles have been killed this year and five others arrested as suspected shooters, police said, while the vast majority of suspects and victims have been 18 to 25 years old.
What Batts is asking for is considered a standard tool used by law enforcement agencies all over the nation, state and Bay Area. San Francisco and San Jose have local laws on the books, and they can be a handy tool when they're needed.
In San Jose, 15-year-olds are required to be indoors after 10 p.m. Any person under 18 is prohibited from any public place after 11:30 p.m.
Budget cuts have forced San Jose to halt its curfew patrols, but the ordinance is still used to close juvenile parties and remove underage youths from suspected gang hangouts, said Sgt. Jason Dwyer.
In San Francisco, the curfew applies to children 14 and younger, and requires them to be indoors between midnight and 5 a.m., said San Francisco Police Officer Albie Esparza. All the curfews make exceptions for work, family, religious or special events.
Oakland's homicide count this year is more than the combined total of the Bay Area's two largest cities, which together have recorded 55 homicides. People in Oakland and beyond recognize the value of using all legal resources possible to stanch the violence and restore faith in the communities terrorized by it.
Mayor Jean Quan's spokeswoman, Sue Piper, said the mayor wants to have more discussions with Batts and is open to hearing a curfew proposal.
It's not enough for Oakland police to take on one of the highest crime rates in the country with a Police Department that is running 100 officers below its minimum staffing requirement.
Batts is saddled with wading through the city's political bureaucracy, its lobbyists, activists and politicians to ask for a resource that is considered standard in most big cities.
If Oakland officials are focused on coming up with ways to reduce the city's crime rate and curb violence aimed at youths, they need to support standard measures that drum up controversy in Oakland.
"They have a daunting task," Dwyer, the San Jose officer, said of Oakland. "It's not like day-to-day policing efforts are going to solve that problem." Oakland's problems will require "a huge catalyst," he added.
Batts understands this. Residents understand this. City leaders do not.
Oakland to rehire 32 officers laid off last year.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/05/BABV1KJH5A.DTL
