News: Articles from the Montclarion

 

Tucker meets with North Hills NCPC (from The Montclarion, Friday November 16, 2007)

  • Police chief, others speak of importance of Neighborhood Watch groups as a way to fight crime

    • By Sierra Filucci

    CORRESPONDENT

    Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker and neighborhood leaders encouraged North Hills residents to continue organizing block-by-block to prevent crime.

    "We're always better than the sum of our parts," Tucker said to about 60 residents who attended the North Hills Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council's Nov. 7 town hall at the Hiller Highlands Country Club.

    "I can't say how seriously you should take this idea of being part of Neighborhood Watch groups," said Tucker.

    Oakland's neighborhood services manager, Claudia Albano, added: "The safety of our community starts with knowing our neighbors." She went on to refer to historical figure Paul Revere and author Robert Putnum, who wrote "Bowling Alone," to illustrate the benefits of "social capital," or "that feeling when people know each other."

    Over the past year, residents of the hills area bordered by Berkeley, Highway 13, Contra Costa County and Thornhill Drive have heeded city and police calls to organize along a community policing model. The latter relies on Neighborhood Watch groups and crime prevention councils to streamline communication with police.

    Twenty new Neighborhood Watch groups have formed in the North Hills during the past 11 months, according to the council's treasurer, Teresa Ferguson.

    The neighborhood council formed last year after Nancy Mueller, now president, and her family were robbed at gunpoint in their home. Neighbors have

    more recently mobilized around property crimes, such as burglary, car theft and vandalism, as well as public safety issues such as blocked streets, speeding and night-time skateboarders. Residents have noted a slight increase in police presence since the formation of the council.

    The police chief acknowledged that crimes involving people rather than property were highest on the department's list.

    "As we get more staff, we'll probably get more successful at property crimes," Tucker said.

    When the department will add to its current force of 731 officers -- 72 fewer than mandated by 2004's Measure Y -- remains unclear.

    Tucker named retirement as the main reason for the department's failure to meet anticipated staffing levels, saying they "significantly underestimated turnover." He said the department lost 135 officers in the 20 months since the passage of Measure Y. During the same period, they have hired and trained 185 new officers.

    Don Jacobus, a resident of the area for more than 70 years, expressed dismay with the continued staffing problems. During a 45-minute question-and-answer period, he told Tucker that after Measure Y, "We hoped we'd get more people involved in property crimes."

    Jacobus asked: "Why can't we get fully staffed?"

    Tucker said California was 15,000 officers short and blamed, in part, a system that encourages officers to retire at age 50.

    Though Tucker said the police academies were adding an additional class to meet staffing needs, Jacobus was unsatisfied.

    "They could be taking more people," he said.

    Other attendees said they were mostly satisfied with the meeting.

    Valerie Acton, who is in the process of forming a new Neighborhood Watch group, said she learned a lot and was encouraged by the police participation at the meeting, and that of the area's problem-solving officer Debbie Mack.

    Mack gave out her cell phone number and encouraged residents to call her if they see suspicious people or dangerous skateboarding activity.

    Resident Barry Horne said he didn't hear a "call to action," and was disappointed with the turnout, but nevertheless, he said, he felt motivated by the presence of his neighbors.

    "People don't feel connected," he said. "They feel connected to the problem, but don't feel connected to the solution."

    The meeting was the start of changing that, said Horne, adding, "In the midst of these people, there is a solution."

     

     

    North Hills group to air crime worries  (from The Montclarion, Friday November 2, 2007)

  • Crime Prevention Council expected to push police chief for more officers on the streets

    • By Sierra Filucci

    CORRESPONDENT

    When the North Hills Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council meets next Wednesday, residents and the nearly 50 neighborhood watch groups under its wing will ask Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker for more officers on the streets, according to Teresa Ferguson, treasurer of the council and vice president of the homeowners association.

    "The more neighborhood watch groups get organized, the more people say, 'Hey, we're paying taxes, shouldn't we see a patrol car every once in a while?'" Ferguson said.

    The neighborhood of about 3,500 homes, also known as community policing beat 13Y, runs from Highway 13 to the Contra Costa County border, and sits between Berkeley and Thornhill Drive.

    Concerns about auto theft and car break-ins, as well as public safety issues, prompted the council to invite Tucker to their monthly meeting, which be held beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Highlands Country Club.

    Ferguson says last year a car was broken into every week on her street. Though auto theft and vandalism have subsided in part of the North Hills, they continue to be a problem in other sections, said Nancy Mueller, chair of the council. Residents said more patrols will address the problem.

    Without them, Ferguson said, "Pretty soon people realize anything goes in the hills and you'll never get caught."

    Mueller agreed.

    "We need more officers on foot patrol or bike patrol, and just out there," she added.

    In addition, residents are concerned about safety issues such as emergency vehicle access, speeding and frequent skateboarding activity on the steep, curvy streets.

    In an area where 25 people died in the 1991 Oakland hills fires, streets blocked by construction crews and illegally parked vehicles demand attention, said Jim Dexter, vice chair of the council. "This could lead to a devastating situation in the case of emergency."

    Neighbors have different opinions about how to handle the skateboarding on their streets and on Tunnel Road in particular. Often, it occurs at dusk when driving is particularly tricky, Dexter said. Some want police to crack down on it and others want more tolerance, according to the council's Sept. 5 minutes.

    Tucker will discuss police staffing levels as well as residents' concern about crime in the area, said Oakland police spokesperson Roland Holmgren. He said he'd also address the planned reorganization of the police department, tentatively scheduled for January.

    The anticipated changes include assigning specific officers to geographic regions, and Ferguson hopes this will help police get to know the North Hills area better. At present, police target "hot spots," or places identified as major crime areas.

    Mueller, whose family was held captive inside their home at knifepoint last year while robbers ravaged their home, said this approach leaves the North Hills "vulnerable."

    As the Oakland Police Department struggles to maintain adequate staffing levels, community policing has become a highly touted element of the department's crime prevention strategy. The neighborhood crime prevention councils are a key component of this strategy, Dexter said.

    In concert with the police department's neighborhood services coordinator and a problem-solving officer, the councils help Oakland neighborhoods "act as a single voice," Dexter said. This, in turn, helps police respond to neighborhood concerns -- like the request for more patrols -- efficiently, neighborhood services coordinator Paul Brekke-Miesner said.

    For the North Hills area, this strategy seems to be working.

    "I've seen more patrol cars in the last six months than I have in the last 25 years," Ferguson said. "But I still only see one once every two to three weeks."