The Oakland, California, city council diverted over $17 million from the city’s police department Monday, redirecting the funding to social programs.
CBS San Francisco reports the city council’s move comes as Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong warns of a “crisis” of violent crime.
Armstrong said, “Today, we find ourselves in a crisis. We find ourselves reeling from a weekend of violence where we have seen four homicides over a three-day period … Our shootings are up over 70% compared to last year. Our robberies are up 11% this year. There’s been 1,300 robberies in this city already this year.”
He added, “Our carjackings are up nearly 88%. So we see clearly that crime is out of control in the city of Oakland and our response was for less police resources. When City Council members, the majority have voted to defund this police department, that additional $17 million that was reduced from the police department’s budget will have an impact.”
ABC 7 notes the vote to shift funding from police was seven to two.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf opposed the cut in police funding, observing the city could lose 50 officers over it at a time when more police are necessary.
Schaaf’s office also warned 911 response times will increase as a result of the cuts.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.