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U.S. News & World Report has dubbed Oakland the second most dangerous place in the country.
Oakland came in second to Memphis, Tennessee, in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. No other California city made the top 25.
U.S. News & World Report said it put together the rankings by examining each city’s murder and property crime rates, per 100,000 people, as determined by FBI crime reports.
In a statement, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s office said the city is seeing a 28% decrease in violent crime, adding that overall crime is down by 31%. The statement went on to say, “We are also strengthening the department of violence prevention and our ceasefire program, which is a data-backed, proven model that targets gun violence with focused deterrence through both enforcement and prevention. We’re building a safety infrastructure that reflects Oakland’s values while delivering measurable, sustained results for residents.”
Meanwhile, the Oakland Police Officers Association says the city has defunded police and officer staffing is dangerously low.
According to a city report, Oakland has about 500 working officers but should have more than 800. The city’s goal is 700, and it is working to get close to that number within the next two years, according to the mayor’s office.
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NBC Bay Area staff
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