"Next month, the Oakland Police Department will dispatch a team of officers to Santa Clara County to protect the Super Bowl, but department officials say it won't impact their ability to staff patrols and other crime-fighting work in Oakland."
"The department is budgeted for 678 officers but only has 613 filled positions, according to data reported to the Oakland Police Commission. And the department is only able to field 518 officers because 89 are currently on long-term medical or administrative leave. OPD currently loses about six officers per month."
"For perspective, the department's 195th academy, which began last July, is down to 14 trainees; the academy that began in November has just 23. OPD also already relies heavily on overtime assignments to backfill patrol and other critical positions, and year after year, the department exceeds its overtime budget by millions of dollars. A report published last year found that OPD needs 877 officers to adequately cover the city."
Oakland will dispatch officers to Santa Clara County to protect the Super Bowl next month and to support World Cup matches at Levi's Stadium in June. Several councilmembers approved the plan at a Public Safety Committee meeting, with full council approval still required. Councilmembers were initially wary due to long-standing staffing shortages. The department is budgeted for 678 officers but has 613 filled positions and can field 518 because 89 are on long-term leave. OPD loses about six officers per month, has small academy classes, relies heavily on overtime, and a report found a need for 877 officers.
Read at The Oaklandside
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