Eye on the Hills: Concerns heard at Oakland 'Coffee with a Cop' event

"Daylight Saving Time has ended and with that comes an inevitable uptick in crime. Statistics suggest that as evenings get dark earlier, robberies and burglaries increase under cover of night. It was one of the many safety issues that Oakland police Capt. Aaron Smith discussed with citizens at Sunday's "Coffee with a Cop" event at Peet's Coffee & Tea in the Oakland hills' Montclair Village district."

""Nobody did a damn thing, which really upset me," the woman said. "It should make you angry," Smith replied. "But I want to remind you of something that happened right here in Montclair. There was a gentleman sitting in Starbucks on his laptop ... ." He was referencing a case that still haunts Montclarions today - the December 2019 death of a man who tried to retrieve his stolen computer and was run over by a speeding getaway car."

""It was the most devastating thing," said Smith. "But that's why. That's why it's important not to stop thieves like this. Even in a store, we know from the investigations we've done, that people who do this kind of thing are often armed." Then he made the senior vow not to confront a criminal again. "I never want you to be a victim, because CVS can replace it. Promise me that you won't do that again.""

Daylight Saving Time ending correlates with an uptick in robberies and burglaries as evenings get dark earlier, increasing opportunities for crime. Oakland residents in Montclair Village raised concerns about shoplifting, car thefts and sideshows during a Coffee with a Cop gathering at Peet's Coffee & Tea. Capt. Aaron Smith urged caution, recounting a December 2019 case in which a man trying to retrieve a stolen laptop was run over by a getaway car. Smith advised against confronting suspected thieves, noting investigations show many are often armed, and asked a senior to promise not to intervene in future thefts.

Read at The Mercury News