After John Beam's killing, Alameda County DA will seek mandatory' jail or prison for all gun offenses

"If the Alameda County District Attorney gets her way, first time gun possession offenders will go to jail. A new policy enacted by DA Ursula Jones Dickson will require prosecutors to seek mandatory minimum sentences of jail or prison for all gun charges, from first-time arrestees charged with a misdemeanor to repeat felons caught with a gun. Prosecutors were notified of the policy change on Monday, an office spokesman said."

"The new policy is a stark shift from Jones Dickson's predecessor, Pamela Price, who in 2023 circulated a memo instructing her prosecutors to use probation terms as the presumptive offer in all cases where the defendant was legally eligible for them, and to seek low end sentences when probation wasn't on the table. Price, recalled in 2024 and replaced by county supervisors with Jones Dickson, used that policy as part of broader efforts to reduce incarceration and implement progressive justice reform."

"At a news conference Monday, Jones Dickson announced the policy change in the wake of last week's slaying of Laney College football Coach John Beam, whose suspected killer went onto the Oakland campus on Thursday with a gun he legally owned and allegedly shot Beam in the head. Beam, who was Laney's athletics director, was pronounced dead Friday morning. There must be more accountability, Jones Dickson said in a written statement."

Ursula Jones Dickson enacted a policy requiring prosecutors to seek mandatory minimum jail or prison sentences for all gun charges, covering first-time misdemeanants to repeat felons. Prosecutors were notified of the change on Monday. The policy follows the killing of Laney College football coach John Beam by a suspected gunman who legally owned the weapon and brought it onto campus. The office will seek a 90-day jail term for misdemeanor gun cases, 180 days for felony possession, and 16 months for people with prior felony convictions found with guns. The DA also pledged to pursue mandatory time for possession of unregistered 'ghost' guns. The policy reverses prior guidance favoring probation and lower-end sentences.

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