Opd

[COASTIE01]

Questions on Oakland. Is the response area required throughout your entire career? Is there two officers per car on patrol? Hows the Dept? Is it pretty easy to get into specialties? How is the hiring process?

[sgttom]

Questions on Oakland.

Is the response area required throughout your entire career?

? if you're refering to living within the prescribed response area, it's supposed to be throughout your career HOWEVER most live within the area for the first few years and move out after...

Is there two officers per car on patrol?

single person units


Hows the Dept?

department is good, like most large cities, plays to politics at times.


Is it pretty easy to get into specialties?

from what i've heard, yes.


How is the hiring process?

pretty quick actually.

[18C3V]

I got some army buddies in OPD and it's pretty much what sgttom said.

[deputy x 2]

Hey COASTIE
Here are some insights re: OPD

Oakland's Streets Turn Into Killing Zone

POSTED: 2:52 pm PDT April 19, 2006

OAKLAND -- Oakland has seen three murders in three days, bringing the city's total homicides for 2006 to 44, more than two times as many murders at this time as last year's 19 homicides.

The most recent victim died at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday from injuries sustained when he was shot more than once by someone who approached his car around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Police discovered the man had been shot after pulling him over on the 3400 block of 35th Avenue for driving erratically. Officers believe a man walked up to the victim while he was in his car in the 1200 block of 38th Avenue and opened fire.

The victim's was not being released pending notification of next of kin, according to Oakland police Sgt. Blair Alexander.

Earlier on Tuesday, 19-year-old Oakland man Brannon Hendricks was shot while in the 1400 block of 31st Avenue at 1:55 a.m., according to Alexander.

Hendricks was transported to Alameda County Hospital but according to police reports died from a gunshot wound later Tuesday morning.

Just over 24 hours earlier, at 1:49 a.m. Monday, Oakland resident Ronald Hall, 18, was fatally shot in the head while in the 200 block of Webster Street, near Jack London Square, according to Alexander.

A second man was shot in the chest and is in critical condition recuperating from his injuries, according to police.

Alexander said investigations into each shooting are ongoing.

Police have "no overall theory" to explain the increase in deadly violence in the city in recent months, he said.

Oakland police are asking the public to come forward with any information they may have about the shootings by calling the department's homicide investigators at (510) 238-3821.

[23queen5]

I'm not a cop yet (im only 18 and still in college) but i lived in oakland for years.

Its a great place, great town, but people here are super liberal and some HATE the police. Admittedly, they're hiring like crazy. The crime rate is over the top though. And at times you may not get backup. Not because the beat officers are bad, but because everyone is always super super busy.

One time outside my house I saw a single officer do a felony car stop on what I guess must've been a 10851. I stood in my bedroom watching in amazement as he single-handedly took 4 guys into custody. After about 10 minutes one more officer arrived onscene, no supervisor, no nothing.

Also another time, my dad called 911 about 2 male blacks smoking drugs in a vacant yard next to my house. It took over an hour for anyone to come (because there's SO many calls) and when a guy did come he didn't have any backup and didn't want to risk moving in. So they just stayed there all night, smoking their crack.

To be fair, I live in the hills (a place infamous for zero police coverage) so the guy got there as quick as they could (plus it was a code1 suspicious circ). By "zero coverage" i mean that we only recently got one beat officer for 40 hours a week. All other times, they bring in guys from off-beat to answer calls.

[BearCrawl]

You're story about the OPD officer not getting quick cover is truly the exception. For a city with an incredible amount of action, their cover and and officer safety practices are outstanding. Agencies like Richmond, Oakland, Vallejo, and Hayward are well-known for this. But all agencies get busy.