Chip Johnson hits nail on the head

As Chip Johnson notes today in his column, Oakland mayor Dellums finally addressed Oakland's huge crime problem last night by saying he will finally hire up 70 additional cops to bring Oakland's force up to the 803 total cops previously promised to us by Oakland City Councilmembers as part of the 2004 "Measure Y" tax on homeowners.

"The only way a politician could get any softer on crime would be to hold a party in honor of convicted felons and pass out manuals on how to beat the criminal justice system."

For at least three years now, OPD has been understaffed by 400 or so policemen. No wonder the criminals are out in force--there is no check on them! It is like having a rodent problem in your neighborhood and not enough cats around.

Oakland currently has only 700-something police, but needs at least 1,100 police to match what other cities of similar size and history possess: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago.