Building community and making our neighborhood safer

We will work with the patrol company to ensure we have the right person that fits our neighborhood. Over a period of time, that individual will get to know every resident, their domestic help, delivery persons and even the dogs and cats.

What the patrol person would do depends on the exact situation, of course.

For instance, if the guard sees someone driving very slowly or walking along in a manner that is a bit suspicious, the guard will approach in a friendly, non-threatening way and ask if the person needs directions or other help.

We would have a particular person designated for our area. So, he would get to know residents, visitors, and regular workers and would be able to understand what is usual and what is not for our area.

In a more threatening situation, the guard would ask the person to leave. If that person refuses, our guard would call the CPO for our area. The CPO is an OPD employee who liaises between a patrol area residents (ours is 13Y) and the patrol officer on duty. The CPO would be able to help get a response more quickly than one of us would.

We have chosen to employ a guard that will not carry a weapon (gun, baton, or even mace). Most patrol companies do have guards who carry weapons, but we decided that ours will not.

In addition to meeting the training requirements required to receive the Level 2 California Guard Certification, we would expect the patrolling company to run us through various scenarios, so they tailor their service to meet our needs.

We can all recognize that not every situation can be covered ahead of time, but these conversations will ensure the guard understands the approach our community desires.

We can continue to fine-tune the service as we all gain more experience in having a patrol. We have been actively talking to other neighborhood associations to learn from their experiences and incorporate those lessons into the selection process as well while we deploy these guards.

We are looking to hire a patrol officer that has passed stringent background checks.

In addition, the guards need to have received a Level 2 California guard certification. To be certified, a guard requires 40 hours of classroom training initially, and 40 hours every two years.

Guard cards are issued and regulated by California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). Click here to learn more about these laws and regulation here.

Part of the Guard Card training is “Powers to Arrest”. These are security guards, not police. Their power to arrest is the same as yours or mine – to make a citizen’s arrest. The main difference being is that they have completed training that includes many scenarios and understand what they can and cannot do.

We plan to interview several patrolling services that serve our area. After developing a long list of evaluation criteria, we have begun interviewing the patrolling service companies.

We are looking to hire a company that not only meets this criteria, but a guard that is a good fit for our community.

Oakland has fewer than half the police officers recommended by the FBI for a city of our size and crime rate.

Oakland has the budget for more officers and has been trying to hire them for few years. Instead, Oakland has lost 70 officers since 2016, that is, 10% of its force.

Cameras have proven ineffective as a deterrent. They are used mostly to identify who committed the crime, after it is committed.

Experienced criminals use stolen license plates and wear masks to avoid being caught.

One of our subscribers installed a $5,000 camera system at her home. Within two months of installing the system, two cars were stolen and a third was burgled. All of these happened in direct view of the camera. The criminals were never caught

Here are some of the crimes that have happened:

• There were two armed home invasions
• Most recently there was a pistol-whipping incident on close by
• There were 55 Crimes reported in our area
• Oakland is the 3rd most violent city in the US
• Oakland is twice as violent as San Francisco 
• OPD is severely understaffed 
• A single patrol car covers the neighborhoods of Hiller Highlands, Montclair and more

During the recent armed home invasion on Grand View at 7:38 AM, the resident was home and had her burglar alarm in Stay mode. That was what alerted her to the criminals’ entry. Fortunately, she was able to get away, barricade herself in her bedroom, and call 911.

With the explosion of burglar alarm usage, OPD receives thousands of calls a month, and as a result, they are more likely to respond when people call as opposed to an alarm going off.

Patrolling service companies have told us that OPD tends to respond faster when they call as they have built relationships with OPD and built credibility with them.

No one thinks they will be the victim of a crime until they are.

People get attached when they are least expecting it, such as when you are driving into your driveway, or when you are checking the mail or while you are walking.

No house is perfectly safe. We need to harden our defenses and be aware. Many crimes, including the recent home invasion, have caught criminals on camera. Cameras do not deter criminals.

The patrol’s main effect is as a deterrent.  

Most criminals case an area before deciding to act.  A patrol car will stop crime before it starts.

The patrol also has many other benefits, including an actual response in case your burglar alarm goes off.  The patrol officer will go to your home and check on it.  If a crime is in progress, he will call our CPO, who can directly call OPD’s patrol car for our 13Y district

Several Oakland neighborhoods that employed patrolling services have seen a reduction in crime. And one neighborhood has had only one break-in in 7 years.

• Consider switching from your current alarm monitoring provider, such as Bay Alarm/ADT, which cost $40 – $50 per month to Alarm Relay which is $12 per month
• Consider that if you do experience a crime, in addition to the cost of replacing your lost items, repairing broken windows, etc., your home owner’s insurance premium could more than double. One of our subscriber’s insurance premium went from $4,000 per year to $9,000 after he reported two iPads stolen from his car in front of his home.

$75 per house, $50 per condo, ($30 per condo if entire HOA joins)