First, Oakland hired 19 civilian employees to organize residents into crime-prevention councils and neighborhood alert groups. The councils convene regularly and bring together the police, city personnel, and community activists to discuss matters of mutual concern. This citizen involvement breaks down the walls that separate neighbors from each other and from the police. Unless a thoughtful effort is made to involve people in defending their own neighborhoods, the underground economy of crime and violence inevitably takes over. City staff alone cannot do the job.
Safe neighborhoods require a partnership based on citizen activism and neighborhood dialogue.
Second, for the first time ever, Oakland has started compiling and disseminating crime data on a daily basis. Using a geographical information system, the police department makes crime statistics available to all its personnel and to the public. Through Internet crime maps that are updated daily, trends are spotted quickly and action is promptly taken. Crime is not general but occurs at precise locations and often in patterns that can be quickly identified. Third, the Oakland Police Department provides extensive and continuing training to all its officers.