Oakland police say 4 killed in separate shootings

The police department has 612 officers, down from more than 800 in 2009 and far short of the 925 recommended by the city's strategic plan, Councilwoman Libby Schaaf said.

Proposals for creating a new police academy, contracting for supplemental policing from the county sheriff and enlarging the ranks of civilian Police Department employees could all come before the council this month, she said.

"Basic public safety resources are not in place," she said. "I know we can responsibly afford new investments in public safety."

Violent crime in Oakland rose 23 percent in 2012, prompting the city to announce last month the hiring of former New York City police commissioner and Los Angeles police chief Bill Bratton as a consultant on how to reduce crime and combat gang violence.

Bratton will be joined by noted police strategist Bob Wasserman, head of the Boston-based Strategic Policy Partnership, who has consulted many of the nation's biggest cities on policing.

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Information from: The Oakland Tribune, http://www.oaklandtribune.com