Shelter at Home Caused Immediate Crime Drop in Oakland
The March 16 Shelter at Home order in Alameda County caused an immediate decrease in crime in Oakland, especially in residential burglaries, according to study of daily crime statistics in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland by the Public Policy Institute of California. (Read report here). The Piedmont crime blotter appears to show a similar decrease.
“Comparing the average weekly number of reported crimes in February to the number reported for the last week in March shows an overall drop from about 6,150 to 3,620—a decrease of 41%. Declines have been particularly large in the two Bay Area cities: about 69% in Oakland and around 55% in San Francisco.
Overall reports of violent crime dropped from a weekly average of about 1,880 in February to about 1,360 in the last week of March—a 28% decrease. Oakland experienced the most dramatic drop—from about 200 to 70. The number of reported assaults dropped from 1,430 to around 1,100 (22%). The overall decrease in robberies—from about 350 to 260—was driven largely by the Bay Area. … a slight increase in reported commercial burglaries across all four cities suggests that burglars may be shifting from residential to commercial targets now that so many people are at home at all times of day.” Analysis by Public Policy Institute of California
