Traffic, Pedestrian Stops by Oakland Police Down by 75 Percent from Three Years Ago

Oakland police stops — which include both traffic stops of drivers and questioning of pedestrians on the street — have plunged about 75 percent over the past three years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

In 2009 Oakland police officers made more than 68,000 stops, while 2012 will likely see fewer than 16,000, according to the Chronicle article.

Fewer officers on the street are one reason for the decrease, but policies that require a written report on each stop — including the race and gender of each person stopped — have contributed to the decrease, the report says.

Arrests have also declined, by 44 percent over a three-year period, while major crimes have increased by 23 percent over last year, the article says.

Criminal justice experts say police stops play a major role in prevention as well as solving crimes.

You may read the complete article here.