Bay Area

Oakland Police Allocates More Officers to Combat Gun Violence

Amid the deadliest week this year with eight lives lost, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong deployed additional officers on overtime Sunday to reduce the amount of gun violence. To date, OPD has investigated 96 homicides, compared to 102 lives lost by this same time last year.

Published

3 years ago

October 7, 2022

Oakland Post

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong

By Paul Chambers

In an all-hands-on-deck meeting, Oakland Police Department (OPD) Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong challenged his command staff to bring a different approach to fighting crime, with the goal of an immediate impact on the safety of residents, visitors, and businesses in Oakland.

Amid the deadliest week this year with eight lives lost, Armstrong deployed additional officers on overtime Sunday to reduce the amount of gun violence. To date, OPD has investigated 96 homicides, compared to 102 lives lost by this same time last year.

Although homicides are down slightly over last year, Armstrong added eight officers permanently to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). The increase in staffing will lead to more criminal investigations and a higher number of solved cases, in turn keeping violent offenders from committing additional crimes in our city.

In the coming weeks, OPD will deploy all available resources throughout the city in a coordinated effort to enforce crimes associated with gun violence in Oakland. OPD will also restart the traffic enforcement unit and continue working with our federal and local law enforcement partners to support gun violence enforcement.

OPD has investigated 360 assaults with a firearm this year, compared to 465 incidents this time last year, which is a 23% reduction citywide. This year, officers are also on track to recover an astounding number of firearms. So far, OPD officers have safely taken 1,132 firearms off city streets, compared to 1199 during all of 2021.

OPD will add up to 50 officers with the successful graduation of the 189th and 190th Basic Academies in October and February.

OPD remains focused on proven violent crime prevention strategies such as Ceasefire to also address gun violence. The Department continues to rely on intelligence-led policing with the department’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), and the Violent Crime Operations Center (VCOC), leading focused enforcement and apprehension efforts.

Paul Chambers is the strategic communications manager for the Oakland Police Department.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.