Oakland Chief Raps Press Coverage,
Seeks Better Ties With Local Media

OAKLAND -- Oakland Police Chief Richard L. Word said today that local media coverage of his department needs better balance. During a discussion with journalists at KTVU television station here, Chief Word denounced continual press attention on the city's homicides and the ongoing "Riders" trial of former city police accused of abusive arrests and kidnappings.

"It tears me apart to always read the homicide stories," said Chief Word. The stories, he said, portray the department as out of control and unable to curb or solve violent crimes. Instead, he wants to get the message out to the community that the police department is committed to working with Oakland residents to solve the city's problems.

Chief Word also took issue with the way homicides are reported in Oakland. "(The media) track our homicides like a damn baseball box score," he said. The public has no idea what San Francisco's homicide rate is because the media doesn't keep a running tally, he said. There have been 81 homicides in Oakland this year and 54 in San Francisco.

But KTVU news producer Roland DeWolk countered that the news media's job is to document things that go wrong. A plane's successful take-off isn't news, a drunk pilot is, he said. The citizenry expect the police to do good work, and it isn't news when the police do, he added.

Chief Word said he hoped the department would maintain openness with the local media, no matter how bad the news gets. Although the department employs a public information officer, any officer is free to speak to the press. But Chief Word said that many line officers "fear the camera" because their statements might lead to a disciplinary action or a departmental investigation.

Michael Collier, San Francisco Chronicle East Bay bureau chief, said that Oakland's homicide rate is news and his paper is giving the murders the coverage they deserve. But he added that after a mistake earlier this year the Chronicle is, "bending over backwards to not give the box score approach to crime reporting."

Mark Oliver, Oakland Tribune regional editor, said that the emphasis on reporting the high number of homicides and a rise in crime may be used to focus the community's attention on these issues.

"The emphasis on the number again points to the fact that there is a problem," said Oliver. "By focusing on the problem, it's one way of getting it fixed."

Oakland police officers receive media training every two or three years. Chief Word said he plans to increase the frequency of the training in a department where 60 percent of the officers have been on the force four years or fewer. The journalists also suggested that the department add media training to the police academy curriculum.

Chief Word said that while he believes the coverage of the "Riders" case has been fair and balanced it has also been painful. "God knows it hurts," he said.

The "Riders" case involves four Oakland police officers who allegedly falsified police reports, beat suspects and planted evidence. Chief Word said that any officer convicted of such offenses should go to jail. He also admitted that most of the Riders' alleged illegal activities could have been prevented if supervising sergeants had been more aggressive in their oversight duties.

Asked for an explanation for the increasing number of homicides in Oakland, Chief Word said that homicides are tied to "negative street behaviors" such as drug dealing, prostitution, loitering and public drinking. By concentrating beat officers in so-called "hot spots" for such activity, the police can reduce crime, he said.

If the voters approve a tax increase this November to pay for the hiring of 100 new officers, Chief Word said that 30 of them would be assigned to foot patrol.