Oakland has recorded 41 homicides so far in 2026, putting the city on track for its fewest killings in nearly 60 years, Police Chief James Beere said at a Thursday news conference. That is a sharp drop from the 126 homicides recorded in 2023, CBS San Francisco reported, and it continues a broader decline in major crime categories.

Compared with the same period last year, Oakland police say aggravated assaults are down 11%, while robberies and burglaries have each declined 26%. Homicides are down 25%, according to the figures Beere shared with CBS. NBC Bay Area reported the chief also said more work is needed on larceny and robberies involving weapons.

How Oakland compares

CBS noted that San Francisco and San Jose have recorded a combined 42 homicides so far this year — just one more than Oakland's 41 — based on figures from SFPD and SJPD. For a city long associated with high violence rates, Beere framed the trend as progress worth recognizing even as residents' sense of safety lags behind the numbers.

"I want to acknowledge something that's very important. For those of us who have been victims of crime, these statistics may not reflect how you feel and how safe you feel," Beere said, according to NBC. "We understand that and we take these concerns very seriously. At the same time, many of our residents have told us that they feel much safer."

Ceasefire, staffing and technology

Beere credited the reductions in part to the department's Ceasefire strategy, which focuses on preventing violence, and to stronger partnerships with community members. "The big things that have gotten us to where we are right now are our Ceasefire strategy, our partnership with the community," he told CBS. "I haven't seen the partnership that we've had with our community working towards a common goal to reduce crime that I've seen in the last 18 months."

Those gains come while the department is operating with 601 officers, its lowest staffing level in years, CBS reported. NBC said Beere pointed to a recent audit that found the department needs at least 877 officers to maintain its current level of service. He also cited help from allied agencies and technology, including automated license plate readers, which he said have contributed to a significant reduction in robberies since they were introduced.

Perception still trails the data

Business owners and residents told CBS that conditions are improving but that foot traffic remains light in many commercial districts. Nigel Jones, owner of the Oakland restaurant Calabash, said public safety is partly psychological: "People should feel safer, but it's also psychological." Howard Feight, who lived in Oakland about 25 years before moving to Berkeley, said he still stays alert when he returns and has had a vehicle stolen multiple times while living in the city.

City leaders say declining crime is encouraging but that continued work is needed to restore confidence. Related East Bay public-safety coverage includes the Lake Merritt stroller attacks near Grand Avenue and Harrison Street and the Broadway AC Transit detours for Saturday's Black Panther Party Boulevard ribbon-cutting.