Apr 16, 2008 12:39 pm US/Pacific
Oakland Hiring Armed Guards To Protect Merchants
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP) ―
The city of Oakland is poised to hire armed guards to patrol high-crime neighborhoods as an aid to merchants who cannot afford to hire their own security.
The Oakland City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the hiring of the guards to provide foot patrols in East Oakland retail districts on foot.
Oakland officials said the city would spend $210,000 on a pilot program that includes hiring four guards for one year as the police department wrestles with an officer shortage.
The money also would go toward training merchants to improve their safety with better lighting and security cameras.
The news comes after several recent armed robberies at Oakland restaurants.
Police said in the latest of three robberies, four men took the cash and valuables of about a dozen customers and employees of the Milano Restaurant Sunday night.
No one was injured, but police say one of the robbers put a gun to the head of one of customers.
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $7,500 in reward money in each restaurant robbery. Anyone with information on any of these restaurant robberies are asked to call Crime Stoppers at (510) 777-3211
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
