Oakland police chief says department stretched too thin by defunding effort

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong on Monday lamented city officials’ recent decision to redirect roughly $18 million in proposed police spending over two years, which Armstrong argued will hamstring a police force that is already stretched too thin.

In a briefing, Armstrong made the case that the change in funding, and reduced ability to hire new officers as a result, would prevent Oakland police from adequately completing even day-to-day tasks like traffic enforcement and responding to emergency calls.