About the NCPCs
The Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs), also known simply as Neighborhood Councils (NCs), were created in 1996 as an
integral part of Oakland's approach to community policing, as mandated in City Resolution 72727. There are 51 NCPCs in Oakland -- one
per police beat -- composed entirely of volunteers who live, work, or worship in that neighborhood and meet at least quarterly to discuss
and act on neighborhood issues. The overriding purpose of the NCPCs, as one staff report noted, "is to act as liaison and work with
community residents, organizations, police officers and city officials together to identify and resolve problems in communities."
To accomplish this, each NCPCs is assigned a Neighborhood Services Coordinator (NSC) whose job is to identify problems in a neighborhood,
help organize its residents, and connect citizens to the appropriate City and County services. NSCs report to the Neighborhood Services Manager and are non-sworn personnel of the Police Department.
Most NCPCs also have their own Problem Solving Officer (PSO), a police officer who works closely with the community of just one police beat to resolve their crime issues and is
not assigned to citywide patrol.
The NCPC system, as well as the city's approach to community policing generally, is overseen by the Community Policing Advisory Board
(CPAB), whose 15 members are appointed by the Mayor, the City Council, the School District, the Housing Authority, and the Home Alert
Steering Committee.
About the UNCO - Educate, Coordinate, & Advocate
The United Neighborhood Councils of Oakland (UNCO) was founded in 2008 in response to the dearth of public information on the NC/NCPC system and the lack of formal communication
between NCPCs. As organized under its by-laws, UNCO is a forum for communication among all Neighborhood Councils in the City of Oakland, California:
A. To promote coordination of effort and advocacy on issues of concern on behalf of the citizens of Oakland;
B. To provide assistance, support, and resources to all Neighborhood Councils, including the exchange of best practices; and
C. To facilitate and promote the full implementation of Community Policing as delineated in City Council of Oakland Resolution 79235 CMS.
UNCO is a not-for-profit association and is in no way affiliated with the police department, Neighborhood Services Program, CPAB, or the City of Oakland.
Resources
- Resolution 79235 (2005), amending Resolution 72727 which established community policing in Oakland
- Overview of the NCPC system by the Neighborhood Services Program
- CPAB website
- Neighborhood Services Manager: Claudia Albano - 510.238.6372; calbano
oaklandnet.com
- Bylaws of the UNCO - Adopted December 2008
