NBC Sports Crew Robbed While on Assignment in Oakland

An NBC Sports news crew was robbed while on assignment in Oakland on Saturday, the incident marks the third time a news crew has been robbed in the city in less than three weeks.

The criminals in this particular case made off with a camera from the news crew’s vehicle, according to the Mercury News. No one was injured during the robbery.

According to the Hill, “Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) said two weeks ago that her office was drafting a proposal to place before the City Council to increase active police presence and require a larger police force. Schaaf also wants to establish a new police academy class.”

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf speaks during the 2016 Cannabis Business Summit & Expo on June 22, 2016 in Oakland, Schaaf delivered the closing address on the final day of the three-day long Cannabis Business Summit & Expo. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Schaaf defined the issue as one of “gun violence.”

“We in Oakland believe in a comprehensive and effective approach to ending gun violence,” Schaaf said earlier this month.

However, Schaaf didn’t always believe in a “comprehensive” approach. Under her leadership, Oakland’s police force fell to 677 officers, the smallest the department has been in recent years. That number of officers in the Oakland Police Department has fallen despite a five percent increase in violent crime from 2019 to 2020.

OAKLAND, CA – MAY 09: Acting Oakland police chief Anthony Toribio looks on during a news conference at Oakland police headquarters on May 9, 2013 in Oakland, California. A day after Oakland police chief Howard Jordan abruptly resigned citing medical reasons, a report by the Bratton Group that was commissioned by the City of Oakland revealed problems in the department in several key areas. The report comes days after the FBI reported that Oakland has the highest robbery rate in the country with an average of 12 robberies occuring every day. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The recent rash of media-related robberies began when a security guard for KRON-TV was shot and killed during an attempted robbery. Following that, a photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle was robbed at gunpoint on December 3.

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