Insult to injury Civil grand jury examines Oaklands ticketing of stolen vehicles

Oakland's civil grand jury found that the city issued hundreds of parking tickets to abandoned vehicles reported stolen, exacerbating the difficulties for victims of theft. In fiscal year 2023-24, the Oakland Department of Transportation generated $14. 2 million in parking fines, raising ethical concerns about ticketing stolen vehicles. In 2024, 9,400 vehicles were reported stolen in Oakland, with 1,559 of them ticketed at least once, resulting in 2,703 dismissed tickets. Victims can contest tickets with a police report, but this process adds unnecessary complexity and costs the city to process dismissals.

The report suggested that Oakland could benefit from a system similar to San Francisco's, which prevents ticketing of stolen vehicles through real-time database integration. Implementing such a system could save the city time and money while aiding victims. The Oakland City Council and mayor are required to respond to the civil grand jury's findings by September 24. This situation highlights the need for improved enforcement practices to avoid penalizing crime victims.