 Homicides declined further in 2017 to 72, the second lowest number of homicides since 1985, as did the number of shootings.Oakland's police force has dropped to 747 officers, down from more than 800 in 2009.It is below the 925 recommended by the city's strategic plan, and far below the approximately 1,200 recommended by an independent study commissioned by the city in the mid-1990s.