Violence in Oakland forces residents to seek private security

By John Blackstone 

(CBS News) OAKLAND, Calif. - There has been 61 murders so far in Oakland, California. And with crime on the rise, some neighbors are taking extraordinary steps.  Gunfire has become so common on the streets of Oakland, California -- that even in neighborhoods that once seemed immune to the city's violence, residents are no longer shocked.

Jan Hetherington has lived for 14 years in the Oakland, California neighborhood of Maxwell Park. Yet she acknowledged she has to bring in private security to feel safe.  "It's like, 'Oh, another shooting,'" said Jan Hetherington, who has lived for 14 years in the Oakland neighborhood of Maxwell Park. It's a place with glorious views across San Francisco Bay, neat houses and friendly neighbors.   "This is the most wonderful neighborhood I've ever lived in," she said. Yet she acknowledged she has to bring in private security to feel safe.   With budget cuts forcing Oakland to trim its police force by a third, residents decided to pay themselves for private security patrols, which is understandable when you hear this from Hetherington.  "A car came down the street, three guys got out with a gun. There was a gun battle three blocks over. And I did hear actually a bullet went through somebody's house." ...To Read More.....