Oakland Rehires 22 Laid Off Officers

OAKLAND (CBS/AP) -- About two dozen additional police officers are back on the beat in Oakland, just as the city's embattled department is facing a spike in violent crime.

More than half of the officers rehired by the city will be patrolling as of this weekend, a turn welcomed by business owners in one of the nation's most crime-ridden cities.

The city laid off 80 officers -- nearly 10 percent of its police force -- last year after city leaders and the police union failed to reach an agreement over job security.

The department has been able to boost its ranks thanks in part to staff attrition as well as funding from the City Council authorizing 22 new hires.

The city has experienced 71 homicides so far this year -- 19 more than at the same time last year.

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