Governor Sends 120 CHP Officers to Oakland

<p><strong>OAKLAND<&sol;strong> — Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he is increasing state law enforcement personnel in Oakland and the East Bay — temporarily deploying California Highway Patrol &lpar;CHP&rpar; officers&comma; including specialized units&comma; and advanced investigative technology to crack down on crime and improve public safety&period; As part of the announcement&comma; the CHP will begin a law enforcement surge operation in Oakland and the East Bay — deploying 120 officers who will work in partnership with local law enforcement agencies on a targeted crackdown on criminal activity&comma; including vehicle theft&comma; retail theft&comma; and violent crime&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Governor Newsom said&colon; <&sol;strong>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;As crime rates across California decrease — including right across the Bay in San Francisco — Oakland is seeing the opposite trend&period; What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable&period; I’m sending the California Highway Patrol to assist local efforts to restore a sense of safety that the hardworking people of Oakland and the East Bay demand and deserve&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The surge of crime and violence that we are seeing in our streets is completely unacceptable&comma;”<strong> said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao<&sol;strong>&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The City of Oakland is hard at work turning the tide — increasing law enforcement investigations&comma; increasing police recruitment&comma; and investing in community and violence intervention efforts&period; As we work to improve public safety&comma; I’m grateful for Governor Newsom for providing these critical law enforcement resources that are a game-changer in helping us hold more criminals accountable and make Oakland safer&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>LAW ENFORCEMENT SURGE&colon;<u><&sol;u><&sol;strong><br &sol;>&NewLine;The CHP’s surge operation is focused on a multi-pronged approach&colon; targeting auto theft&comma; cargo theft&comma; retail crime&comma; violent crime&comma; and high-visibility traffic enforcement&period; As part of this operation&comma; the CHP will deploy license plate reader technology that will help identify and recover stolen vehicles&comma; as well as specialized CHP units — including K9s and air support&period; This enhanced law enforcement presence will represent a nearly 900&percnt; increase in CHP personnel in Oakland and within Alameda County&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"entry-content">&NewLine;<p>The focused operation will not impact the service levels of the surrounding area according to Governor&&num;8217&semi;s office&period; The length of the operation will be determined in consultation with local law enforcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;