Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced Wednesday that he’s sending California Freeway Patrol officers to Bakersfield, an enlargement of a legislation enforcement marketing campaign launched earlier this 12 months with an effort to tamp down crime in hard-hit California cities.
Kern County, house to Bakersfield, has greater charges of violent and property crime and extra arrests in comparison with the statewide common, crime statistics present. The CHP officers will deal with lowering automobile theft, retail crime and bolstering site visitors enforcement, which have been urgent points within the area previously a number of years, officers say.
“We’re working hand-in-hand with our native legislation enforcement companions to extend police operations, cease crime and maintain the Central Valley protected,” Newsom stated in an announcement Wednesday. “This partnership builds on our statewide efforts to take down legal networks, cease harmful people, and make our communities safer for all Californians.”
Information of the expanded program comes on the heels of a comparable effort in Oakland this 12 months. In February, Newsom despatched 120 Freeway Patrol officers to the Bay Space metropolis to sort out an uptick in violent crime and theft.
Rising crime in recent times has been a supply of intense political strain for Democrats in California and has bolstered criticism of the state’s legal justice insurance policies. A Public Coverage Institute of California ballot launched in February listed crime as among the many prime points that Californians need the Legislature and governor to handle this 12 months.
In Bakersfield, probably the most populous metropolis within the county, murder charges climbed 36% between 2020 and 2021, reaching a top of 60 murders in 2021. The quantity dropped to 37 in 2023, however homicides within the metropolis remained about 50% greater than they have been a decade in the past, based on statewide crime knowledge.
Automotive thefts have climbed practically 67% between 2019 and 2022. Business robberies have additionally been on the rise previously decade, statistics present.
It’s not clear what number of CHP officers will likely be despatched to Bakersfield. The quantity will rely upon the necessity from native police businesses, aiding on something from day-to-day enforcement to bigger coordinated operations, based on the governor’s workplace.
State officers have applauded this system’s ends in the Bay Space. There California Freeway Patrol officers have arrested 168 suspects linked to gangs, organized crime and carjacking rings. They recovered 360 stolen automobiles and seized 16 firearms linked to crimes, Newsom stated final month.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao known as this system a “robust partnership” and “an instance of fine authorities at work.”
The enhance in legislation enforcement personnel comes amid different crime-reduction efforts underway within the Central Valley.
This month the town of Bakersfield gave a $50,000 grant to the Downtown Enterprise Assn. to fund a six-month contract for personal safety within the downtown space to fight theft, vandalism and break-ins.
“Safety is tremendous essential,” Alan Alvarez, vice chair of the Downtown Enterprise Assn., advised KERO-TV this month. “We wish individuals to return downtown and really feel a way of safety, and never have to fret about some points that we’ve skilled.”
In late 2023, the state gave the Bakersfield Police Division $6.2 million to forestall and reply to organized retail, automobile and cargo theft. The town’s police chief stated on the time that the cash would go towards staffing, gear and coaching for the division’s investigative unit that makes a speciality of retail theft.
“Public security stays a prime precedence for Bakersfield residents. This partnership underscores our dedication to making sure the protection and safety of our residents,” Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh stated in a ready assertion. “By combining sources and experience, we’re enhancing legislation enforcement capabilities and making a protected neighborhood.”
