( KRON ) — The California Highway Patrol surge operation in Oakland, which started in February 2024 before increasing officer shifts in July, will be extended for an additional month into the new year, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday. Collaborative efforts are also expanding in Vallejo, where CHP officers are directed to reinforce local law enforcement.
The announcement touted the CHP’s latest highlights in Oakland, including the arrests of two freeway shooting suspects in November. The arrests were aided by the deployment of 480 Flock license plate reader cameras across Oakland and the greater East Bay area, according to the governor’s office.
“The cameras have aided law enforcement in dozens of investigations,” the governor’s office said.
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Despite the installation of hundreds of cameras and the nearly yearlong CHP surge operation, which Newsom said has improved the city’s crime rates and reporting, “challenges persist due to ineffective local policies,” a statement from his office read. “Particularly extreme local policies that limit law enforcement’s ability to pursue suspected felons.”