Newsom deploys CHP to fight violence in San Bernardino

The California Highway Patrol is cracking down on thefts, shootings and more in San Bernardino, a city with a violent crime rate roughly double the state average.

Operation Augmented CHP will increase the number of law enforcement units on the ground and in the air to help the San Bernardino Police Department deal with incidents involving stolen vehicles, phantom guns and street gangs, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday in announcing the launch the program. The partnership aims to strengthen public safety in one of California’s most crime-ridden cities.

San Bernardino had a violent crime rate of 1,059 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2023, roughly double the California average of 511 crimes per 100,000 residents, according to San Bernardino Police Department, US Census and state administration of justice.

The city’s homicide rate is estimated to be 16.2 per 100,000 residents in 2023, three times the California average of 4.8 per 100,000 residents.

And while these numbers are dire, they mark a marked improvement over 2022.

Without the CHP, San Bernardino is already in a year-over-year decline in violent crime and homicides, which are down 11 percent and 50 percent, respectively, in 2023, according to the data. SBPD data. Still, city officials say they welcome the increased enforcement, and CHP Commissioner Sean Dury said the partnership will strengthen ongoing efforts to improve public safety.

“This collaboration allows us to share resources, intelligence and expertise, increasing our ability to reduce crime and create a safer environment for all members of the community,” Dury said in a statement. There is no word on the number of CHP officers who will be deployed to San Bernardino.

Newsom has already launched cogeneration upgrade operations in several other crime hotspots, including Oakland, San Francisco and Bakersfield. In total, these operations led to the arrests of more than 3,200 people, the recovery of nearly 3,000 stolen vehicles and the seizure of more than 170 illegal firearms.

In San Bernardino, the operation will help combat ghost guns, illegal firearms that do not have serial numbers and are difficult for law enforcement to link to criminals or owners.

More than 4,700 ghost guns were confiscated in San Bernardino County last year, more than any other county in California except Los Angeles.

San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran said she is grateful to the CHP for its support in helping the city continue to reduce crime and apprehend criminal organizations that target neighborhoods and businesses.