In two weeks, a special California Highway Patrol operation targeting cities with troubling crime levels led to 64 people being arrested in San Bernardino, including suspects in a stabbing and a home invasion, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
Newsom announced the arrests in a statement saying the Southern California city has a violent crime rate nearly double the statewide average and a homicide rate more than three times the state average. There has been an increase in CHP enforcement in the city, mirroring efforts in Oakland, San Francisco and Bakersfield, the governor’s office said, describing those cities as “local hotspots” targeted by state efforts to tackle crime – especially gangs. related violence and organized shoplifting.
In addition to the dozens of arrests, CHP officers in San Bernardino also recovered 11 stolen vehicles and seized five illegal weapons, authorities said.
“The operation places additional CHP personnel in the city to help combat property theft and violent crime, including gun violence,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “The CHP operation adds dedicated law enforcement units on the ground and in the air – targeting side activities and stolen vehicles.”
Those arrested so far include a person suspected of a stabbing, a suspect in a home invasion and a person who authorities say was taken into custody for allegedly being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and multiple illegal extended weapons. magazines.
Details about the dozens of other people arrested and their cases were not disclosed in the statement from Newsom’s office.
Nieuwsom announced the CHP operation in San Bernardino last month.
“We are sending additional CHP support to help local law enforcement aggressively suppress criminal activity and provide this community with a new level of safety and accountability,” Newsom said in a statement. “Whether in the Bay Area, the Central Valley or Southern California – we are monitoring and ready to intervene and support local law enforcement to protect communities and keep Californians safe.”
