Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said he plans to double the number of California Highway Patrol officers deployed in the joint operation cracking down on the fentanyl crisis in San Francisco.
At the start of the joint operation with local law enforcement, including San Francisco police and the sheriff's office, seven to 10 CHP officers were dedicated to the operation in May. Now, those numbers will be 14 to 20.
Newsom has been pleased with the success of the operation, touting the amount of drugs, guns and stolen goods seized. More than 115 people have been arrested since the operation began.
"CHP’s recent results in San Francisco are nothing short of extraordinary — in just six weeks, the agency’s hardworking officers seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill the city nearly three times over, multiple firearms, and stolen goods," Newsom said in a statement. "Today, I’m authorizing a 100% increase in personnel to bolster the impact of this proven operation, as well as authorizing targeted surges to crack down on crime in the city. Working alongside our local, state, and federal partners, we’re committed to cleaning up San Francisco’s streets."
Mayor London Breed and police Chief Bill Scott also praised the success of the operation and welcomed the aid from state agencies.
“I'm grateful because what the governor has discovered with the data from just even a month's time, it’s making a significant impact in terms of the amount of drugs they have been able to confiscate, the weapons, the people who have had warrants,” said Breed.
A news release from Newsom's office indicated some of the additional CHP officers will come from the latest academy graduating class and some will come from the Golden Gate division. The number of officers from each was not specified.
In addition to more CHP officers, Newsom directed the California National Guard (CalGuard) to increase staffing in San Francisco to help the city with strategic analysis and technical support to law enforcement in shutting down drug trafficking operations.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey appreciates the help.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“San Francisco is facing a real problem. We have a drug overdose crisis that represents a loss of life that we haven’t seen in this city since the AIDS crisis. We’re losing two people per day to drug overdoses,” he said.
Critics have argued the crackdown is nothing more than an un-effective war on drugs that will do little to solve the problem long-term.
