Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Oakland officials on Friday urging them to allow police to engage in more vehicle pursuits, arguing that limitations placed on officers contribute to public safety challenges in the city.
The California Highway Patrol inspired the governor’s letter after the agency “observed criminals getting away with it” during the governor’s campaign to strengthen law enforcement and reduce crime in a city that has historically been one of the most dangerous in the state.
In a policy Newsom described as “atypical,” Oakland only allows police pursuits when a suspect is armed with a gun or involved in a violent crime. The governor noted that unlike other cities, Oakland police cannot pursue people suspected of many felonies or any misdemeanors, such as reckless driving, carnival activities and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“I urge you to reconsider whether OPD should be allowed to pursue suspects in more circumstances to enhance public safety in your city and to establish a process to evaluate whether OPD is making full use of its authority, including that granted under the existing pursuit policy, to protect public safety and enforce the law,” Newsom wrote.
The governor's letter, addressed to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council and the Oakland Police Commission, expressed support for a recent City Council decision to review the policy.
Crime, a major political issue in the 2024 election, has put pressure on Newsom and other elected officials and reinforced criticism of California's criminal justice policies.
Newsom increased police presence in Oakland in February, deploying 120 California Highway Patrol officers to the city as part of a statewide enforcement campaign aimed at combating rising violent crime and theft.
At the time, reports of In-N-Out Burger and other high-profile Oakland businesses closing due to crime had made headlines across the country and raised questions about state policy and the need for criminal justice reform in the Golden State. In his letter, Newsom referenced viral videos and news coverage “regularly witnessed by the public” that show the dangers of allowing criminal acts, such as reckless driving at sideshows, to go unnoticed.
The governor also acknowledged the risks associated with chases, which he said can be “dangerous to police, suspects and innocent bystanders.”
Newsom quadrupled the number of shifts CHP officers conducted in Oakland two weeks ago, aiming to target organized crime, sideshows, vehicle thefts and other criminal activity over the next four months.
In the letter, the governor wrote that the CHP “observed suspects attempting to escape arrest using the same routes, and concluded that they knew where OPD would discontinue a pursuit” because of the pursuit policy. By comparison, the CHP’s pursuit of suspects, with the help of air support, caught suspects in each of the six pursuits that state troopers initiated.
The CHP's increased presence in the East Bay has resulted in the recovery of more than 1,142 stolen cars, the seizure of 55 firearms and the arrest of 562 suspects, according to the governor's office.
