13 arrests during increased CHP operation in Oakland

Photo: California Highway Patrol

(KRON) – Authorities made more than a dozen arrests in the first wave of operations in Oakland since California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the expansion of the California Highway Patrol’s presence within the city, the CHP announced Wednesday.

During Saturday’s task force, planes and helicopters from the CHP’s Golden Gate Division assisted officers on the ground in cracking down on illegal carnivals. Each plane was in action for four hours, the CHP said. During that time, the air teams assisted in seven chases that resulted in 13 arrests and the recovery of eight stolen vehicles and two firearms.

“The rise in crime will not be tolerated,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a written statement, “and we are taking swift and decisive action to combat it.”

On July 11, Governor Newsom announced increased state law enforcement operations in Oakland. “Building on our partnership with local law enforcement, I will deploy a new group of CHP officers to provide the people of Oakland and the East Bay with the safety and security they deserve,” Newsom said at the time.

The expanded operation, which builds on the initial strengthening of the presence that began in February, calls for a quadrupling of the number of CHP officers’ shifts and an expansion of emergency operations over the next four months.

“I want to be clear: If you commit a crime, we will find you, arrest you and make sure you are held accountable,” Duryee added.