Newsom calls on Oakland to allow more chases to prevent suspects from ‘fleeing with impunity’

On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Oakland authorities urging them to allow police to conduct more chases, arguing that the restrictions placed on officers contributed to public safety challenges in the city.

The California Highway Patrol prompted the governor’s letter after the agency observed “criminals fleeing with impunity.” The governor had campaigned to increase law enforcement and reduce crime in a city that has historically been one of the state’s most dangerous.

Newsom called the rule an “outlier”: In Oakland, chases are only allowed when a suspect is armed with a weapon or is involved in a violent crime. The governor pointed out that unlike other cities, Oakland police cannot pursue people suspected of many crimes or misdemeanors, such as reckless driving, carnival activities or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“I urge you to reconsider whether OPD should be allowed to pursue suspects in more cases to improve public safety in your city and to establish a process to evaluate whether OPD is fully using its authority, including that granted under the existing pursuit policy, to protect public safety and enforce the law,” Newsom wrote.

In his letter to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council and the Oakland Police Commission, the Governor expressed his support for a recent City Council decision to review this policy.

As one of the top political issues in the 2024 election, crime has increased pressure on Newsom and other elected officials and heightened criticism of California’s criminal justice policies.

Newsom increased police presence in Oakland in February by sending 120 California Highway Patrol officers to the city as part of a state law enforcement campaign to combat rising violent crime and theft.

At the time, reports of the closure of In-N-Out Burger and other well-known Oakland businesses due to crime had made national headlines, raising questions about the state’s policies and the need for criminal justice reform in the Golden State. In his letter, Newsom pointed to viral videos and news reports “regularly seen by the public” that show the dangers of allowing criminal acts like reckless driving at carnival events to go unpunished.

The governor also acknowledged the risks associated with chases, saying they can be “dangerous to police, suspects and innocent bystanders.”

Two weeks ago, Newsom quadrupled the number of shifts CHP officers were working in Oakland, with the goal of targeting organized crime, carnival crime, car thefts and other criminal activity over the next four months.

In the letter, the governor wrote that the CHP “observed suspects attempting to evade arrest by using the same routes and, because of pursuit policy, knew where OPD would abort a pursuit.” In comparison, when pursuing suspects with the help of air support, the CHP was able to apprehend suspects in each of the six pursuits initiated by state officers.

The CHP’s increased presence in the East Bay has resulted in the seizure of more than 1,142 stolen cars, the confiscation of 55 firearms and the arrest of 562 suspects, according to the governor’s office.