Governor Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of “crime suppression teams” on Thursday amid a public battle over California’s public safety image. Members of the California Highway Patrol will assist local law enforcement in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, the Inland Empire, Sacramento, and the Central Valley. According to a press release, “teams will saturate high-crime areas, target repeat offenders, and seize illicit weapons and narcotics.”
This move builds on earlier efforts. In 2023, Newsom deployed CHP officers to San Francisco to help address the fentanyl crisis. In 2024, he sent CHP units to Oakland and its surrounding areas, as well as Bakersfield and San Bernardino, to combat a crime surge.
According to the governor’s office, these state-local partnerships have already produced significant results. In Bakersfield, there were 859 felony arrests along with 721 misdemeanors, 2,654 DUI arrests, recovery of 1,386 stolen vehicles, and seizure of 114 firearms. In Oakland, officials reported 73 felony arrests, 420 misdemeanors, 1,528 DUIs, recovery of 4,257 stolen vehicles, and seizure of 247 illegal firearms. In San Bernardino, the results included 357 felony arrests, 1,617 misdemeanors, 170 DUIs, 145 stolen vehicles recovered, and 82 illicit firearms seized.
Statewide data show a general decline across nearly all major crime categories, including violent crime and homicides. The Major Cities Chiefs Association has reported a 20% drop in homicides and a 19% drop in robberies so far this year.
Thursday’s announcement came one week after the Trump administration deployed members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. — and two months after it deployed troops to downtown Los Angeles. The administration is expected to send troops into Chicago as soon as this week. In all three cases, the administration’s actions have been opposed by local leaders.
Critics of the administration argue that the federal deployments are an abuse of power, aimed at “militarizing” Democratic cities that opposed Trump in the 2024 election. Newsom has vocally pushed back, publicly comparing California and its major cities to red states and rural areas where high crime rates are often downplayed. At a press conference last week, the governor noted that Mississippi has the highest homicide rate among all 50 states — and 180% higher than Los Angeles. Louisiana ranks second in murders per capita followed by Alabama. Yet so far, the president has focused his attention on Democratic-controlled areas.
Data aside, public safety concerns continue to be a weak spot for Newsom, who clearly has his sights on a presidential run. While California’s murder rate remains relatively low, property crimes are well above the national average, contributing to an overall sense of insecurity. According to a new SafeWise report, 68% of Californians say they are highly concerned about property crime on a regular basis. Only New Mexico (71%) and Hawaii (69%) have higher levels of concern.