A California Highway Patrol in Novato, Calif. on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
The California Highway Patrol will once again beef up its patrols across certain areas of Oakland as part of a renewed push to crack down on crime across the city, Mayor Sheng Thao’s administration announced Thursday.
The agency will be targeting “high-injury corridors” and focusing on reckless driving, stolen cars, sideshows and highway shootings, Thao’s announcement said. The goal of this partnership between the mayor’s office and Gov. Gavin Newsom is to allow Oakland police more time to respond to — and solve more cases of — violent crime.
In addition, Newsom’s office plans to advance Oakland $1.2 million for automated license plate readers. It remains unclear exactly where those readers will be deployed, as well as how many devices will be purchased by the city, but officials have said some could be installed on roads once designated as state highways, such as International Boulevard and San Pablo Avenue. Calls to city and police representatives were not immediately returned.
The use of law enforcement technology in Oakland is reviewed by the civilian Privacy Advisory Commission, although it is unclear if these license plate readers would be under the city board’s purview.
The effort at bringing in highway patrol officers mirrors similar efforts in the past to target “high-injury corridors” and improve public safety across Oakland. In a statement, Thao thanked Newsom for the support.
“Strong partnerships are critical in making our City safer,” said Mayor Thao, in a statement issued by the city. “Our comprehensive community safety approach includes both accountability for those who commit crime as well as prevention and deterrence efforts to stop crime before it occurs.”
Originally published at Jakob Rodgers