Amid public safety improvements, Governor Newsom’s expanded CHP efforts yield 2,000 pounds of illicit drugs recovered in three months

In San Diego, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Central Valley, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area — the CHP’s crime suppression teams are continuing to build on the positive efforts that have helped reduce crime in different parts of the state. Combined with California’s significant financial investments, these partnerships build on previous efforts that brought positive change to Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and Oakland. 

“By coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners statewide, we remain committed to reducing crime by taking illegal guns and drugs off our streets,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Every successful operation strengthens public safety and helps protect the people of California.”

Positive results

Building on existing successful efforts in the Bay Area, Central Valley, and Inland Empire, Governor Newsom’s recent expansion of the CHP’s crime suppression teams into several additional regions in California is producing immediate results through proactive enforcement.

Just yesterday in San Francisco, CHP officers met with San Francisco city and county leadership to discuss the progress of coordinated law enforcement efforts to tackle open-air drug markets in the Tenderloin and Mission Districts. 

Later that evening, CHP officers conducted an operation on a known fentanyl dealer with an estimated 5 pounds of fentanyl. With the help of canine officers and partner law enforcement agencies, the crime suppression team impounded two vehicles, made two arrests, and seized fentanyl and cocaine. 

On November 14 officers worked on a multi-month investigation to disrupt a major methamphetamine trafficking operation in the San Bernardino and Los Angeles area. As a result of the investigative work, CHP officers – including a canine team – conducted traffic enforcement stops on multiple vehicles which resulted in the seizure of about 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of roughly $100 million. Multiple suspects were arrested.

On November 13 officers on the ground and in the air performed concentrated crime suppression efforts in Bakersfield and Kern County, leading to numerous felony arrests, a grand theft auto recovery, multiple stolen vehicles recovered, and 61 pounds of illegally processed marijuana seized. 

On October 31 officers in Oakland located and recovered 20 stolen vehicles and impounded two cars. And on October 9, officers conducted an enforcement stop in an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County. The driver was taken into custody and upon searching the vehicle, officers seized a gun magazine and located 26 packages weighing nearly 60 pounds of illicit fentanyl. 

The Crime Suppression Teams are tasked to:

• Detect and reduce criminal activity in high-crime areas using data and intelligence-led policing.
• Carry out proactive enforcement efforts to deter and disrupt organized crime.
• Increase CHP visibility and presence in communities most affected by crime.
• Support local law enforcement by sharing intelligence, coordinating enforcement efforts, and assisting with investigations.
• Ensure strict accountability by implementing structured leadership, clear reporting, and operational oversight.

Crime is down 

According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, overall violent crime in major California cities is down 12% in 2025 compared to 2024. The largest overall declines in violent crime were reported by the police departments in Oakland (25%) and San Francisco (21%). Another data set released by the California Department of Justice found that nearly every major crime category, including violent crime and homicides, dropped in 2024. California’s 2024 homicide rate is now the second lowest it has been since at least 1966. 

Significant public safety investments

California has invested $1.7 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California’s Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

In August, Governor Newsom signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state’s robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills offer new tools to bolster ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for smash-and-grab robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries. While California’s crime rate remains at near-historic lows, these laws help California adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.

As part of the largest-ever state investment to fight organized retail crime, Governor Newsom announced last year that the state allocated $267 million to 55 communities to help them combat this issue. These funds have allowed cities and counties to hire more police officers, make more arrests, and pursue more felony charges against suspects.