Aug 8, 2007 3:42 am US/Pacific
More CHP Officers Sent To Oakland To Calm Violence
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
-
-
More CHP officers are headed to Oakland.
In an effort to quell increased violence in Oakland, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday responded to the recent spike in homicides by committing more California Highway Patrol officers to patrol the city.
So far this year, 79 people have been killed In Oakland.
"The violence in Oakland is absolutely unacceptable and represents a serious threat to innocent people," Schwarzenegger said.
"We must do everything we can to eliminate that threat," the governor said. "The California Highway Patrol is assigning additional officers to work with local law enforcement officials to bolster their presence on the street and increase efforts to combat gang violence."
The shooting death of a journalist downtown last week increased awareness of violence in the area. And even as community leaders gathered over the weekend to mourn Chauncey Bailey, editor of the Oakland Post newspaper, gunfire felled seven others between Friday and Sunday.
It's still unclear how many additional CHP officers will be sent to Oakland under the governor's plan. A spokesman for the Schwarzenegger's office said that CHP officials will ultimately decide how many officers will be deployed to the Oakland area and when.
"The Governor's Office is working closely with local CHP officials to determine how they can best assist with calming the escalating violence in Oakland," spokesman Bill Maile said.
When asked when additional CHP officers might be seen patrolling in the Oakland area, Maile responded, "Soon, if not right away."
Their mission will be to work with local law enforcement to bolster officers' presence on the street and support efforts to combat gang violence, the governor and CHP said.
"What this will do is put more eyes and ears on the streets to help reduce the crime rate in Oakland," said Trent Cross, CHP spokesman in Oakland. "We're going to conduct proactive enforcement, be out, be visible, take an aggressive approach to enforcing the law."
The governor's initiative came after a request for help from Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums.
"We're extremely pleased that the governor is producing those financial resources," said David Chai, Dellums' chief of staff. He added that the mayor planned to detail more public safety strategies over the next few days.
The announcement also fits within a statewide initiative Schwarzenegger announced in May to fight gang violence called the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program.
CalGRIP, as it's known, is meant to funnel more than $48 million in state and federal funding into gang-fighting efforts, paying for job training, education and intervention programs, according to the governor's office. The program strengthens CHP's support for police and sheriffs' departments around the state by placing officers in 90-day deployments in areas that experience a lot of gang activity.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
41 Cited At Santa Rosa DUI Checkpoint 12 mins ago
Stumble It!
Comments