OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Oakland and the east San Francisco Bay Area will soon see a network of about 480 cameras as California ramps up a crackdown on vehicle crime.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that the California Highway Patrol has hired the company Flock Safety to install about 480 high-tech cameras in Oakland and on freeways in the region, to “combat criminal activity and freeway violence.”
About 290 of the cameras will be on Oakland’s city streets, and 190 will be placed along state highways in the East Bay. The network's patented technology will help law enforcement agencies identify vehicles and license plate numbers suspected to be linked to crimes under investigation, the governor’s office said. The technology also enables real-time crime alerts for officials to follow movement of vehicles.
Officials say the network will retain footage for 28 days and will not disclose footage to third parties beyond California law enforcement, according to state law as outlined by the California Department of Justice.
The move follows a surge operation in February, when the governor sent 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Alameda County to partner with local law enforcement agencies in a “targeted crackdown” on criminal activity. It constituted a nearly 900% increase in personnel within Alameda County, alongside an influx in prosecutors which drew pushback from the county’s underfunded public defender department. Earlier this year, Newsom called for new legislation to expand criminal penalties and beef up police and prosecutors handling retail theft and car burglaries.
The governor said the investment is another step in tackling organized crime and roadway violence across California.
“With the installation of this 480 high-tech camera network, we're equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to effectively combat criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable — building safer, stronger communities for all Californians,” Newsom said.
CHP has drawn scrutiny from Oakland residents in recent years, following a $7 million settlement in court over three officers shooting a man and woman in East Oakland in 2020. Erik Salgado’s family and supporters filed a civil rights lawsuit calling on CHP to be more transparent after agency maintained silence about the shooting and the state Attorney General’s office tried to keep the names of the officers confidential.
Cameras the agency installs, and the footage collected by government officials, are not under the same authority as city-installed cameras under Oakland Police Department are. The city said in October it will soon install 300 automated license plate readers. Several private communities and homeowner groups are already looking to install their own surveillance systems to watch public roads, and share that data with law enforcement agencies.
Newsom’s recent push to focus on robberies and retail thefts comes amid a nationwide decrease in violent crime, while Oaklanders have told city leaders they want more funding for community programs — like Operation Ceasefire to combat gun violence — instead of more police in disproportionately low-income neighborhoods. But California's elected officials face political pressure to address public perception of crime after a surge in violent crime during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Violent crime trended downward for the second year in a row in 2023 in more than 175 cities, with homicides down by nearly 12% compared to 2022 according to the federal government's preliminary data and the Center for American Progress. The Oakland Police Department is also reporting a year-over-year decrease in most crime.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has been pressured by business owners to address robberies after firing a police chief whose time at the helm saw a gradual increase in homicides as well as an internal corruption investigation at Oakland Police Department. The city has since hired Floyd Mitchell, recently retired from Lubbock, Texas, as chief of police.
“Improving public safety and addressing quality of life issues in Oakland is my top priority. This new camera network will help us stop crime and hold more suspects accountable," Thao said Friday.
Follow @nhanson_reports
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
-
Sudan war marks one-year anniversary April 15, 2024
-
California certifies March 5 primary election results April 12, 2024 -
Hunter Biden appeals April 12, 2024