With San Francisco plagued by unprecedented levels of crime and drug abuse, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced June 29 that the state will bolster its prior efforts to tackle the fentanyl crisis in the city, with a promise to double the number of California Highway Patrol officers dedicated to crack down on the issue in a joint operation with the California National Guard, first announced in May.
“Today, I’m authorizing a 100% increase in personnel to bolster the impact of this proven operation, as well as authorizing targeted surges to crack down on crime in the city,” Newsom said in the press release. “Working alongside our local, state, and federal partners, we’re committed to cleaning up San Francisco’s streets.”
Thus far, the operation has seized more than 8.1 kilograms of fentanyl, reportedly enough to kill more than 4 million people, according to the press release.
“CHP’s recent results in San Francisco are nothing short of extraordinary — in just six weeks, the agency’s hardworking officers seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill the city nearly three times over, multiple firearms, and stolen goods,” Newsom said in the announcement.
In addition to assisting city patrol officers, the operation includes a team of analysts focused on mapping crime syndicates and providing advanced metrics to aid investigations.
Plagued by understaffing issues exacerbated by rising criminal activity, the San Francisco Police Department is reportedly overwhelmed, with some officers discouraged due to the city’s catch-and-release policies.
Police chief Bill Scott welcomed the support of the state, acknowledging the severity of the problem in the joint announcement.
“Our residents, business owners, and visitors to our city deserve to feel safe, and we are making progress in disrupting the drug markets that are causing so much misery on our streets,” he said. “Working collaboratively with the CHP, we’ve seized an unprecedented amount of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics in recent weeks, and I look forward to building on our success.”
The streets of downtown San Francisco offer the most visible impact of the fentanyl crisis, with ubiquitous drug use seen in what some describe as deplorable conditions, as homeless encampments and vagrancy spread throughout the Tenderloin District— located downtown adjacent to Union Square—and surrounding areas.
