On Oct. 28, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new “surge operation” for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in the City of San Bernardino to address the growing number of violent crimes, including property theft, gun violence and street sideshows.
As part of the state’s ongoing effort to crack down on crime, the “surge operation” will place “additional CHP personnel” on the ground and in the air to help the San Bernardino Police Department target violent crimes.
According to recent data, San Bernardino’s violent crime rate is “nearly double the statewide average,” with one of the highest rates of vehicle theft and more than a triple homicide rate from the statewide average. In 2023, the San Bernardino Police Department reported an estimated violent crime rate of 1,059 crimes per 100,000 residents in the city.
This area’s trend of increasing violent crime numbers isn’t unique. Gov. Newsom launched similar surge operations in other crime hot spots, including Oakland, San Francisco and Bakersfield. Reports show that CHP’s muscle enforcement operations have been relatively successful in controlling violent crime, with more than 3,200 arrests, approximately 170 seizures of illegal firearms and the recovery of nearly 3,000 stolen vehicles.
However, while the governor’s surge operations in hot spot cities appear to be reducing violent crime rates for the time being, these stricter public safety policies are seemingly more of a response to residents’ growing frustration over rising violent crime rates.
Just a few years ago, California voters supported different approaches to criminal justice, including voting for reform-minded district attorneys and supporting progressive policies, such as providing more intervention and treatment services to offenders.
A significant reason Californians are backing stricter penalties for violent crimes is the visible changes since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the growth of homeless encampments and cases of fentanyl overdoses throughout the state. More locked-up products in local retail stores and viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies on social media have fueled fear and frustration about crime. As a result, voters have determined that the only way to reverse these dangerous trends is the adoption of stricter police enforcement and penalties for theft and drug possession.
This change is evident in the results of the recent 2024 general election ballot propositions and the recall of progressive district attorneys. Proposition 36, a measure that will increase punishment for theft and drug crimes, passed by a margin of 70%, despite opposition from notable Democrats, including Gov. Newsom, who worry the policy will unduly criminalize offenders and those experiencing homelessness.
In Los Angeles County, incumbent District Attorney George Gascón, one of the most well-known progressive criminal justice reformers, lost to Nathan Hochen, a tough-on-crime former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.
Accused of perpetuating the increase of local crime, such as smash-and-grab robberies in retail stores through lax prosecution of offenders, Gascón is one of two progressive prosecutors, the other being District Attorney Pamela Price in Alameda County, who was recalled on Nov. 5.
However, finding a solution to reduce violent crime isn’t that simple. Tough-on-crime policies disproportionately affect people of color, destabilize families and communities and promote mass incarceration in the criminal justice system.
During the “war on drugs” in the 1970s and 1980s, for example, millions of Black and Latino Americans were locked up for crack cocaine and other drug violations. The result was an increase of “600 per 100,000 people in 1970, to 1,808 [per 100,000 people] in 2000” in Black incarceration rates.
More importantly, communities affected by tough-on-crime policies are historically victims of systemic racism who live in neighborhoods with high poverty rates, gang violence and a lack of educational and mental health resources.
In the City of San Bernardino, approximately 68% of residents identify as Latino and have a median household income of $61,323 — barely over the cutoff for California’s middle-class income range. The other cities where Gov. Newsom has launched the surge operation, namely Oakland and Bakersfield, also have high rates of low-income communities of color.
To prevent repeating the mistake of widespread mass incarceration of communities of color, which did little to alleviate the core causes of continued criminal behaviors within specific communities, California voters must exercise caution in supporting popular tough-on-crime policies. Gov. Newsom’s aggressive police enforcement operations may produce reduced crime but it is not a sustained solution to the ongoing problem of increased crime in these hotspot cities.
Rather, the state must prioritize uplifting residents in these communities by funding and increasing access to essential programs, including mental health services, substance abuse treatment centers and work programs for those incarcerated.
Public safety is essential, but surge operations are a temporary solution.