Current:Home > reviewsGov. Newsom sends National Guard and CHP to tackle San Francisco's fentanyl crisis -BeyondProfit Compass
Gov. Newsom sends National Guard and CHP to tackle San Francisco's fentanyl crisis
View
Date:2025-04-23 06:42:03
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is directing the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to assist San Francisco authorities in combating the fentanyl crisis in the city.
The two agencies will be partnering with the local police department and the district attorney's office to attempt to stem trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid.
"Two truths can co-exist at the same time: San Francisco's violent crime rate is below comparably sized cities like Jacksonville and Fort Worth — and there is also more we must do to address public safety concerns, especially the fentanyl crisis," Newsom said in a press statement on Friday.
The four agencies are expected to "crack down" on crimes linked to fentanyl and increase law enforcement presence in public areas. However, Newsom's office vowed that the operation will not target those with drug addictions and instead focus on drug suppliers and traffickers.
CHP will assist local police in drug trafficking enforcement in key areas of the city, including the Tenderloin district, where Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in December 2021 over crime and drug overdoses.
Meanwhile, the California National Guard will offer support in analyzing drug operations, with a particular focus on fentanyl trafficking rings.
Newsom's announcement did not include details on the number of personnel involved, funding and what enforcement will look like. The governor's office did not immediately respond to NPR's request for a comment.
The multiagency effort comes as San Francisco grapples with an alarming rise in deaths linked to fentanyl, a drug known for being more potent and deadly than heroin.
In 2021, 474 people died from fentanyl-related overdoses in the city. Between January and March of this year, 200 people died from accidental drug overdoses, with a vast majority of deaths involving the synthetic opioid, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Matt Dorsey, a San Francisco supervisor, thanked Newsom on Twitter for providing the city "much-needed state resources to disrupt, dismantle and deter brazen open-air drug markets."
State Sen. Scott Wiener said he also welcomed the coordinated effort, but also noted that the governor vetoed his legislation to create a pilot program for safe consumption sites in the city, the San Francisco Standard reported.
veryGood! (39688)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Megan Fox Shares She Had Ectopic Pregnancy Years Before Miscarriage With Her and Machine Gun Kelly's Baby
- Toyota selling part of Denso stake to raise cash to develop electric vehicles
- 2 deaths, 45 hospitalizations: Here’s what we know about salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Judge rejects effort to dismiss case against former DA charged in Ahmaud Arbery killing’s aftermath
- Judge enters $120M order against former owner of failed Michigan dam
- University of North Carolina shooting suspect found unfit for trial, sent to mental health facility
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Niall Horan stunned by Super Save singer AZÁN on 'The Voice': 'She could really be a threat'
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Trump embraces the Jan. 6 rioters on the trail. In court, his lawyers hope to distance him from them
- Four miners die in Poland when pipeline filled with water ruptures deep below ground
- This rabies strain was never west of the Appalachians, until a stray kitten showed up in Nebraska
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Georgia governor names first woman as chief of staff as current officeholder exits for Georgia Power
- Shein's IPO could raise billions. Here's what to know about the secretive Chinese-founded retailer.
- Australia apologizes for thalidomide tragedy as some survivors listen in the Parliament gallery
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Why Coco Austin Is Happy/Sad as Her and Ice-T's Daughter Chanel Turns 8
Why Coco Austin Is Happy/Sad as Her and Ice-T's Daughter Chanel Turns 8
Fantasy football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: 15 players to play or bench in Week 13
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
8 officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker cleared by internal police investigation
'My Sister's Keeper' star Evan Ellingson died of accidental fentanyl overdose, coroner says
Texas man who said racists targeted his home now facing arson charges after fatal house fire