California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Oakland leaders to revise the city’s restrictive police pursuit policies, highlighting that criminals exploit these limitations. He pointed out that the current guidelines prevent police from pursuing suspects involved in many felonies, violent misdemeanors, car sideshows, and even drunk driving incidents, which savvy criminals are aware of and use to their advantage.
Under the existing policy, Oakland police are only allowed to engage in chases if the suspect has committed a “violent forcible” offense, such as murder, armed carjacking, strong-arm robbery, or gun-related crimes. This limitation has led to situations where suspects flee with little fear of being pursued, as they know the police are restricted by these guidelines.
Newsom Calls for Revision of Oakland’s Restrictive Police Pursuit Policies to Combat Crime
Governor Newsom became aware of these policy gaps after deploying California Highway Patrol units to Oakland earlier in the month to address the city’s crime issues. The CHP reported that criminals often escape by using known routes where they expect the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to stop their pursuit, revealing the widespread knowledge of these pursuit restrictions among offenders.
Oakland’s Mayor Sheng Thao and the Oakland Police Officers Association, the city’s police union, expressed support for revisiting the pursuit policy. The discussion will continue as the Oakland Police Commission, an oversight board that regulates police practices, plans to make a recommendation on potential changes to the policy in September.
Despite these concerns, Oakland has experienced a 10% reduction in violent crime this year. Notable decreases include an 11% drop in homicides, a 16% decline in rape cases, an 11% decrease in robberies, and a 21% reduction in carjackings, indicating some positive trends in the city’s crime statistics amidst the ongoing debate over pursuit policies.
