Pedestrians walk along the edge of a sidewalk to avoid tents and sleeping bags, on April 13, 2020, in the tenderloin area of San Francisco.
Ben Margot/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Ben Margot/AP
Pedestrians walk along the edge of a sidewalk to avoid tents and sleeping bags, on April 13, 2020, in the tenderloin area of San Francisco.
Ben Margot/AP
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.