Send in the army – or at least the state prosecutor.
That’s what California’s Gavin Newsom decided in the wake of rising crime in Oakland blamed on vigilante District Attorney Pamela Price.
Violent crime is on the rise in Alameda County, where it jumped nearly 20% in 2023 compared to 2019, with businesses including In-N-Out closing due to rampant crime.
Price has been called to promote liberal policies such as lower prison sentences to improve “equity” in cities.
Newsom plans to “deploy” attorneys general to the growing city to “increase the capacity of law enforcement in Oakland and the East Bay to investigate, analyze and prosecute suspects in serious violent, property and drug-related crimes,” his office announced Thursday.
The placement will also include retail theft and car break-ins.
Alameda County has one of the highest crime rates in America, according to Neighborhood Scout.
Experts believe Newsom is acting decisively because he is considering a possible presidential bid — and knows that a crime-ridden city like Oakland can be a target for rivals.
“Arrests are not enough,” he said in a statement. “The judiciary demands that the suspect be charged accordingly. Whether it’s ‘bipping’ or carjacking, attempted murder or fentanyl trafficking, individuals must be held accountable for their crimes using the full and proper weight of the law.”
Gavin Newsom Gavin Newsom sent prosecutors to Oakland for a crime spree blamed on Alameda County DA Pamela Price. AP
Price, who has been hit with callbacks from disgruntled voters — appeared to go along with that plan at a recent press conference.
“As you all know, the governor’s office along with the attorney general announced that we are forming a partnership with them to address some of the criminal activity that has occurred in Alameda County, particularly Oakland,” Price said.
“We appreciate that the governor, along with the attorney general, has agreed to provide additional resources for the prosecution of violent crimes and especially narcotics activity and vehicle theft.”
Price said three deputies will be assigned to his office and report to Mike Nieto, one of his prosecutors.
Newsom’s initiative comes as crime rates soar in Oakland and videos of terrifying carjackings — including one of a 67-year-old woman being pistol-whipped and dragged across the pavement by two young men — surfaced last month.
Violent crime is on the rise in Alameda County, where it jumped nearly 20% in 2023 compared to 2019, with businesses including In-N-Out closing due to rampant crime. The Washington Post via Getty Images
The woman was seriously injured.
Price has been the Alameda County DA since January 2023.
His campaign promised progressive policies, including shorter prison sentences and not charging juveniles as adults.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
