SACRAMENTO – As California’s Crime Suppression Teams have been bringing state and local law enforcement together to target the people and networks driving crime, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the results continue to add up.
Since the program was launched by the Governor in 2023, CHP’s Crime Suppression Teams have made 15,197 arrests, recovered 7,042 stolen vehicles, and seized 656 illicit firearms throughout communities statewide.
“One of the most important things we can do to make Californians safer is ensure our state and local law enforcement agencies have the resources and capacity to work together. We’ll keep investing in those partnerships and enforcement strategies that are leading to major drops in crime,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Governor launched the first Crime Suppression Team in San Francisco in 2023, establishing a model focused on proactive, intelligence-driven enforcement and close coordination with local partners.
The strategy was then expanded to additional communities in 2024, including Oakland, San Bernardino and Bakersfield, as CHP worked with local agencies to respond to concentrated crime and emerging threats.
In August 2025, California took the next step: expanding these dedicated teams to six regions statewide, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, Central Valley, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and San Diego.
Today, CHP Crime Suppression Teams operate across six regions, working alongside local law enforcement to bring more officers, intelligence and sustained enforcement to communities where it is needed most. The partnership between CHP and local law enforcement agencies targets auto theft, violent crime, organized criminal activity, illegal firearms, drug trafficking and other crimes that do not stop at a city or county line.
Recruiting and hiring for CHP officers is an essential part of why this work has been successful. Earlier this week, Governor Newsom visited with CHP’s third and final cadet class of 2026, recognizing the next generation of CHP officers as they prepare to serve communities across the state. Nearly 400 cadets will graduate this year, bringing the total number of CHP cadets who have graduated since 2019 to more than 2,900.
Since the statewide expansion in August of last year, CHP Crime Suppression Teams have made 5,949 arrests, recovered 1,192 stolen vehicles, seized 206 illicit firearms and confiscated nearly 1.7 million grams of illegal drugs.
That includes approximately 108 kilograms — or 240 pounds — of fentanyl, representing more than 54.4 million potentially fatal doses.
“Over the past few years, our Crime Suppression Teams have demonstrated the value of proactive, intelligence-driven enforcement in some of California’s most challenging areas,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “One year ago, we built on that success by expanding these teams statewide, giving the CHP greater capacity to address emerging crime trends and support communities. As California’s state police, our responsibilities extend beyond the highways. In collaboration with our allied law enforcement partners, we are actively targeting criminal activity, apprehending dangerous offenders, and enhancing safety in communities across our state.”
Crime Suppression Teams are one part of California’s broader state-local approach to public safety — combining enforcement, intelligence, technology, prosecution, prevention and community partnerships.
Since 2024, California saw double-digit declines in every major crime category tracked, including homicide down 18.6%, robbery down 19.9%, property crime down 14.3%, motor vehicle theft down 25.8%, and violent crime down 10.2%.
California’s homicide rate is now 3.5 per 100,000 — the lowest rate since statewide reporting began in 1966.