Gov. Newsom sends National Guard, CHP to tackle San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis : NPR

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is directing the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to guide San Francisco authorities in combating the fentanyl disaster in the metropolis.

The two companies will be partnering with the area law enforcement office and the district attorney’s business to attempt to stem trafficking of the lethal synthetic opioid.

“Two truths can co-exist at the very same time: San Francisco’s violent criminal offense amount is down below comparably sized cities like Jacksonville and Fort Worth — and there is also far more we must do to address general public basic safety fears, particularly the fentanyl crisis,” Newsom explained in a press assertion on Friday.

The 4 companies are expected to “crack down” on crimes joined to fentanyl and maximize legislation enforcement existence in general public regions. Nevertheless, Newsom’s office vowed that the operation will not concentrate on individuals with drug addictions and in its place emphasis on drug suppliers and traffickers.

CHP will guide local police in drug trafficking enforcement in important spots of the metropolis, like the Tenderloin district, exactly where Mayor London Breed declared a point out of unexpected emergency in December 2021 about criminal offense and drug overdoses.

Meanwhile, the California National Guard will provide assistance in examining drug operations, with a unique concentration on fentanyl trafficking rings.

Newsom’s announcement did not consist of aspects on the selection of personnel associated, funding and what enforcement will appear like. The governor’s business did not quickly respond to NPR’s request for a remark.

The multiagency energy will come as San Francisco grapples with an alarming increase in fatalities connected to fentanyl, a drug recognized for getting far more strong and fatal than heroin.

In 2021, 474 people today died from fentanyl-related overdoses in the metropolis. Involving January and March of this 12 months, 200 people today died from accidental drug overdoses, with a huge the vast majority of fatalities involving the artificial opioid, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Matt Dorsey, a San Francisco supervisor, thanked Newsom on Twitter for giving the city “considerably-essential point out means to disrupt, dismantle and deter brazen open up-air drug marketplaces.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener stated he also welcomed the coordinated energy, but also pointed out that the governor vetoed his legislation to build a pilot program for harmless usage websites in the town, the San Francisco Standard documented.