The California Highway Patrol may have been providing its services gratis in Stockton and Oakland for the past few months, but continuing those services will soon mean footing the bill. In Oakland, where the City hopes to continue to receive aid from the state police, the cost could be in the hundreds of thousands.
In Oakland, City officials and community leaders continue to battle with the spike in violent crime while working with the smallest force of sworn officers in a decade. As a result, the City has relied upon aid assistance from the CHP and the Alameda County Sheriff Department. When the City extended their arrangement, they agreed to pay $265,000 to the Sheriff’s Department. Now the CHP wants to be compensated for its officers’ time, too.
The cost associated with the CHP services has yet to be determined, but most expect it to be in line with the offer made to the County.
The City will likely approve the contract, as community pressure demands further police action to return a sense of safety to the City.
Read the full article at the Contra Costa Times.