#ICYMI: A roundup of
notable incidents involving the California Highway Patrol (CHP) this past
week, including a holiday enforcement effort to encourage safe and sober
driving, an arrest following the first successful use of the Flock Safety cameras
in the Bay Area, an update on the joint operation with the Bakersfield Police
Department that focuses on vehicle theft and organized crime, the
distribution of over $25 million to fight impaired driving, and highway
heroics as first responders rescue a kitten on a freeway overpass fence. The
list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an
excerpt from each announcement. Click on the headlines to access accompanying
assets that are available for download. 1.
CHP MAKES MORE THAN 1,300
DUI ARRESTS OVER INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND CHP officers kept watch over California’s crowded
roadways over the holiday weekend, implementing a statewide Maximum
Enforcement Period (MEP) that ran from 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3,
continuing through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 7. During the 102-hour holiday
enforcement effort, CHP officers made 1,336 arrests for driving under the
influence and issued 17,753 speeding citations. Sadly, 29 people were killed
in crashes within CHP jurisdiction. Among the 15 vehicle occupants who died, eight
were not wearing a seat belt. 2.
CHP ANNOUNCES FIRST
ARREST USING STATE-OF-THE-ART FLOCK CAMERAS IN BAY AREA
On July 1, CHP’s Golden Gate Division Special
Investigations Unit successfully used the newly installed Flock cameras to apprehend
a freeway shooting suspect following a road rage incident on the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. After obtaining a description of the suspect
vehicle, detectives reviewed Flock camera data and quickly identified the
suspect vehicle and its license plate number. A “Be on the lookout” (BOLO)
broadcast to Bay Area law enforcement agencies led to the suspect’s
apprehension and arrest shortly after. 3.
CHP’S
JOINT OPERATIONS WITH BAKERSFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT RESULTS IN 677 ARRESTS On July 2, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the CHP’s
joint operations with the Bakersfield Police Department have resulted in 677
arrests and the recovery of 338 vehicles since the crime suppression effort began
in March. This collaboration focuses on vehicle theft and organized crime. In
four months, the CHP and Bakersfield law enforcement have worked together to
address crime in the region. 4.
CHP
DISTRIBUTES OVER $25 MILLION TO FIGHT IMPAIRED DRIVING The CHP announced more than $25 million in
grant funding being distributed to 102 California law enforcement agencies,
crime laboratories, local government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to
help address the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or
drugs. The grants are the result of Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and
Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which tasked the CHP with administering
grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs to help
communities combat impaired driving. 5.
A PURR-FECT ENDING TO
A FREEWAY RESCUE OF KITTEN On July 2, an officer from the CHP’s East Los Angeles
Area office received multiple calls of a kitten on top of a fence on a freeway
overpass. After locating the kitten, officers enlisted the help of the Los
Angeles County Fire Department to safely rescue it from high atop the fence
and the heat. After being medically
cleared, the kitten was adopted by the responding CHP officer, Officer Aamir
Vaid. The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of
Safety, Service and Security. | 
