Since launching in 2023, California Highway Patrol's Crime Suppression Teams have made 15,197 arrests, recovered 7,042 stolen vehicles, and seized 656 illicit firearms statewide, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. The teams operate across six regions: the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, Central Valley, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and San Diego.
The first Crime Suppression Team was launched in San Francisco in 2023 with a model focused on proactive, intelligence-driven enforcement and coordination with local law enforcement. The program expanded to Oakland, San Bernardino, and Bakersfield in 2024, and then expanded to six regions statewide in August 2025.
In the one year since statewide expansion, the teams 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 of fentanyl, representing more than 54.4 million potentially fatal doses, according to the governor's office.
The teams have worked with local law enforcement to target auto theft, violent crime, organized criminal activity, illegal firearms, drug trafficking, and other crimes that cross city and county lines. Recent cases included a February 2026 apprehension of a suspect wanted in connection with 15 attempted murder cases in Victorville, a March 2026 seizure of more than three pounds of fentanyl and other drugs in East Oakland, and a May 2026 seizure of a loaded assault-style pistol in Fresno. In November 2026, officers seized approximately 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of approximately $100 million following a months-long investigation into a major trafficking operation affecting San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.
Broader California crime statistics show double-digit declines in every major category since 2024: 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.