By james art 
CHP launches mobile app to receive crash reports
The California Highway Patrol has unveiled a new mobile app that allows members of the public to receive crash reports on their phones.
Provided by the California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is helping the San Bernardino Police Department deal with the high rate of violent crime.
The latest figures show the city’s homicide rate is more than three times the state average, according to a news release on the governor’s office website. The overall violent crime rate is nearly twice the California average.
“We are deploying additional support to the CHP to help local law enforcement agencies aggressively suppress criminal activity and provide this community with a new level of safety and accountability,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the release.
The CHP, whose efforts include recovering stolen vehicles and catching reckless drivers, is adding special law enforcement units on the ground and in the air, the governor’s office said.
The CHP also provides investigative support to San Bernardino police to crack down on criminal activity and violent street gangs, remove illegal guns from the streets and help prevent gun violence, according to the governor’s office.
“This collaboration allows us to share resources, intelligence and expertise, improving our ability to reduce crime and create a safer environment for all members of the community,” CHP Commissioner Sean Dury said in the news release.
San Bernardino reports progress before CHP assistance
Before the CHP’s assistance, the city saw a “significant decrease in violent crime,” the San Bernardino Police Department said in a news release on its website.
Homicides are down 33 percent this year from 2023, the department said. This follows a 50% decline from 2022 to 2023.
Aggravated assaults are down 17 percent from 2023, according to the department. Robberies are down 15% compared to last year.
The goal is to further reduce crime with the help of the CHP and help the community feel safer, San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman said.
“This collaboration with the CHP will strengthen our ongoing efforts to curb violent crime, and we are confident that by working together we can make a lasting impact,” Goodman said in his department’s news release.
California’s statewide crime-fighting efforts
San Bernardino is the latest city Newsom has targeted in his efforts to reduce crime across the country. Previous partnerships with CHP have been launched in San Francisco, Oakland and Bakersfield.
At the end of 2023, California provided more than $267 million statewide to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors fighting organized retail theft. That led to more than 10,000 arrests in nine months for retail, motor vehicle and cargo theft, according to the governor’s office in another news release.
California has invested more than $1.1 billion to fight crime since 2019, the office said.
CHP’s collision portal
In other CHP news, the agency announced a collision app. See the video attached to this story.