California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants more police pursuits in Oakland

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday pushed Oakland leaders to change the city’s restrictive police pursuit policies that he said savvy criminals know how to work around.

The Democratic governor said current pursuit guidelines prevent police from chasing after suspects involved in many felonies, violent misdemeanors, car sideshows and even drunken drivers.

Oakland police are only permitted to go after criminals who have committed a “violent forcible” offense such as murder, armed carjacking, strong-arm robbery or any gun-related crime.

Mr. Newsom said he learned about gaps in Oakland’s pursuit policy after he deployed multiple California Highway Patrol units to the city earlier this month to help rein in its crime.

“The CHP has brought to my attention that they observed criminals often fleeing with impunity because it’s common knowledge that the Oakland Police Department’s pursuit policy allows vehicle pursuits in only very limited circumstances,” the governor said Friday in a letter to Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council and Oakland Police Commission.

“They observed suspects attempting to escape arrest by using the same routes, concluding that they knew where OPD would discontinue a pursuit,” Mr. Newsom said.

Ms. Thao said she supports revisiting the policy, as did the Oakland Police Officers Association, the local police union.

The Oakland Police Commission, a volunteer oversight board that regulates police practices, plans to make a recommendation on the current pursuit policy in September.

Oakland has seen a 10% drop in violent crime this year, with declines in homicide (down 11%), rape (down 16%), robberies (down 11%) and carjackings (down 21%).