The 2022-23 Budget: Highway Violence Task Force

The 2022-23 Budget: Highway Violence Task Force FEBRUARY 2022 Summary. The Governor proposes $4 million Role of CHP in Addressing Highway Violence. General Fund for the California Highway Patrol The primary mission of CHP is to ensure safety and (CHP) to support the Highway Violence Task enforce traffic laws on state highways and county Force. Although providing resources to CHP to roads in unincorporated areas. When a violent address highway violence has merit, it is unclear crime occurs on state highways, CHP officers whether the proposal is the most effective solution in the near vicinity—who generally are on road given the limited understanding of the factors patrol duty—get called to the scene. These associated with highway violence and the high officers often become the primary investigators levels of vacancies at CHP. In addition, we find of the crime that occurred, and lead in collecting that the Motor Vehicle Account (MVA) is a more evidence, investigating criminal offenses, and appropriate funding source than the General submitting associated reports. If the investigating Fund to address highway violence. To the extent officer needs additional support or resources, or that the Legislature considers highway violence a if the investigation requires in-depth or lengthy priority, we recommend the Legislature consider examination to complete, CHP’s Investigative research-based alternatives, fund the various Services Unit can provide investigative support, activities from the MVA, and require reporting depending on the circumstances. In response to on the prevalence and associated factors of the rising incidence of highway shootings, CHP highway violence. has recently established the Highway Violence Task Force, aiming to deter highway violence and Background bolster investigative resources. Shootings Are a Growing Problem on Governor’s Proposal State Highways. In recent years, the number of shootings occurring on state highways Provides $4 Million for the Highway Violence has increased. According to CHP, the Task Force. The Governor’s budget includes a number of highway shootings increased from total of $10.6 million General Fund support over 210 in 2019 to 471 in 2021. Shootings have three years—$4 million in 2022-23 and $3.3 million increased in all CHP geographic divisions across in 2023-24 and 2024-25—for CHP to support its the state, except the Northern division, which is Highway Violence Task Force. Of the $4 million a relatively rural area. (The operations of CHP proposed for 2022-23, $2.2 million would support are divided across eight geographic divisions overtime costs to fund additional CHP officers on throughout the state.) In 2021, CHP began road patrol duty, particularly in locations where collecting statewide data on other forms of higher rates of violent crime are occurring. (As we violent crime on the state highway system, such discuss in more detail below, CHP is proposing as non-shooting homicides and thrown objects. to use overtime due to its high vacancy rate for CHP reported 355 of these types of crimes in 2021. uniformed officer positions.) The proposed amount also includes $879,000 for seven Associate Governmental Program Analyst positions and $995,000 for training, information technology (IT), and equipment to support criminal investigations. 2022-23 Budget Series 1 Assessment positions to pay for necessary overtime to maintain current levels of service to the public. Given that Providing Resources to CHP to Address CHP is not fully staffed and already requiring some Highway Violence Has Merit. To the extent that level of overtime for officers due to the vacancies, it is an increasing problem, highway violence addressing highway shootings mainly through the presents an important concern for CHP, as it is increased use of overtime might overextend the one of the department’s primary responsibilities current CHP workforce. to ensure safety on state highways and unincorporated county roads. As such, providing MVA Is More Appropriate to Support some amount of additional resources for CHP to Proposed Activities. The state collects various further investigate and deter violent crime seems fees for vehicle registration, driver’s licenses, reasonable. Furthermore, the limited-term nature as well as special permits and certificates, of this proposal provides the Legislature a natural primarily to support the state administration and opportunity in three years, after funding for this enforcement of laws regulating the operation and proposal would conclude, to assess whether this registration of vehicles used on public roads and proposal has produced desired outcomes, whether highways. Revenues collected from the various any modifications are needed, and the extent to fees are deposited into the MVA. As the primary which ongoing funding is warranted. law enforcement entity of the state highway system, CHP receives nearly all of its funding from the Limited Information on Why Highway MVA. Because the Governor’s proposal would fund Shootings Are Increasing. In 2020, CHP further enforcement of laws on state highways, began tracking information on the associated we find it would be more appropriate to fund the factors of each highway shooting when such proposed activities from the MVA, rather than the determinations can reasonably be made. From General Fund as proposed by the Governor. January 2020 through October 2021, CHP reported that 25 percent of the shootings with available data Recommendation were associated with road rage and 8 percent were Modify Proposal if Addressing Highway associated with gang-related crimes. Although Violence Is a Priority. To the extent that the these initial data are valuable, longitudinal data Legislature considers highway violence a priority are needed to better understand the factors and wants to dedicate the same overall amount driving the increase in highway shootings and the of resources as the Governor proposes, we extent to which the relative impact of each factor recommend modifying the Governor’s proposal in has changed over time. A better understanding ways to ensure the funded activities will be most of the problem can inform more targeted and effective at meeting their objectives. Specifically, effective solutions. Funding for investigative we recommend the following: supports included in the Governor’s proposal, such as training, IT, and equipment, could help • Consider Funding Research-Based gather more comprehensive crime analytics and Alternatives. We recommend the Legislature analyze the factors behind the rising incidence of consider options that research has found highway shootings. to be effective at reducing violent crime. Unclear Whether Funding Overtime Is Most For example, researchers have found that Efficient Solution. More than half of the requested certain infrastructure modifications—such funding is dedicated for overtime, which is intended as installation of cameras or lighting—can to increase CHP road patrol presence in areas reduce crime without requiring additional with high incidences of shootings to deter potential law enforcement presence. Accordingly, criminal activity. However, CHP is facing high funding the installation of cameras on highway vacancy rates for its uniformed road patrol officers. ramps to provide law enforcement with more As of January 1, 2022, 14.5 percent of CHP’s resources to identify and apprehend suspects authorized uniformed positions were vacant. CHP could be a more effective approach than that is currently using salary savings from these vacant proposed by the Governor. In addition, these 2022-23 Budget Series 2 types of solutions might be more efficient highway system, it would be more appropriate alternatives compared to funding overtime, to use MVA for these activities. Our given that CHP is experiencing high rates of recommendation would “free up” $4 million in vacancies and is not fully staffed. In order to General Fund resources in 2022-23 that the effectively weigh the trade-offs of different Legislature could redirect to its other priorities. alternatives, the Legislature could request that • Require Reporting on Prevalence and CHP assess specific alternatives and present Associated Factors of Highway Violence. a modified proposal later this spring. With the additional investigative support • Approve Positions and Funding for positions and resources, CHP reports it Investigative Supports. We recommend would be able to better identify suspects and the Legislature approve the proposed their vehicles, more effectively identify crime $879,000 for seven Associate Governmental patterns, investigate links between interrelated Program Analyst positions and $995,000 crimes, as well as collate and analyze for training, IT, and equipment to support crime data in real time. We recommend criminal investigations. As we discuss the Legislature require CHP to report by below, these additional resources could help January 1, 2024 on the numbers and locations provide additional information regarding the of highway shootings, the associated factors associated factors of highway shootings in these shootings, as well as the outcomes and help inform future legislative policy and of the investigatory resources (such as the funding decisions regarding the Highway number of arrests, training provided, and Violence Task Force. the benefits of requested software and • Shift Fund Source to the MVA. equipment). This report would allow the We recommend the Legislature change the Legislature to determine whether future fund source of this proposal from the General resources are needed to continue the Highway Fund to the MVA. Given that this proposal is Violence Task Force after the expiration of the intended to directly benefit users of the state limited-term funding proposed. 2022-23 Budget Series 3 LAO PUBLICATIONS This post was prepared by Eunice Roh and reviewed by Anthony Simbol. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a nonpartisan office that provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature. 2022-23 Budget Series 4