Oakland

East Bay Mayors Still Seek State Help for Funding Surveillance Cameras in Response to Freeway Shootings

Mother describes being caught in crossfire of East Bay freeway shooting.

More than 20 shootings have plagued East Bay freeways since November, leaving drivers on edge and local cities frustrated.

In June, several Contra Costa mayors asked the state to come up with a plan to install new surveillance cameras on the freeways, but that has not happened yet.

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office believes gang members are to blame. The DA's Office says gang members stalk then shoot at their rivals onto the freeways.

"Soon innocent people are going to be getting shot because bullets don't have no names," driver Joyce Thompson said.

A Hercules woman recently sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown tell him "I reside in Constra Costa County and I do not feel safe."

That's because she said on June 17, along Interstate 880 in Oakland, she got caught in the crossfire and bullets shattered her car windows.

"After calling 911, my 3-year-old daughter kept asking us, who was shooting, what they were shooting at, and where the police were," the woman wrote.

Hercules Mayor Dan Romero was one of the Contra Costa County mayors who asked the state for funding for new surveillance cameras along local freeways. He said the governor still has not taken any action.

"What I want to know is how many cameras is it going to take to cover the Interstate 80 highway, and how many shot spotters are they talking about?" Romero said. "And how many license plate readers? That's a simple request."

The Governor's Office provided the following statement on Thursday:

"There are ongoing meetings with the task force – DA’s office, police, mayors from the region who want to participate, the CHP and others. As you can imagine it’s an involved process with many moving parts. That being said, we are all committed to determining the best course of action moving forward in as expeditious manner as possible."

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