California mayors press for freeway cameras amid shootings

Source: Associated Press

California mayors press for freeway cameras amid shootings
Updated 4:13 pm, Thursday, May 26, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Five Northern California mayors called on the governor Thursday to install surveillance cameras on freeways that run through their cities amid a spate of deadly shootings that they say have left their communities "under siege."

Four people have died and a dozen others have been injured in 28 shootings on highways on the east side of San Francisco Bay since November, the California Highway Patrol said. The latest occurred Tuesday in the city of Hercules when a driver was shot in the leg.

Most of the shootings are gang-related, with gunmen following their targets onto freeways where surveillance is lacking and a getaway is easy, authorities say.

The mayors of Hercules, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole and El Cerrito signed a letter addressed to Gov. Jerry Brown that says the situation has reached "crisis proportions." The frequency of the shootings and number of places they occur have scared drivers and snarled traffic.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/California-mayors-seek-state-aid-to-stem-freeway-7947592.php