San Francisco approved for federal resources to combat opioid epidemic
San Francisco approved for federal resources to combat opioid epidemic
The City of San Francisco was approved Thursday for an Operation Overdrive designation at the request of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The announcement comes after Pelosi wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in April asking for support for the fentanyl crisis plaguing San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO - The City of San Francisco was approved Thursday for an Operation Overdrive designation at the request of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The announcement comes after Pelosi wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in April asking for support for the fentanyl crisis plaguing San Francisco.
With the Operation Overdrive designation, federal funding and resources will be available to combat the opioid epidemic. Federal law enforcement resources will be deployed for local and state authorities to "identify and dismantle criminal drug networks operating in areas with the highest rates of violence and drug poisoning deaths," according to Pelosi's office.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor London Breed have also expressed their support for the designation, which is being conducted through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Mayor London Breed tweeted, "Tackling open-air drug dealing requires coordinated local, state, and federal efforts and we welcome this additional support."
This designation announcement comes just a day after the California Highway Patrol announced it seized 4.2 kilograms (a little over 9 pounds) of fentanyl in the Tenderloin District and surrounding areas over the past six weeks.
Officials said the amount of fentanyl seized was enough to kill over 2.1 million people, an amount that is more than double San Francisco's population.
"The designation of Operation Overdrive for San Francisco is welcome news and a strong step forward to combat fentanyl trafficking," Pelosi said in a statement. "The immense human cost of overdose is heartbreaking: stealing lives, tearing families apart and shattering communities."
Other city officials also welcomed the help.
"We are always welcoming any assistance we can get from both the state and federal level," said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "This is an overwhelming crisis we are facing in this city that really is affecting the entire nation. So for the federal government to invest resources in our city to combat it, we are very appreciative of that."
"We welcome help from our federal partners in disrupting the drug markets that are destroying lives in our city," tweeted San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott. "The introduction of fentanyl into the drug trade has fundamentally changed how we must evaluate and respond to this crisis. We are committed to policing with dignity and respect and helping people in need get connected with services. We must also enforce the law and ensure our residents and businesses can feel safe enjoying our beautiful city."
The city has been plagued by an alarming number of fentanyl deaths and an open-air drug market crisis.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey, representing District 6, which includes the Tenderloin, said there are concerns the city is becoming a drug tourist destination.
"There are people who are coming to SF with the purpose of doing drugs here," he said.
Dorsey said San Francisco is on pace for the deadliest year in drug overdoses and said resources from Operation Overdrive are needed to combat this crisis.
"This is going to unlock a lot of federal resources that will help us go after the fentanyl trafficking that right now is driving the worst public health calamity since the AIDS crisis."
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