Residents filed a petition calling on the governor to deploy California highway patrol officers to assist the under-staffed Vallejo Police Department in combatting rising crime rates.

More than 3,500 people have signed the petition from Paula Conley, who said residents deserve a city where they can “live without fear.”

“Vallejo has become a regular location for large and violent sideshows primarily started by non-residents,” Conley wrote. “Drug crime, shootings and shoplifting are increasingly commonplace.  Prostitution on Sonoma Blvd/Hwy 29 in particular is rampant.”

Last year, the city saw 24 murders — a rise compared to 21 murders in 2023. Vallejo also saw a rise in rapes and larceny, but the city also saw a slight decline in vehicle break-ins and robberies. 

Vallejo is facing a shortage of officers, with only 75 officers filling the 129 available positions. Down by more than 50 officers, Conley wrote that Vallejo “businesses and residents are unsafe due to slow or nonexistent police response times.”

“We believe that additional support from California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Sheriff officers could significantly help address this issue,” Conley wrote. “Their presence would not only bolster our local law enforcement capacity but also serve as a deterrent for potential criminals.”

However, Newsom, who already declared an executive order allowing retired Solano County officers to come fill in to assist the Vallejo Police Department and also called on the city to change a law that limits police pursuits, said the city needs to consider how it can address its police shortage. Vallejo declared a police staffing emergency back in July — giving the police chief and city manager, Andrew Murray, more power to rectify the problem. 

“I just want the folks in Vallejo to know you’re not getting the CHP to do the work of local law enforcement,” Newsom said. “They think somehow, ‘Well, the state’s going to come in and provide this support for free.’ They have a lot of vacant positions … and instead of contracting, for example, with the sheriff’s office and the county, they’re hoping to get the state to do it for free. We’re not going to be in that business.”

Conley told Fox News that she was inspired to create the petition after Newsom sent CHP officers to address the rising crime rates in Oakland — a city just 25 miles north of Vallejo.

“We started seeing their (crime) statistics go down and their quality of life get better and getting a better handle on crime,” Conley told Fox News Digital. “We have the exact same problems Oakland does, but we’re just a smaller city. It’s going to take manpower to really help us.”

In July, Newsom quadrupled the number of shifts CHP could work in Oakland after revealing that since February, they had helped recover a thousand stolen cars, arrested 562 suspects, and seized 55 guns linked to crimes. Since July, CHP has assisted Oakland authorities in making 32 arrests and conducting 600 traffic stops. 

CHP Sergeant Andrew Barclay told Fox News that CHP has been in contact with the Vallejo interim police chief to address efforts in bolstering police presence. However, Newsom has not made any increases in CHP shifts in Vallejo. 

“The CHP is present and active in Vallejo and will continue to work with community stakeholders, including its police department, to ensure that its community is safe and protected,” Barclay told Fox.