The California Highway Patrol's Antelope Valley office introduced Officer Anthony Talabar as its incoming public information officer and briefed the Lancaster Criminal Justice Commission on staffing and enforcement trends.

Talabar said the office added about 12 new officers since January 2025 and has one trainee scheduled to report in the coming week. He described overall enforcement contacts up about 4.3% year to date, CHP citation volume up about 10.2% and distracted-driving citations up roughly 13.1% compared with 2024. Arrests year to date were described as up about 2.8%.

Talabar said the CHP is focusing seasonal enforcement on state corridors including State Route 138 and State Route 14 and will increase activity in mountain areas to address parking, congestion and DUI risks. He emphasized data-driven, targeted enforcement intended to reduce fatal and serious-injury collisions and said recruitment efforts are prioritizing local candidates to improve retention.

Talabar also highlighted community engagement: the CHiPs4Kids toy drive had approximately 2,000 toys collected and collection events remain scheduled around the Antelope Valley. Commissioners asked about vacancies; Talabar said the Antelope Valley office is near full strength (about 50 officers) and statewide hiring targets are being approached, which should stabilize academy and hiring cycles.