CHP denies grounding air ops.

JLR contacted Governor Gavin Newsom's office about these operational changes and was directed back to CHP.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol denied claims that its air operations program was grounded, suggesting that concerns likely stemmed from recent changes to the program's organizational structure.

Claims that the program's fleet was grounded were called "completely false" in a statement CHP sent to JLR on Tuesday night.

The CHP, in its statement reports that in the last 24 hours, its Office of Air Operations crews flew 26 missions.

The structure changes, a spokesperson said, went into effect on March 1 and were implemented to "streamline accountability and provide managerial oversight to requests for calls for service."

Sources provided more specifics on the changes, that now a lieutenant of air operations must approve all flights statewide.

There are three lieutenants who are each assigned to cover different areas of the state.

All three are based in Sacramento.

It's not clear what prompted the organizational changes within the Air Operations Program.

JLR asked about specific concerns over response times and delays, but the CHP did not provide specifics on how an additional confirmation to fly could impact response times.

JLR contacted Governor Gavin Newsom's office about these operational changes and was directed back to CHP.