CA Governor Deploys Highway Patrol LA Amid Retail Crime Wave
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California Governor Gavin Newsom is directing the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to triple the resources allocated to fighting organized retail crime in Los Angeles alongside a new city task force.
The lawmaker’s office announced that CHP has been instructed to aid local L.A. law enforcement in combatting a rash of retail crimes that have risen to crisis levels in recent weeks. The highway patrol will allocate additional investigators to a new law enforcement task force devoted to combatting organized retail theft, which L.A. Mayor Karen Bass introduced on Thursday.
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“What we’ve seen over just the past week in the City of Los Angeles and in surrounding regions is unacceptable, Bass said, referring to incidents at the East L.A. Nike community store and a $300,000 smash-and-grab flash mob at a Nordstrom at the Topanga Westfield mall in Canoga Park, among other recent crimes.
“These are not victimless crimes—especially in the case where Angelenos were attacked through force or fear—as they did their jobs or ran errands,” she added. “No Angeleno should feel like it’s unsafe to go shopping and no Angelenos should feel like it’s unsafe to open a business in Los Angeles or Los Angeles County.”
“This task force will aggressively investigate these incidents and hold individuals that are responsible for these crimes fully accountable,” Bass said.
In addition to CHP, the L.A. Organized Retail Crimes Task Force will include the L.A. Police Department (LAPD), the L.A. Sheriff’s Department (LASD), police departments in Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, the U.S. Marshals Apprehension Task Force, and FBI Apprehension Task Force. It will work with prosecutors from the L.A. County District Attorney’s office, the L.A. City Attorney’s office and the California Attorney General’s Office to charge criminals and try cases against perpetrators of retail crimes.
LAPD assistant chief Dominic Choi called the “rampant incidents” a “pressing concern” for law enforcement in the region, noting that the department is “aggressively attacking the escalating issue of retail theft.” Choi said the task force would work in concert with retailers to help enhance security measures, and would share relevant information and strategies to help deter crimes. “Retail theft not only affects businesses financially but also has a broader impact on the overall well-being of our community,” he added, encouraging residents to “remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and partner with us in this endeavor.”
“The state is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime and when our local partners need further assistance, we’re ready with a helping hand,” Governor Newsom said. California’s budget for 2023-2024 includes over $800 million in funding for public safety programs, including initiatives to combat retail crime.
“The CHP is the proven leader in tackling organized retail theft and through this expanded partnership the agency will further assist the city in doing its job to keep Angelenos and their businesses safe,” Newsom added. Since launching the statewide Organized Retail Crime Task Force in 2019, CHP data shows that it has been involved in 1,856 investigations leading to 1,262 arrests and the recovery of 329,248 stolen items worth more than $30.6 million.
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said the department would lend its “wide breadth of expertise and resources” to help local law enforcement address the rising retail crime rate in L.A. Like CHP’s statewide program, the regional task force will bring together multiple law enforcement groups across jurisdictions in a symbiotic network. “We will crack down on this uptick in dangerous and unacceptable criminal activity,” he added.
