California Pledges $267 Million Against Organized Retail Crime
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Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced California’s largest-ever single investment to aid statewide organized retail crime-fighting units just weeks after a massive Nordstrom smash-and-grab stripped $300,000 worth of luxury goods from store displays.
The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) awarded more than $267 million to 55 local law enforcement agencies to combat the crime wave crippling retailers and malls alike.
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The funding is a part of Newsom’s Real Public Safety Plan, which supports organized retail crime prevention and investigations, and aims to arrest and prosecute more suspects. The funding will be dispersed to 34 police departments, seven sheriffs’ departments, one probation department and 13 district attorney offices beginning Oct. 1.
“California is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime and support local law enforcement,” Newsom said. “Enough with these brazen smash-and-grabs—we’re ensuring law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to take down these criminals.” California’s 2023-2024 budget includes over $800 million allocated to programs to improve public safety and tackle rising retail crime.
Earlier this week, 41 California sheriffs’ and police departments and one probation department were awarded up to nearly $24 million each to immediately create and staff retail theft investigation units and arrest more suspects in the coming months, Newsom said. The investment will also go toward installing advanced surveillance technology and training loss prevention officers for retail, as well as creating new task forces and enhancing collaboration with local businesses.
Law enforcement agencies completed a grant application process through California’s Organized Retail Theft Grant Program. Police and sheriffs’ departments across the state, from Los Angeles to Beverly Hills, Orange County, Sacramento, Fresno, Palo Alto, San Fernando, San Jose, San Francisco, Daly City, Costa Mesa and more.
Additionally, thirteen district attorneys’ offices in Alameda, Humboldt, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Ventura, and Yolo also received up to $2.05 million to establish “vertical prosecution units” tasked with prosecuting retail crimes. They will also institute county-wide “intelligence centers” that act as hubs for all related investigations taking place in each county. Newsom said the funds for both grants would be allocated in annual installments over the next three years.
California Highway Patrol (CHP)’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force (ORCTF) will support local efforts across the state. The four-year-old task force has recovered $30.7 million in stolen goods, through over 1,850 investigations, and arrested over 1,250 suspects since it started.
The announcement comes less than a month after Newsom deployed CHP to triple the resources it previously allocated to fighting crime in L.A. On Aug. 17, Mayor Karen Bass announced the county-specific Organized Retail Crime Task Force, uniting 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, along with prosecutors from the L.A. County District Attorney’s office and the L.A. City Attorney’s office.
The L.A. ORCTF quickly arrested 11 suspects related to four of the nine robbery cases it was investigating. Suspects are accused of robbing a Versace store in L.A.’s Beverly Center Mall, the Warehouse Shoe Store in Highland Park, the Nordstrom department store at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park, and the Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale.
A week later, law enforcement arrested 10 suspects accused of shoplifting from the East L.A. Nike Community store, a frequent organized retail crime target in recent months.
