SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom announced the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is increasing statewide efforts to combat organized retail crime as the annual holiday shopping season begins. As part of the Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan, the CHP is increasing its law enforcement presence in key retail districts across California and its Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) is increasing enforcement efforts through proactive and confidential law enforcement operations with allied agencies through the holidays — keeping more shoppers, merchants, and retail districts safe.
WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “When criminals run out of stores with stolen goods, they need to be arrested and escorted directly into jail cells. Leveraging hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement investments, the California Highway Patrol — working with allied agencies — is increasing enforcement efforts and conducting and supporting covert and confidential takedowns to stop these criminals in their tracks during the holiday season, and year-round.”
“The men and women of the California Highway Patrol are working around the clock to keep shoppers, merchants, and retail districts safe this holiday season — and year-round,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Much of our task force’s success can be attributed to the strong working relationships we have with our law enforcement partners throughout the state and the rapport we have cultivated with the retail industry. Working together with our partners, and utilizing the CHP’s extensive statewide resources, we are cracking down and stopping unacceptable criminal activity.”
Photo by CHP: Some of the $350,000 worth of evidence that CHP seized in a single recent investigation
The additional law enforcement presence across California is an effort to keep shoppers and merchants safe while catching retail criminals in the act. To help reduce the amount of retail crime that occurs during the holiday shopping season, the CHP’s ORCTF regional teams in Southern California, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, and Sacramento will be collaborating with retailers, loss prevention, and local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, several proactive and confidential law enforcement operations are planned with allied agencies throughout the state and investigators are aggressively investigating and taking down known boosters and fencing operations linked to organized retail crime.
Since the inception of the ORCTF in 2019, the CHP has been involved in nearly 2,200 investigations that have led to the arrests of more than 1,500 suspects and the recovery of nearly 420,000 items of stolen retail merchandise valued at more than $33 million. Building on these successful efforts, Governor Newsom announced earlier this year that the state awarded the largest-ever single investment to combat organized retail crime in California history — sending over $267 million to 55 cities and counties to increase arrests and prosecutions for organized retail crime.
Public safety funding in California is at an all-time high. Building on investments to improve officer retention and well-being and the Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan – which focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets – California’s 2023-24 budget includes more than $800 million in funding to support multiple programs to improve public safety and crack down on retail crime.
Previous Stories:
- Nov 17 – Organized Retail Theft Operation Recovers $350k in Stolen Merchandise
- Nov 7 – Concord Police Arrest 13 in Retail Theft Operation
- Nov 2 – Police Say Men Convicted in Retail Theft Hit 6 Brentwood Stores
- Oct 30 – Two East Bay Men Convicted of Robbery in Organized Retail Theft Series
- Oct 26 – Select Committee on Retail Theft Created
- Oct 20 – Four Arrested for Organized Retail Theft in Walnut Creek
- Oct 12 – Pleasant Hill Retail Theft Operation Nets 11 Arrests
2 comments
And soros da ready to drop charges.
Increased law enforcement needs more than just more police resources. Once thieves are arrested, they need to be vigorously prosecuted and sentenced. That means that Gav and his progressive liberal following in the legislature need to undo some of the damaging “reforms” they have made over the past decade to the criminal code and sentencing laws. Talk is cheap, Gav. Let’s see action.
Comments are closed.