SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Highway Patrol says people can expect to see more patrols at shopping centers as this year's busy holiday shopping season kicks into high gear.
Black Friday is next week, and CHP has a message for anybody planning to commit organized retail theft.
“Crime doesn’t pay. This is not the way to make a future for yourself, and I would encourage you to get out while you still can," said Captain Jason Daughrity.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 331, which targets organized retail theft. The bill gives CHP extra funds to collaborate more with local police and retailers. It provided funds for a CHP Task Force in the Bay Area, Southern California, and now the Sacramento region is being added to the list.
“The Sacramento Region has been identified as a region for having a problem with organized retail crime,” said Daughrity.
A March smash-and-grab theft at the Roseville Galleria was a shock to shoppers, but since 2019, the California Highway Patrol says they have made 252 arrests related to retail theft and recovered $16 million in stolen goods from across the state.
“On a large scale, we have to do what we can to try to keep this from happening,” said Daughrity.
To that end, people can expect more patrols at shopping centers near them.
“We want high visibility both from the California Highway Patrol and from our allied agency partners, and what that will hopefully do is deter criminal activity and dissuade people who are tempted to basically take an opportunity and keep it from happening,” said Daughrity.
AB 331 also provides $255 million in grants for local law enforcement over the next three years to tackle retail theft.
