SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Law enforcement across California is gearing up to prevent retail theft amid the holiday season.
California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee, Los Angeles County Assistant Sheriff Holly Francisco and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins gathered on a Zoom livestream Wednesday morning in conjunction with the Governor's Office to discuss deterring organized retail theft, “brazen” smash-and-grabs and their negative effects on businesses ahead of the holidays.
“To the criminals who are tempted to engage in retail theft and believe this is an easy score, the deck is stacked against you,” Duryee said. “Law enforcement is organized and proactively taking steps to identify, arrest, and hold you accountable.”
Twelve new retail theft task forces formed or forming across the state have been made available through grant funding, Duryee said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and San Francisco District Attorney’s Office are partnering agencies in that effort.
“We want the community to feel safe when they’re out shopping,” Francisco said. “We don’t want (business owners) suffering financial loss at the hands of these organized retail theft crews.”
Francisco said the target is not only individuals committing the retail theft but also the criminal chain including getaway drivers and those selling the items online or in person.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna created a 32-person task force through grants to combat retail crime, Francisco said. There is a detective within the force specifically designated to keep an open line of communication with the business community and residents.
The 32 task force members are assigned to different geographic areas, Francisco said.
“A notable investigation handled by this task force dealt with a crew of individuals targeting BevMo stores,” Francisco said. “That crew was responsible for targeting and committing at least seven robberies that we know of in the L.A. County area, which had a total loss of about $10,000 to those store owners.”
Jenkins said she has seen significant progress in the number of arrests of individuals participating in organized retail theft events since she took office in San Francisco in July 2022.
“We have been able to appoint a specific attorney dedicated to the vertical prosecution of organized retail theft,” Jenkins said. “That means that this attorney will take the case from the moment we receive it, decide what charges are appropriate and prosecute that case through to jury trial.”
She said her office will also appoint a specific investigator with grant funding. The attorney and investigator will work in tandem to determine how retail theft is organized and who is organizing it, Jenkins said.
If people witness an organized retail crime, law enforcement said it asks people not to attempt to intervene or challenge a criminal.
“We have seen over the recent past that these criminals have become far more brazen and are willing to become more violent in these situations,” Jenkins said. “I would caution anyone against trying to confront them as a civilian who happens to be shopping in the store.”
Shoppers who witness a crime should alert an employee and call 911.
“Make sure that you identify yourself in that call because oftentimes what we need are eyewitnesses who can help to identify these perpetrators later or can help serve as a witness in a future prosecution,” Jenkins said. “If you just call anonymously, it can make it difficult for us on the back end.”
