The California Retailers Association is proud of the partnership we forged with California Governor Gavin Newsom's office and the California Highway Patrol to combat the rise in organized retail crime. CRA worked with the Governor's Administration to secure funding for and expansion of the ORC Taskforces including dedicated ORC prosecutors for each task force and local law enforcement grants for retail theft. The following is a press release Governor Newsom's office shared today detailing this collaboration at work.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Governor's Press Office: (916) 445-4571

California Takes Down Coordinated Multi-State

Retail Theft Crime Ring

• Responsible for $1 Million in Goods Stolen from Stores
• Individuals to be Charged with Felonies by Attorney General Bonta

SACRAMENTO – The California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Task Forces, expanded by Governor Newsom in 2022, alongside multiple law enforcement agencies, announced the takedown of an organized retail theft ring responsible for the theft of more than $1 million worth of goods from Apple stores throughout multiple counties in California and beyond.



“Californians deserve to feel safe and businesses deserve to operate throughout the state without fear of theft,” said Governor Newsom. “Our retail theft task force continues to crack down on crime, recovering more than $28 million worth of stolen merchandise to date. I want to thank our CHP officers, Attorney General Bonta, and our federal and local partners for helping create a safer California.”

TASK FORCE DATA

Since the California Highway Patrol Organized Retail Crime Task Force’s inception in 2019, the CHP has been involved in 1,469 investigations, resulting in 853 arrests, and the recovery of stolen merchandise valued at over $28 million dollars.

ADDITIONAL ACTION

Throughout his time in office, Governor Gavin Newsom has and continues to prioritize combating organized retail theft by investing more than $241.4 million just in the last year to bolster law enforcement efforts to address organized retail theft and other crimes, and support affected businesses, including:

• Provided a total of $15 million annually for the California Highway Patrol to expand and make permanent its Organized Retail Crime Task Force. This unit works with local law enforcement to address organized theft in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego regions, and was expanded by Governor Newsom to cover the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley regions.
• Providing annual funding ($30 million over the next three years) to support District Attorneys effectively prosecuting theft-related crimes.
• Funding the creation of a new unit, housed in the state Attorney General’s office, with specialized investigators and prosecutors focused specifically on organized theft rings.
• Providing $85 million annually for three years in competitive grants for local law enforcement to combat organized retail crime so Californians and businesses across the state can feel safe.
• Signed AB 331(Jones-Sawyer), extending CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force sunset provision.

###