Democratic lawmakers introduce legislation to target organized retail theft, online resellers
10 months, 1 week ago

Democratic lawmakers introduce legislation to target organized retail theft, online resellers

LA Times  

A guard watches the entrance to a Louis Vuitton store, which had its windows boarded up near San Francisco’s Union Square in November 2021. The legislative package, authored by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, will focus on so-called organized retail theft crime rings, which are blamed for the uptick in the high-profile, smash-and-grab incidents plaguing California. This month, Newsom sent 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland under a new state law enforcement campaign targeting a rise in violent crime and theft that has increased criticism of California’s criminal justice policies. Recently, Mayors London Breed of San Francisco and Matt Mahan of San José endorsed a ballot measure that would reform Proposition 47, an initiative voters passed a decade ago to reduce mass incarceration by reclassifying some felony crimes, including retail theft, into misdemeanors. Misdemeanors are crimes.” Bonta made the comment after announcing his office had filed criminal charges against nine people who were engaged in a multimillion-dollar organized retail theft operation across 21 counties in the state.

Crime Retail Theft San Francisco California Newsom Retail Theft Crimes Rivas Retail Crime Organized Retail Theft Zbur  thefts  resellers  crime  crimes  theft  online  introduce  organized  san  lawmakers  retail  state  zbur  target  legislation  democratic  rivas  retailers

History of this topic

Shoplifting ring stole $2M in cosmetics and clothes then resold them abroad, prosecutors say
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Shoplifting ring stole $2M in cosmetics and clothes then resold them abroad, prosecutors say

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A shoplifting ring that stole nearly $2 million in clothes and beauty products from Macy’s and other well-known stores in the U.S. and then resold them in New York City and the Dominican Republic has been busted, law enforcement officials announced Tuesday. Five New Yorkers have been charged with felony possession of stolen property, conspiracy and other …

California governor signs a bill bringing back harsh penalties for smash-and-grab robberies
3 months, 1 week ago

California governor signs a bill bringing back harsh penalties for smash-and-grab robberies

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday bringing back tough criminal penalties targeting large-scale stealing schemes and smash-and-grab robberies that have fueled voter frustration across the state. “We can be tough on crime while also being smart on crime — we don’t need to go back to broken policies of the last century.” The decision to …

California governor signs a bill bringing back harsh penalties for smash-and-grab robberies
3 months, 1 week ago

California governor signs a bill bringing back harsh penalties for smash-and-grab robberies

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday bringing back tough …

Father and daughter arrested in SoCal retail theft ring, CHP says
4 months ago

Father and daughter arrested in SoCal retail theft ring, CHP says

LA Times  

Investigators from the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce found merchandise including shoes, purses and perfumes at a home in Inglewood. Last month, the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce served a search warrant on an Inglewood home where investigators suspected stolen goods were stored before being sold at Roadium Open Air Market in Torrance. Cuadra was booked on suspicion …

New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting
4 months, 1 week ago

New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While shoplifting has been a growing problem, large-scale, smash-and-grab …

New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting
4 months, 1 week ago

New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. The move comes as Democratic leadership works to prove that they’re tough enough on crime while trying to convince voters reject a ballot measure that would bring even harsher sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting and drug charges. “We know that retail theft has consequences, big and small, physical and financial,” state Sen. Nancy Skinner, …

California Legislature passes bills to curb retail theft over objections from some Democrats
4 months, 1 week ago

California Legislature passes bills to curb retail theft over objections from some Democrats

LA Times  

California lawmakers on Monday gave final approval to a package of 10 bills meant to combat retail theft, an effort that divided Democrats as they confronted key issues in the upcoming November election. California lawmakers passed these bills to address crime: AB 2943 allows felony charges on the third theft offense, aggregates dollar amounts and expands drug diversion programs. The …

Top California Democrats announce ballot measure targeting retail theft
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Top California Democrats announce ballot measure targeting retail theft

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Top California Democrats want to advance legislation to crack down on retail theft, announcing they plan to send the measure to voters in November despite a tough-on-crime initiative already backed by retailers and law enforcement. State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire said Monday it’s “unfortunate” and “frustrating” that lawmakers have to put a crime-focused measure on …

‘Theft is an act of desperation’: Pushback remains as Legislature rushes retail theft bills to Newsom
6 months ago

‘Theft is an act of desperation’: Pushback remains as Legislature rushes retail theft bills to Newsom

LA Times  

Nicholas Michael Nelson, who goes by “Poodle,” takes medication in their unit at the public housing facility where they live in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. Nelson, who is nonbinary and goes by the name “Poodle,” moved to San Francisco last year and turned to shoplifting to survive in a town that’s pricey even for the well-to-do. “It’s degrading.” …

California lawmakers fast-track bill that would require online sellers to verify their identity
6 months, 1 week ago

California lawmakers fast-track bill that would require online sellers to verify their identity

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A California bill that would …

California advances legislation cracking down on stolen goods resellers and auto theft
7 months ago

California advances legislation cracking down on stolen goods resellers and auto theft

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Senate approved a bipartisan package of 15 bills Wednesday that would increase penalties for organized crime rings, expand drug court programs and close a legal loophole to make it easier to prosecute auto thefts. “We are working together for safer California, putting aside politics and making sure we do right for our communities.” It normally …

Thief swipes $1,000 worth of deodorant from Agoura Hills store, leaves no scent
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Thief swipes $1,000 worth of deodorant from Agoura Hills store, leaves no scent

LA Times  

Authorities are searching for the person who stole more than $1,000 in deodorant from a CVS in Agoura Hills on March 17. Talk about a clean getaway: A man wearing blue medical scrubs made off with over $1,000 worth of deodorant in a heist that has confounded authorities for weeks. The deodorant caper happened on March 17 at an Agoura …

‘The bane of retail.’ To prevent theft, many big chains now lock up all kinds of merchandise
7 months, 4 weeks ago

‘The bane of retail.’ To prevent theft, many big chains now lock up all kinds of merchandise

LA Times  

Detergent and deodorant, toothpaste, the entire shampoo aisle. “It’s all locked up,” Corey Potter sighed, describing shelves encased behind security glass at a Target near her Echo Park home. “Locking a product,” a spokesperson for CVS said in an email, “is a measure of last resort.” Retail theft has become a priority for California leaders in recent years. “These measures …

Can California curb retail theft without changing Prop. 47? Assembly Democrats unveil their plan
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Can California curb retail theft without changing Prop. 47? Assembly Democrats unveil their plan

LA Times  

Toothbrushes are among the many products locked behind security glass at a Target in Pasadena. The crux of the issue is a debate over whether California can curb theft without changing Proposition 47, the liberal criminal justice measure voters approved in 2014 that reclassified some felony drug and theft offenses under $950 as misdemeanors. And for us, each one of …

California Democratic lawmakers seek ways to combat retail theft while keeping progressive policy
9 months ago

California Democratic lawmakers seek ways to combat retail theft while keeping progressive policy

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Facing mounting pressure to crack down on a retail theft crisis, California lawmakers are split on how best to tackle the problem that some say has caused major store closures and products like deodorants to be locked behind plexiglass. But a growing number of law enforcement officials, along with Republican and moderate Democratic lawmakers, said California needs …

State senators respond to fentanyl and retail theft crises with new legislation
9 months, 4 weeks ago

State senators respond to fentanyl and retail theft crises with new legislation

LA Times  

State Senate President Mike McGuire of Healdsburg joined other lawmakers in introducing bills to address California’s fentanyl crisis and outbreak of organized retail thefts. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the California senate on Monday announced a package of legislation to address the growing fentanyl crisis and untamed outbreak of organized retail thefts. The Hoopa Valley tribe faces a fentanyl …

California lawmakers want to curb retail theft, but say it’s not as easy as it sounds
11 months, 3 weeks ago

California lawmakers want to curb retail theft, but say it’s not as easy as it sounds

LA Times  

While California lawmakers feel pressure to address concerns about crime, the murky and sometimes contradictory evidence of an increase in lawlessness has put legislators in a bind. Some California prosecutors and business leaders blame the state’s “toothless” laws against nonviolent retail theft, saying the problem has grown worse because of the lack of serious consequences for offenders. “That’s part of …

Editorial: California’s retail theft hearings scapegoat Proposition 47
1 year ago

Editorial: California’s retail theft hearings scapegoat Proposition 47

LA Times  

Razor blades are locked up behind a glass showcase at a CVS store in Woodland Hills to fight shoplifting. Three lengthy state hearings on California retail theft since mid-November have so far established that policymakers don’t understand why shoplifting and smash-and-grab robberies have increased since 2020. The unreliability of data about theft did not, however, stop some lawmakers and law …

Raid finds more than $1 million in cosmetics said to be stolen from CVS, Sephora and 99 Cents Only stores
1 year ago

Raid finds more than $1 million in cosmetics said to be stolen from CVS, Sephora and 99 Cents Only stores

LA Times  

The Organized Retail Crime Taskforce of the CHP conducted a raid on a warehouse in Paramount and The Makeup Store on Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles, uncovering more than $1 million in allegedly stolen cosmetics. Responding to a recent surge in retail theft, the California Highway Patrol announced Thursday that it had seized more than $1 million in suspected stolen …

Column: How the retail lobby sold a $45-billion whopper about organized shoplifting
1 year ago

Column: How the retail lobby sold a $45-billion whopper about organized shoplifting

LA Times  

If you’re making a list of big news stories of 2023, here’s one you might want to check twice: The surge in “organized retail crime,” or gang shoplifting. — Donald Trump’s master plan for solving the shoplifting crisis The statistic, published in April by the National Retail Federation, was that “organized retail crime” — including the videotaped flash mob smash-and-grab …

The Shoplifting Epidemic Touted By Fox News Is Likely Overblown, Data Shows
1 year ago

The Shoplifting Epidemic Touted By Fox News Is Likely Overblown, Data Shows

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING There is a retail crime wave terrorizing Americans — if you’re tuned in to conservative media. After looking through a video database of Fox programming over the last five years, Media Matters found a very small number of retail theft mentions between 2019 and 2020 — just 35. Considering how many national outlets are based in New …

Retail group pulls back on claim organized retail crime accounts for nearly half of inventory loss
1 year ago

Retail group pulls back on claim organized retail crime accounts for nearly half of inventory loss

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, has revised a report released in April that pulls back the claim that organized retail crime accounts for nearly half of overall industry shrink, which measures overall loss in inventory, including theft. The revision of the group’s organized retail crime report on Dec. 1 follows an analysis …

Shoplifting surged a staggering 64% in New York City in the past four years - with Los Angeles also seeing a 61% spike
1 year, 1 month ago

Shoplifting surged a staggering 64% in New York City in the past four years - with Los Angeles also seeing a 61% spike

Daily Mail  

Shoplifting continues to be a major crisis in America's two largest cities, as thefts increased 64 percent in New York City and 61 percent in Los Angeles over the last four years. Six other major American cities have Shoplifting continues to be a major crisis in America's two largest cities, as thefts increased 64 percent in New York City and …

America's shoplifting hotspots: The top 11 cities with the highest rate of retail theft revealed - and San Francisco isn't number one!
1 year, 1 month ago

America's shoplifting hotspots: The top 11 cities with the highest rate of retail theft revealed - and San Francisco isn't number one!

Daily Mail  

Los Angeles has the highest rate of retail crime, new figures show Downtown San Francisco has developed a reputation as a breeding ground for theft in recent years. Instead, Los Angeles had the highest rate of 'organized retail crime' for the fifth consecutive year in 2022, according to a report by the National Retail Federation. A report by the National …

California targets smash-and-grabs with $267 million program aimed at ‘brazen’ store thefts
1 year, 3 months ago

California targets smash-and-grabs with $267 million program aimed at ‘brazen’ store thefts

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will spend $267 million to help dozens of local law enforcement agencies increase patrols, buy surveillance equipment and conduct other activities aimed at cracking down on smash-and-grab robberies happening around the state. The grants, to be distributed over the next three years, will help local law enforcement agencies create investigative units, increase foot patrol, purchase advanced …

Opinion: Are Southern California mob robberies part of a retail crime wave? It’s complicated
1 year, 3 months ago

Opinion: Are Southern California mob robberies part of a retail crime wave? It’s complicated

LA Times  

Retail crime is having a moment. Total retail “shrink” — usually cast as a proxy for theft — was $94.5 billion in 2021, up from $90.8 billion in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, Dollar Tree, Foot Locker, Home Depot, Walmart and other retailers also identified crime as a growing problem this earnings season. …

Editorial: L.A.’s smash-and-grab robberies are terrible, but not spurred by criminal justice reform
1 year, 4 months ago

Editorial: L.A.’s smash-and-grab robberies are terrible, but not spurred by criminal justice reform

LA Times  

An estimated 30 to 50 people participated in a brazen daytime robbery at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The Los Angeles Police Department is reportedly increasing patrols as a response to recent flash mob robberies, and that conceivably could shore up shoppers’ confidence. For example, we should be …

A 'mob of criminals' stole more than $300,000 worth of goods from an LA Nordstrom
1 year, 4 months ago

A 'mob of criminals' stole more than $300,000 worth of goods from an LA Nordstrom

NPR  

A 'mob of criminals' stole more than $300,000 worth of goods from an LA Nordstrom Enlarge this image toggle caption @noelskeez/Screenshot by NPR @noelskeez/Screenshot by NPR The Los Angeles Police Department said a "mob of criminals" ransacked a Nordstrom department store in Topanga on Saturday, stealing more than $300,000 worth of products in broad daylight. Sponsor Message Police said on …

San Francisco Target store is being shoplifted every 10 minutes
1 year, 7 months ago

San Francisco Target store is being shoplifted every 10 minutes

Daily Mail  

It comes after a number of major chains announced they would be closing their stores in San Francisco due to soaring crime figures Workers have said that they watch people 'shoveling stuff' into bags and as a result multiple products are now placed behind plastic barriers. Employees say the San Francisco store near Union Square has been experiencing a theft …

Virginia passes law to crack down on organized retail theft
1 year, 10 months ago

Virginia passes law to crack down on organized retail theft

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — It’s a scene that’s gone viral over and over, with social media videos showing groups of thieves brazenly stealing bags of merchandise from stores around the country. In Virginia, where a state report found that approximately $1.3 billion in merchandise is stolen this way annually, state lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that will make organized retail theft a …

U.S. retailers add cameras, steel cables to deter holiday crime
2 years, 1 month ago

U.S. retailers add cameras, steel cables to deter holiday crime

The Hindu  

Retailers ranging from Walmart to Barnes & Noble are installing cameras or locking away items to deter shoplifters and thieves as they brace for a post-pandemic rush of holiday shoppers this year. Crime has been in the spotlight since a spate of brazen, violent store thefts - including a "smash and grab" incident during the holiday season last year where …

Connecticut task force to combat organized retail crime
3 years ago

Connecticut task force to combat organized retail crime

Associated Press  

Connecticut has formed a task force charged with combating the growing problem of organized robberies at brick-and-mortar retailers, Gov. “What we’re seeing is that it’s possible for an organized crime ring, often across state lines, to steal large quantities of these everyday products and then, not just take them to a pawn shop or sell them off the back of …

Retailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise
3 years ago

Retailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise

LA Times  

A security guard watches the entrance to a Louis Vuitton store with boarded-up windows in San Francisco on Nov. 30. The country’s largest retail industry group, the National Retail Federation, estimated in its latest report that losses from organized retail theft average $700,000 per $1 billion in sales — or 0.07% of total sales — an amount roughly 330 times …

Column: After smash-and-grab thefts across California, is it time to reconsider Proposition 47?
3 years ago

Column: After smash-and-grab thefts across California, is it time to reconsider Proposition 47?

LA Times  

A security guard patrols the front entrance of Nordstrom as shoppers enter on Tuesday after an organized group of thieves attempted a smash-and-grab robbery at the Grove on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles. “Criminals have been laughing at us.. There’s a clear belief — and very large reality — that there’s no consequences any more to theft.. You tell everybody …

DAs, retailers say California needs tougher retail theft law
3 years ago

DAs, retailers say California needs tougher retail theft law

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Spurred by a recent run of large-scale smash-and-grab robberies, prosecutors and retailers are pushing back on assertions by California’s governor and attorney general that they have enough tools to combat retail theft in the wake of a voter-approved easing of related laws. “We cannot function as a society where we have told people over and over again …

LA authorities announce arrests in smash-and-grab robberies
3 years ago

LA authorities announce arrests in smash-and-grab robberies

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday announced more than a dozen arrests in recent smash-and-grab thefts at stores where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, part of a rash of organized retail crime in California. At a joint news conference, both Moore and Mayor Eric Garcetti called for an end to a no-bail policy for some …

Members of Bay Area retail theft ring that stole millions plead guilty
3 years ago

Members of Bay Area retail theft ring that stole millions plead guilty

LA Times  

Members of a Bay Area theft ring believed to have stolen merchandise worth millions of dollars from retailers have pleaded guilty in the case and its leader is expected to be sentenced to several years in prison, California Atty. Bonta’s warning came amid growing concern over a recent surge in thefts and robberies involving large groups of people who mobbed …

A new breed of brazen takeover robbers hitting California luxury retailers, raising ire
3 years, 1 month ago

A new breed of brazen takeover robbers hitting California luxury retailers, raising ire

LA Times  

Union Square visitors look at damage to the Louis Vuitton store on Sunday after thieves ransacked businesses late Saturday night in San Francisco. Gavin Newsom described the incidents as “people smashing and grabbing, stealing people’s items, creating havoc, terror in the streets.” Newsom said he was speaking not just as governor but as a business owner. California Bay Area hit …

Empty shelves in New York drug stores as shoplifting surge hits city
3 years, 2 months ago

Empty shelves in New York drug stores as shoplifting surge hits city

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A wave of shoplifting …

Brazen shoplifting spurs California law for organized thefts
3 years, 5 months ago

Brazen shoplifting spurs California law for organized thefts

Associated Press  

LONG BEACH, Calif. — With violent smash-and-grab shoplifting costing California businesses millions of dollars annually, Gov. “When they see these things go viral, the perception of lawlessness, the perception that anything goes — that has to be overcome, too.” Nationally, organized retail theft costs businesses tens of billions of dollars annually. The union that represents San Francisco rank-and-file police officers …

San Francisco’s chain drug stores have a shoplifting problem
3 years, 6 months ago

San Francisco’s chain drug stores have a shoplifting problem

CNN  

CNN — A brazen daytime shoplifting incident captured on video at a Walgreens in San Francisco on Monday has highlighted what local officials say has become a consistent problem, particularly for chain drug stores in the city. “Unfortunately, this is another example of blatant retail theft which is an ongoing problem for several retailers in San Francisco,” Walgreens spokesman Phil …

Discover Related