Three men were caught on video smashing display cases at an Irvine jewelry store on Aug. 1, 2023. (Irvine Police Department)
The California Highway Patrol taskforce assembled to combat retail crimes had a record-breaking year, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In the first 11 months of 2023, the CHP task force surpassed milestones across the board, making more arrests, recovering more stolen items and conducting more proactive operations than any year previous.
According to data released from the state Tuesday, more than 1,000 arrests were made related to organized retail theft in 2023, more than twice as many from 2022. Additionally, authorities recovered 187,515 items that were stolen from retailers, which was more than 38,000 higher than the previous year.
But the biggest leap comes from what the state is calling “proactive” operations, stopping crimes before they happen, which saw a more than 300% increase this year.
2023* |
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| PROACTIVE OPERATIONS | 215 (313% increase) | 52 | ** | ** | ** |
| INVESTIGATIONS | 528 (47% increase) | 358 | 180 | 135 | 24 |
| ARRESTS | 1,005(109% increase) | 482 | 192 | 109 | 16 |
| STOLEN ITEMS RECOVERED | 187,515(25% increase) | 148,891 | 104,812 | 18,879 | 3,331 |
Newsom highlighted the national trend of increased retail theft, but said California was leading the way in its efforts to combat the issues and “meeting the moment,” a phrase that has become a trademark for the governor.
“I’m grateful for the CHP — along with our critical police, sheriff, and district attorney partners — for their continued efforts to leverage the state’s tools and unprecedented resources to crack down on this unacceptable crime,” Newsom said.
While complete data for 2023 won’t be available until next month, the numbers released this week indicate that California authorities are making an effort to crack down on the high-profile crimes that have grown more common since the 2019 when the task force was formed.
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee the cooperation and dedication between local law enforcement agencies across the state is making a measurable dent in the growing problem.
“These early results, which are a team effort, show California is headed in the right direction,” Duryee said.
The Governor’s Office says the CHP task force has led more than 1,225 investigations since it was established as part of Newsom’s Real Public Safety Plan, which it says focuses on “strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets.”
The California 2023-24 budget includes more than $800 million set aside to support programs and partner agencies to battle retail crime.
Since 2019, the value of stolen retail merchandise recovered is estimated to be more than $21 million.
