California: Coordinated organized retail theft crackdown recovers $8 million in stolen assets this year
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Aug 7, 2025

Coordinated organized retail theft crackdown recovers $8 million in stolen assets this year

What you need to know: Building on years of work, in 2025, the state's CHP-led Organized Retail Crime Task Force have so far made over 700 arrests and recovered nearly 150,000 stolen goods worth $8 million.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that in the last 7 months, the state's CHP-led Organized Retail Crime Task Force has conducted 415 investigations which have led to 706 arrests and the recovery of nearly 150,000 stolen goods valued at an estimated $8 million.

We are serious about stomping out crime rings that target California's businesses and undermine public safety. We appreciate the work of our law enforcement partners statewide to apprehend these bad actors.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Spearheaded by the California Highway Patrol, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force works with state, local and federal partners to tackle retail crime statewide. Since its inception, the Task Force teams statewide have recovered more than 1.4 million items of stolen retail merchandise, valued at nearly $60 million. The Task Force members have arrested over 4,500 suspects for retail crimes and have been involved in almost 4,000 investigations.

"Organized retail crime doesn't just impact businesses, it threatens the safety and stability of our communities," said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. "The California Highway Patrol is committed to holding offenders accountable and working with our law enforcement partners across the state to stop these crimes at their source."

Multi-officer coordination in Northern California

During a notable operation in July, the Task Force learned of a prolific crew affecting multiple retailers in Northern California, including Lululemon, American Eagle, Abercombie, Hollister, Alo Yoga, and Victoria's Secret, among others. Through coordination with the Sacramento Police Department, Placer District Attorney's Office, and Roseville Police Department, officers arrested four individuals, seized an unserialized assault rifle, and identified over 1,200 stolen retail products valued at more than $92,000. The ongoing investigation has uncovered evidence of a potential larger conspiracy.

Crime in California drops again

California is delivering on its promises – significant investments in public safety help ensure safety in communities statewide with lower crime rates in 2024. New data released by the California Department of Justice shows that in 2024, nearly every major crime category declined, including violent crime, property crime, homicides, aggravated assaults, motor vehicle theft, burglary, and robbery. The 2024 homicide rate is now the second lowest since at least 1966. The overall number of homicides decreased by nearly 12% since 2023. In addition, total full-time criminal justice personnel increased 1.9% from 2023 to 2024.

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In addition, California continues to lead the way out of the COVID-induced crime surge, as the number of vehicles stolen statewide has dropped by 13% from 2023 to 2024 – the first year-over-year decrease since 2019. Of those vehicles stolen, nearly 92% of cars, trucks and SUVs were successfully recovered.

Stronger enforcement. Serious penalties. Real consequences.

California has invested $1.7 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California's Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

Last August, Governor Newsom signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state's robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills offer new tools to bolster ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for smash-and-grab robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries. While California's crime rate remains at near historic lows, these laws help California adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.

Regional, state, and local partnerships

Through expanded regional efforts with the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies, Governor Newsom has sought to strengthen efforts to fight vehicle theft through crime suppression operations in key areas, including Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Bernardino. These ongoing regional operations have shown positive results throughout the broader communities in Alameda, Kern and San Bernardino counties. Working closely with local law enforcement agencies, auto thieves, repeat offenders and organized crime groups have been disrupted, and their activities have been thwarted.

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