$7.8M in stolen goods recovered in California crackdown

( NewsNation ) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that a state retail theft task force has recovered more than $7.8 million worth of stolen merchandise and made over 1,000 arrests since the beginning of the year.

The Organized Retail Crime Task Force , led by the California Highway Patrol, has conducted 573 investigations this year. Since 2019, the CHP has helped recover nearly 879,000 stolen items valued at approximately $46 million.

“Month after month, the California Highway Patrol’s tireless efforts to crack down on organized crime continue to yield results,” Newsom said. “The state has no plans on letting up soon.”

The governor recently signed several bills aimed at combating retail theft. His “ Real Public Safety Plan ” includes increasing local law enforcement presence to address the issue.

However, critics argue these measures may be too little, too late.

Jamie McBride, a veteran Los Angeles Police Department detective and director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these efforts without broader legal reforms.

McBride pointed to Proposition 47, which he claims created the current situation by reducing penalties for certain thefts. He stressed the importance of successful prosecutions, not just arrests and recoveries.

“It’s a great start, but there’s a lot more issues,” McBride said on NewsNation’s “ Dan Abrams Live ,” noting that a proposed measure, Proposition 36, could address some concerns by giving judges more discretion in drug-related cases.

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