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Gov. Gavin Newsom said that on Dec. 20, police caught more than 100 people stealing from stores across California in retail theft cases. Officers also found $38,000 worth of stolen goods during the statewide operation.
California Highway Patrol and local police departments worked together in Operation Holiday Watch, catching 117 people and returning 767 stolen items, such as clothes, shoes, and perfumes. Police also found two illegal guns and three stolen cars in the one-day sweep.
"The state stands committed to protecting shoppers, especially as they go about the final shopping sprint before the holiday season," Newsom said.
"Through working with local police and stores, we were able to protect businesses and shoppers during one of the busiest times of the year," CHP Commissioner Duryee said.
Ten police departments worked with 56 stores to catch thefts. Police from Hemet, Los Angeles, Glendale, Bakersfield, Woodland, Walnut Creek, Livermore, and San Ramon joined in. Police said people caught in the sweep may face small theft charges, big theft charges, or charges for planned store theft.
This sweep is part of California's bigger fight against retail theft. Since the state made a special police team to stop store theft in 2019, CHP has looked into more than 3,200 cases. They have caught over 3,500 people and found nearly 1.3 million stolen items worth $51.3 million.
California has spent $1.1 billion since 2019 to help local police and make streets safer. Last year, the state gave $267 million to 55 local police departments to fight store theft. This money allows cities and counties to hire more police, catch more thieves, and charge more people with serious crimes.
This summer, Newsom signed new laws to punish repeat thieves more. The laws make it easier to charge thieves with bigger crimes and crack down on people stealing from stores and cars.
Last year, CHP conducted more operations to catch store thieves. The agency also ran special operations across the state to fight crime and make shopping areas safer.
During Operation Holiday Watch, police watched busy shopping areas to stop crimes before they happened. CHP plans to work with stores and neighborhoods yearly to prevent retail theft.
The operation follows Newsom's safety plan, which aims to strengthen local police, punish thieves, and remove guns and drugs from the streets. The plan also involves placing more CHP officers in places with high crime rates, such as Bakersfield, Oakland, and San Francisco.
CHP leaders said they would not let store theft continue in California and promised to continue working with local police and stores to stop it.
Police said they plan to continue these team efforts in the new year. Officials said CHP will continue working with stores and neighborhoods to prevent theft throughout the year.
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