Los Angeles will be getting more help to crack down on a wave of organized retail crime after California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to assist local law enforcement.
Newsom announced Aug. 17 the CHP would triple its resources in the region to tackle the crime wave. The agency will also allocate more investigators specifically assigned to a newly created task force dedicated to solving recent flash-mob burglaries and robberies.
“The state is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime and when our local partners need further assistance, we’re ready with a helping hand,” Mr. Newsom said in a statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also announced Thursday the formation of an Organized Retail Crime Task Force, calling a recent spate of thefts “unacceptable.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department along with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), those from the cities of Glendale, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, the CHP, U.S. Marshals, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will coordinate in the effort.
Several organized burglaries at luxury outlets in Los Angeles County have resulted in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise in the past few weeks.
Police are also looking for a second suspect and have obtained an arrest warrant.
Other similar burglaries remain unsolved.
On Aug. 15, a group of 10 to 12 thieves also ransacked the Ksubi luxury retail store on South La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles at closing time, taking about $100,000 worth of clothing and merchandise. The LAPD is also looking for suspects connected to a string of six taco stand robberies that occurred Aug. 16 between 9:40 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. at locations in Hollywood, Rampart, and the northeast and central regions of the city.
“Organized retail theft is a $30 billion problem in our country,” he said in the statement. “More troubling recently has been the escalation of individuals using weapons, fear and terror as they attack retail establishments.”
