California’s crackdown on organized retail crime has yielded significant results in the first five months of 2025, with law enforcement recovering nearly $6.5 million in stolen merchandise and making more than 600 arrests, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced recently.
The state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force conducted 331 investigations and made 629 arrests while recovering 113,245 stolen items from January through May, according to data released by the governor’s office. The enforcement surge comes as California implements tougher penalties for repeat retail theft offenders under new legislation passed last year.
“In California, we value our public safety and back our business community,” Newsom said. “Organized retail crimes have no place in our society and I’m proud of the work our CHP officers do up and down the state to protect our families and communities.”…