California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday the state would be tripling California Highway Patrol resources in the Los Angeles area to help combat organized retail theft.
The CHP has been tasked by the state to battle retail crime, and the Governor’s Office said their efforts have been successful.
But following major large-scale burglaries across the Los Angeles region in recent weeks, the Governor says additional help is needed.
The announcement by Newsom follows a similar announcement made hours earlier by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other local leaders, establishing a new organized retail theft task force to crack down on “flash mob“-style burglaries.
That regional task force will be similar in nature to the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, and will include statewide partners, including Highway Patrol. CHP will be expanding its resources and allocating more investigators specifically in L.A.
“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,” Gov. Newsom said in a release. “The CHP is the proven leader in tackling organized retail theft and through this expanded partnership the agency will further assist the city in doing its job to keep Angelenos and their businesses safe.”
The CHP task force was established in 2019, and the Governor’s Office says its arrested more than 1,250 people and recovered more than $30 million in stolen merchandise since its creation.
“Law enforcement is all about partnership – and the CHP is proud to be a good partner to Los Angeles,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Working together, and by utilizing the CHP’s wide breadth of expertise and resources, we will crack down on this uptick in dangerous and unacceptable criminal activity.”