Retail theft in these 3 California cities among worst in US, study shows

LOS ANGELES - Three California cities rank among the top U.S. cities impacted by organized retail crime, according to the National Retail Federation's recent annual report.

It's the fifth year in a row Los Angeles ranked No. 1. The San Francisco Bay Area was second for the third straight year. Sacramento also made the top 10, ranking No. 7.

The 2023 Retail Security Survey analyzed 177 retail brands, which accounted for $1.6 trillion of annual retail sales in 2022 and represent more than 97,000 retail locations across the U.S. It found the "shrink rate" (lost inventory) rose from 1.4% in 2021 to 1.6% in 2022.

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"Retail crime, violence and theft continue to impact the retail industry at unprecedented levels," NRF said in its report. "The effects of these criminal acts are not isolated to large national brands or large metropolitan cities. Daily media reports show that no business is immune, and these issues touch retailers of all segments, sizes and locations across the United States."

The NRF defined organized retail crime as theft/fraud activity conducted with the intent to convert illegally obtained merchandise, cash, cargo or cash equivalent for financial gain.

The NRF found that the cities most impacted by retail theft last year based on the reported inventory losses are as follows:

1. Los Angeles, California

2. Oakland/San Francisco, California

3. Houston, Texas

4. New York City, New York

5. Seattle, Washington

6. Atlanta, Georgia

7-8.  Sacramento, California and Chicago, Illinois (tied)

9-11. Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida; and Albuquerque, New Mexico

The study also revealed the most frequently targeted items as accessories, clothing, electronics, food and beverage, and footwear to round out the top five. 

Not only is there more retail theft crimes being committed, but the people committing these crimes are becoming more violent too, the study found.

Last year, 81% of respondents reported that ORC offenders had become more violent. This year, more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they were seeing even more violence and aggression from ORC perpetrators compared with a year ago.

In August, Los Angeles formed its own task force dedicated to cracking down on retail crime. 

The task force includes 22 assigned full-time investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Glendale Police Department Burbank Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, Santa Monica Police Department, and California Highway Patrol, as well as federal partners. 

Over the summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom also directed the CHP to triple its resources in Los Angeles to help the city crack down on organized retail crime. The state will spend $267 million to help dozens of local law enforcement agencies increase patrols, buy surveillance equipment and conduct other activities aimed at cracking down on smash-and-grab robberies happening around the state.

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"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. 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," he said.

The grants, to be distributed over the next three years, will help local law enforcement agencies create investigative units, increase foot patrol, purchase advanced surveillance technology and equipment, as well as crack down on vehicle and catalytic converter theft. The money would also help fund units in district attorney’s offices dedicated to prosecuting these crimes.

Retailers in California and in cities elsewhere around the U.S., including Chicago and Minneapolis, have been targeted by large-scale thefts when groups of people show up in groups for mass shoplifting events or to enter stores and smash and grab from display cases.

Several dozen people participated in a brazen smash-and-grab flash mob at a Nordstrom store in the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center. Other high-end malls have been hit in similar fashion in recent years. Lately, a Gucci store and a Yves Saint Laurent store were major targets in the Los Angeles area, prompting authorities to announce a new task force to investigate the crimes.

"No Angeleno should feel like it’s not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles," Mayor Karen Bass said last month while announcing the new task force. "No entrepreneur should feel like it’s not safe to open a business."

Since 2019, law enforcement in California has arrested more than 1,250 people and recovered $30.7 million in stolen merchandise, the governor’s office said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.