Get The Facts
Retail and Residential Theft Needs to Be Addressed
Manhattan Institute issued a report titled California’s Prop 47 Exacerbated Crime and Drug Abuse. The study identified 6 crimes that were reclassified by Prop 47 including theft. The study suggests Prop 47 increased re-offending as well as failures to appear in court. The report also stated a significant drop in arrests, criminal sentencing, and defendants participating in drug treatment programs.
CARRT addressed the problem by supporting Proposition 36 which targets serial repeat offenders.
Crime Stats
In the ten years since Proposition 47 was passed, reported shoplifting has increased by more than 17%. In fact, 2023 saw the highest level of reported shoplifting since 1998.
While shoplifting has increased since Prop. 47 was passed, the proposition was designed to focus efforts on more serious crimes. However: violent crime has increased by nearly 32% — the highest in nearly 20 years.
Shoplifting is clearly underreported since motor vehicle thefts are actually higher than reported shoplifting cases.
“Retail theft losses may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Something needs to be done before mom-and-pop stores are stolen from our communities.” – Julian Canete, President and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.
“Businesses affected by crime must make up those losses by raising prices or reducing costs by reducing hours or closing stores. This disproportionately impacts communities of color.” – Jay King, President and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce.
88% of retailers are reporting shoplifters are more aggressive and violent compared to a year ago.
A Southern California independent chain of 50 grocery stores receives more than 100 theft notifications daily (more than 40,000 annually). This is despite additional security measures such as locking carts, security cameras and other measures.
Unfortunately, thieves are becoming brazen, with a store clerk in San Jose being killed over a liquor bottle.
Retailers are devoting considerable resources to prevent the victimization of their employees, guests, and organizations with more than half increasing security budgets – 2022 Retail Security Survey.
Theft goes beyond the retail space:
- More than 120 million packages worth more than $16 billion were stolen by porch pirates in the past year, according to SafeWise.
- CA catalytic converter thefts have climbed sharply from 1,300 reported thefts in 2018 to more than 52,000 in 2021. That is a more than 1,200% increase, according to Carfax.
The Causes: Soft-on-Crime Policies, Lack of Resources for Law Enforcement and Failure to Address Substance Abuse
“Why Shoplifting Is Now De Facto Legal In California… Because state law holds that stealing merchandise worth $950 or less is just a misdemeanor, which means that law enforcement probably won’t bother to investigate, and if they do, prosecutors will let it go.” – Hoover Institute
The 2018 PPIC Study found Proposition 47 is linked to an increase in retail theft
“After decreases in 2020, both property and violent crimes increased in California in 2021 highlighted with organized retail theft and videos of smash and grab robberies. Misdemeanors are being cited and released, or not reported and arrested because they just get cited and released… (We need) a more balanced approach of accountability and treatment for offenders, providing access to diversion programs addressing some of the root causes of crime – poverty, addition, mental illness – while at the same time protecting our communities and holding criminals accountable for their actions.” – Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi
Since the passage of Proposition 47, participation in drug courts decreased statewide by 67% from 2014 to 2018, according to the Center for Court Innovation.
Their study suggests that reduced legal leverage under Prop. 47 directly influenced this decline, as eligible defendants were more likely to refuse participation due to perception of the program as lengthy and intensive.
Meanwhile, according to the CDC, the number of drug overdose deaths in 2021 exceeded 10,000 — it is more than double the number of fatal drug overdoses from 2014.
The Solution
It starts with Proposition 36, which Californians overwhelmingly passed in November. The new law:
- Increases penalties for smash-and-grab crimes
- Creates tougher penalties and better accountability for repeat retail theft offenders
- Allows stolen property values from multiple thefts to be combined, countering tactics by career thieves who steal repeatedly to avoid harsher penalties
- Enacts stricter penalties for drug dealers whose trafficking causes death or serious injury, allowing potential murder charges if it results in fatalities
- Restores incentives for people to utilize drug courts that mandate treatment
- Creates a “treatment-mandated felony” where individuals with two or more prior hard drug possession convictions can undergo drug and mental health treatment instead of going to jail
- Allows individuals who successfully complete treatment to avoid jail time and expunge their records.
However, a new law is only as good as those who help implement it. CARRT will continue to push public safety officers to use the law on repeat offenders and discretion when called upon. In addition, CARRT will push for resources to aid local law enforcement efforts to implement Proposition 36.
Finally, CARRT will continue to call for more cops on the streets and give law enforcement the tools to address the problem in order to put an end to retail and residential theft on Main Street and in our neighborhoods.