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May 13, 2026

New FBI data: crime drops across California as retail theft enforcement recovers $75 million in stolen goods

What you need to know: Governor Newsom announces California's historic reduction in crime, the state's progress in fighting organized retail crime and the recovery of more stolen items.

SACRAMENTO – Continuing to show statewide progress to combat organized retail crime, Governor Gavin Newsom today highlighted the nearly $75 million worth of stolen goods that were recovered by the California Highway Patrol's (CHP) Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORTC) — a collaborative effort with local law enforcement agencies and retailers that is delivering major public safety results across California.

The state's aggressive enforcement strategy against organized retail crime is helping drive broader public safety gains across the state. Through coordinated CHP operations with local law enforcement and retailers, the Task Force has now conducted more than 4,500 investigations, arrested more than 5,100 suspects, and recovered more than 1.6 million stolen items valued at over $74.6 million since 2019.

Public safety gains come as newly aggregated FBI and local agency data show California's crime rates continue to decline — with property crime and burglary rates now at their lowest levels in decades, underscoring the impact of sustained investments in enforcement, accountability, and local public safety partnerships.

California is proving that strong partnerships, real enforcement, and local accountability work. We're going after organized retail crime aggressively — dismantling theft rings, recovering millions in stolen goods, and helping retailers and working families feel safer in their communities. The results speak for themselves – more arrests, more recoveries, and crime rates continuing to drop across the state.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Crime rates continue to drop

The enforcement results come as California continues to see encouraging statewide crime trends. Preliminary 2025 FBI data from California law enforcement agencies covering  83% of the population show additional declines from 2024:

• Violent crime down 9.94% from 2024
• Property crime down 14.35% from 2024
• Murder down an 16.51% from 2024
• Continued declines in burglary and larceny-theft from 2024

This crime data is aggregated by the FBI based on reporting from local law enforcement agencies, as well as more complete data taken directly from several larger agencies. If current trends hold, California could see its lowest homicide rate ever recorded once final statewide 2025 data are released.

This recent progress is on top of significant crime declines shown in the 2024 Crime in California report, which showed that property crime and burglary rates in 2024 reached their lowest levels in CA DOJ data dating back to 1969, while overall theft reached the second-lowest level ever recorded:

• Violent crime down 2.1% from 2023
• Property crime down 8.4% from 2023

Making a difference

Since the Task Force's inception in 2019, CHP-led operations and allied agency partnerships have helped crack down on organized theft rings, protect businesses, and improve community safety throughout the state:

• 4,577 investigations
• 5,134 arrests
• 1,620,803 stolen items recovered
• $74.6 million in stolen goods recovered

So far this year, CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force operations have resulted in:

• 188 investigations
• 119 arrests
• 61,087 stolen goods recovered
• $4.74 million in recovered stolen property

In April 2026 alone, CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force and local partners have delivered significant month-over-month increases in enforcement activity statewide:

• 52 investigations — up 44% from March 2026
• 52 arrests — up 147.6% from March 2026
• 20,552 stolen goods recovered — up 200% from March 2026
• $831,214.41 estimated value recovered — up 45.5% from March 2026

"Organized retail crime affects businesses, employees, consumers, and the safety of California's communities," said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. "The unprecedented results we're seeing stem from strong collaboration among the CHP, local law enforcement, prosecutors, retailers, and our public safety partners. Together, we are disrupting organized theft networks, recovering stolen merchandise, and holding offenders accountable."

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Notable operations

Recent CHP-led operations have targeted coordinated theft crews, fencing operations, and repeat offenders across major retail corridors throughout California. These efforts have recovered thousands of stolen items ranging from luxury goods and electronics to everyday household products, while helping retailers prevent repeat victimization and reduce economic losses tied to organized theft.

On March 12, 2026, a CHP officer and their K-9 stopped a 2021 Honda Accord. After observing criminal activity indicators, the K-9 officer conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle. The CHP officer conducted a search of the vehicle and located boxes of counterfeit cologne valued at $73,469. The individual contacted during the stop is being investigated for felony possession of counterfeit goods with intent to sell and the investigation remains ongoing.

On March 17, 2026, the CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force was requested to track stolen ULTA Beauty merchandise in San Bernardino County. Two suspects were stopped and arrested by the Rialto Police Department. Officers recovered 141 items worth $7,791.

On April 14, 2026, CHP officers conducted a traffic stop in the Solano area where the passenger was a known booster and wanted on multiple outstanding organized retail crime warrants. Officers discovered a large cache of stolen merchandise and promethazine hydrochloride, which is frequently used alongside opioids. The suspect was booked into jail on the outstanding warrants and additional charges related to the possession of stolen goods and other illicit items found during the stop.

On April 16, 2026, CHP officers CHP Valley Division ORCTF assisted Delta RATT, a specialized multi-agency law enforcement task force in San Joaquin County, to obtain a residential search warrant. Officers detained a primary suspect, who was in possession of approximately $10,000 in stolen merchandise, approximately 162 grams of fentanyl, 70 grams of farmapram, 1,575 grams of THC Syrup, nine firearms (fully auto machine gun/two stolen firearms/ghost guns), and 1,400 rounds of ammunition. The suspect was arrested and booked into jail on felony charges.

On April 16, 2026, CHP officers in Indio County apprehended a Los Banos individual suspected of acting as a "fence" for a large-scale retail theft ring in San Jose. A search of the vehicle uncovered a massive haul of stolen merchandise from ULTA and Sephora, valued at $52,676.

The Newsom administration continues to coordinate closely with local governments, retailers, and law enforcement partners to expand intelligence-sharing, improve prosecution coordination, and strengthen public safety efforts statewide.

Partnership-driven public safety

The Organized Retail Crime Task Force works closely with local police departments, sheriffs' offices, district attorneys, retailers, and regional law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle organized theft networks operating across jurisdictions.

The Administration has also invested heavily in public safety partnerships statewide, including more than $2.1 billion to support organized retail theft enforcement, prosecution efforts, local crime suppression initiatives, and collaborative law enforcement operations. In 2023, as part of California's Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

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In 2024, Governor Newsom signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state's robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills offer new tools to bolster ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for smash-and-grab robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries. While California's crime rate remains at near-historic lows, these laws help California adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.

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