California is investing in proactive measures to take down criminals and it’s working, with crime down in nearly every category in some cities, officials say.

The state’s strategy of deploying the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to help fight retail theft is paying off, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a June 18 press release.

Since January, proactive efforts to stop organized retail crime have helped law enforcement recover $5.7 million in stolen goods, more than double last year’s total for the same period, according to the press release.

So far, CHP officers have arrested 636 suspects.

“Our collaboration with local partners allows us to continue taking back stolen items and holding those accountable for this unacceptable crime,” Mr. Newsom said.

The CHP through the state’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce has partnered with cities including Oakland, Sacramento, and San Francisco to reduce crime.

“Through increased patrols, community engagement, and targeted operations, there has been a notable decrease in criminal activity in Oakland and the East Bay,” said CHP Deputy Commissioner Troy Lukkes in a June 11 press release.

Recent Oakland police data show total crime has dropped by one-third, with nearly 16.000 incidents so far this year compared with about 24,000 in the same period of 2023. The data show decreases in nearly every category including robbery, car theft, burglary, larceny, arson, homicide, and assault.

The East Bay city has seen a sharp decrease in burglaries, recording 4,124 since January, less than half of last year’s 8,930. Auto burglaries especially were lower, with a 60 percent drop from 2023.

The only notable increase was in residential robberies, which nearly doubled from 24 to 45, for the same time.

In San Francisco, police data from Jan. 1 to June 16 of this year show crime is down in every category including homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and property crime.

Total crime is down 30 percent, with property crime seeing the sharpest decrease of 38.6 percent from 15,239 incidents last year to 9,357 incidents this year.

The increased efforts were funded through the state’s Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant program, which provided $240 million to city and county police departments statewide to fight increasing crime.

Since the inception of the task force in 2019, the CHP helped with 2,600 investigations leading to 2,700 arrests and the recovery of $43.8 million worth of stolen goods, according to the governor’s press release.