Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced Jan. 23 the receipt of a $2 million grant from the state that will help fund a recently formed organized retail theft prosecution unit.

The grant allows for the appointment of a dedicated full-time prosecutor and investigator focused solely on the issue, according to his office.

“Last year there was $100 billion worth of retail theft that occurred … when you walk into a store and you find baby formula diapers, deodorant, toothpaste, everyday essentials locked up, we have to talk about retail theft,” Mr. Ho said during a press conference announcing the funding on Sacramento’s KCRA-TV, an affiliate of NBC.

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho (C) stands with supporters and victims of alleged crimes by homeless residents at a news conference announcing that his office is suing the city of Sacramento, on Sept. 19, 2023. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

He highlighted the success of the prosecution unit, formed in November, which he said has filed 35 cases thus far. He said both businesses big and small have been hit hard, with one local furniture store robbed of nearly $100,000 worth of merchandise where the suspect now faces charges with a warrant out for his arrest.

“The message to the thieves that are committing these crimes is that we are going to find you [and] we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

According to Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper who spoke during the press conference, one recent suspect admitted to furnishing his entire house by stealing from California businesses.

“The new normal is going in and things are locked behind Plexiglas, basic everyday stuff, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, that is not OK,” the sheriff said.

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester also said during the press conference the recent surge in thefts not only hurt businesses but also Sacramento residents and consumers.

“Whether we call it organized retail theft or organized retail crime, the effects that these perpetrators have on our community, our merchants, is really hard to measure,” she said.

Noteworthy successes of the prosecution unit, she said, include one suspect who would load up carts of stolen goods at Target and leave through the store’s emergency exits. Target contacted the Sacramento Police, and the suspect was eventually caught and charged with multiple counts of grand theft and organized retail theft.

Another pair of suspects accused of looting a Dick’s Sporting Goods location were additionally tracked down by police, where $2,000 worth of stolen goods and $4,000 in cash, plus a firearm and ammunition were confiscated. The thieves were not local, she said.

“The two suspects aren’t from the City of Sacramento, but they came into our city to commit these thefts and these crimes,” she said.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) Chief Mike Dust also said during the press conference that organized retail crime is a “serious problem” in California. He spoke of a law, which went into effect in 2019, requiring a unit of the CHP to work with the state’s Department of Justice regarding such crimes.

CVS items among nearly 14,000 products recovered from retail theft ring investigation in Glendale, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2023. (Courtesy of California Highway Patrol)

He said the team has since been in “high demand” and sought out by several organized retail crime associations and law enforcement agencies nationwide. Task force teams are based out of San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, the Bay Area, and Sacramento.

Since the new law, there have been nearly 1,250 investigations leading to the arrests of 2,100 suspects for nearly 600,000 stolen retail items valued at more than $25 million, he said.

Leaders in the business community also spoke to the issue, asking for help from local and state officials.

One convenience store was robbed almost 250 times in one year, according to the CEO of the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association, Bobbie Singh-Allen, who also serves as the mayor of Elk Grove, located in southern Sacramento County.

“Enough is enough. These small business owners are responsible for job creation and tax revenue that lifts our economy. Every day it is becoming harder and harder to run a small business in our state. We need local and state leaders to protect law-abiding citizens and business owners,” she said during the press conference.