The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) announced on Aug.19 that it arrested 61 organized retail crime suspects in its recent blitz operations between May 13 and July 29 this year.

“One suspect was booked at San Francisco County Jail for burglary 2nd degree, probation violation and grand theft,“ the SFPD said in a statement. ”Nine were booked at San Francisco County Jail for outstanding warrants in addition to the on-view theft charges. Fifty-two suspects were cited for shoplifting and released at the scene.”

The operations were conducted on the 3300 block of Mission Street, 800 block of Market Street, 5200 block of Diamond Heights Boulevard, and 2300 block of 16th Street because those areas have a history of frequent shoplifting incidents.

The stolen items, which included clothing, snacks, and even frozen produce, were returned to the stores.

The blitz operations, launched in 2023, consist of uniformed and plainclothes officers who arrest the criminals at the scene. The SFPD received a $15.3 million state grant to combat retail theft. The department intends to continue to keep up the operation.

The announcement followed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of a legislative package on Aug. 16 consisting of 10 new public safety laws to crack down on retail crime and property theft.

The new laws would create stricter penalties for those committing retail and property theft, increase enforcement and prosecutions, allow combining stolen goods from different victims and counties to meet the threshold for felony grand theft, create new penalties for smash-and-grab robbery, increase penalties for car break-ins and theft, and eliminate retail theft sunset provisions.

“Let’s be clear, this is the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history,“ Newsom said in a statement. ”I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics.”

The president and CEO of the California Retailers Association showed her support, saying Newsom has been the association’s biggest advocate.

While the announcement demonstrates a firmer stance against crime, Democratic lawmakers are still divided about convincing voters to reject a ballot measure that would increase penalties for repeat offenders.

Proposition 36, or the Increase Drug and Theft Penalties and Reduce Homelessness Initiative, would make changes to the existing Proposition 47 law by reclassifying certain crimes as felonies and increasing prison sentences for theft.

Voters approved Proposition 47 in 2014, which classifies theft crimes as a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the property stolen is valued at less than $950. Critics have blamed the law for paving the way for the subsequent increase in violent and organized theft crimes.

Democrats are split about Proposition 36, with some saying the measure would criminalize low-income individuals who struggle with substance abuse instead of targeting ringleaders of organized retail crime.

Newsom criticized Proposition 36, saying it “takes it back to the 1980s, the war on drugs. It’s about mass incarceration.”

The measure is backed by mayors including San Jose’s Matt Mahan and San Francisco’s London Breed, along with the California District Attorneys Association and the California State Sheriffs’ Association.