Smash-and-Grab Thefts on the Rise in US, Law Enforcement Takes Action

Strategic Insights -

As in-store customers return in droves for the holiday shopping season, law enforcement agencies across the US are working to halt a wave of organized "smash-and-grab" crimes at retailers. In response to the surge in brazen thefts, police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major cities are increasing patrols at targeted retailers, while district attorneys in Northern California have formed an alliance to prosecute organized theft rings. The FBI is also taking action, saying it is in close contact with local law enforcement and prepared to take a more active role in investigating such cases.

Key Takeaways:

  • The wave of smash-and-grab thefts has been reported throughout the country, with at least 10 suspects arrested in a single incident in Northern California, and a group of 80 suspects involved in a raid at a Nordstrom store in Walnut Creek.
  • Seven Bay Area district attorneys have formed an alliance to combat organized retail theft, with each office agreeing to assign a prosecutor to target thieves, including fencing rings and people who purchase stolen goods.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered "saturation patrols" by the California Highway Patrol near major retail sites in the state during the holiday season, while Los Angeles Sheriff's Office detectives arrested four men in connection with a Home Depot theft.
  • Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista credited the keen observation skills and quick thinking of a downtown security guard with preventing a smash-and-grab theft at a Nordstrom's store.
  • Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf blamed cuts in the number of city police officers for the wave of smash-and-grab thefts, calling for greater coordination by law enforcement at all levels to combat retail thefts.
  • The FBI is monitoring the spate of brazen thefts and remains in close contact with local police, prepared to take a more active role if necessary.

Sources:

  • CNN (no date)
  • CBS News (no date)
  • National Retail Federation (2021)
  • San Francisco Chronicle (2021)
  • Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (2021)

Statistics:

  • 69% of retailers reported a jump in organized retail crime in the past year (National Retail Federation, 2021).
  • The recent group shoplifting incidents come during what experts say is a decades-long decline in overall property crime.
  • The FBI's Uniform Crime Report showed the country's property crime rate at an all-time low in 2020.
  • There was a 7% decline in nonresidential burglaries between the first quarter of 2020 and 2021 (National Commission for Covid-19 and Criminal Justice).
  • The San Francisco police department reported a sharp increase in burglaries in 2020 compared to 2019, an outlier in California where the rate of burglaries has steadily declined over time.