Mayor Karen Bass Announces New Task Force Focused on Organized Retail Theft

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On August 18, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and regional law enforcement leaders — including Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna — announced a new regional law enforcement task force created to address organized retail crimes in the greater Los Angeles region.

Luxury retail brand flagship stores and high-end retailers such as Nordstrom’s and Bloomingdale’s throughout L.A. and neighboring cities have been subject to an increasing number of brazen heists described as “smash & grabs” and “grab & gos.”

“What we’ve seen over just the past week in the City of Los Angeles and in surrounding regions is unacceptable, which is why today we are here announcing action,” said Mayor Bass. “No Angeleno should feel like it’s unsafe to go shopping and no Angeleno should feel like it’s unsafe to open a business in Los Angeles or Los Angeles County. This task force will aggressively investigate these incidents and hold individuals that are responsible for these crimes fully accountable.”

The task force includes the LAPD, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol (CHP), Glendale Police Department, Burbank Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, Santa Monica Police Department, U.S. Marshals Apprehension Task Force, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Apprehension Task Force.

The task force will partner with prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and the California Attorney General’s Office.

“Law enforcement is all about partnership – and the CHP is proud to be a good partner to Los Angeles,” added CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee.

Author: Wallace