LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – California police and prosecutors will be introducing new tools to combat snatch theft and other types of property crimes when the calendar turns to 2025.
A series of laws enacted by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom are scheduled to go into effect on January 1st. The legislation includes a new method for calculating the value of stolen property that constitutes a felony and lowers the threshold for police to make arrests for shoplifting. And the number of sentences increases.
“California’s new law tackles today’s biggest emerging challenges head-on,” Newsom said in a statement Monday. “We are strengthening public safety, building more housing, and providing more resources to our communities. These practical reforms will create more opportunity for all Californians. while protecting what matters most.”
Two security guards shot dead by shoplifting suspect at shopping mall in downtown Los Angeles
Retail theft costs California businesses an estimated $20 billion annually.
AB2943, Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) would allow the value of stolen property from multiple victims or different counties to be aggregated to meet the $950 threshold for a felony grand larceny charge.
SB 905 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would allow the cumulative value of property stolen from vehicles in multiple incidents to be used to charge someone with the crime of resale of theft of motor vehicle property. There is.
AB 2943 gives police officers the authority to arrest individuals for shoplifting based on probable cause, even if the officer did not witness the crime.
On August 1, 2023, three men were filmed on video destroying a display case at a jewelry store in Irvine. (Irvine Police Department)
Additionally, AB 2943 increases the probation period for shoplifting and petty larceny from one year to two years and provides defendants under the age of 25 with the option to participate in a rehabilitation program.
AB3209 by ASM. Sen. Mark Berman (D-Palo Alto) will issue a “retail theft restraining order” in court that would prohibit individuals convicted of certain retail crimes from entering affected stores or other locations for up to two years. authorized to issue.
AB 2943 introduces a new crime punishable by up to three years in prison for possessing stolen property valued at $950 or more with intent to sell, exchange, or return. This law simplifies prosecution by eliminating the need for defendants to prove that they knew the merchandise was stolen.
AB1802, Asm. Sen. Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) would remove the expiration dates for organized retail theft and community property crime task forces.
AB 2943 also extends the law that prohibits organized retail theft suspects from being released on a simple promise to appear in court until January 1, 2031.
SB 1416 by Sen. Josh Newman (D-Grand Terrace) mandates enhanced sentencing for large-scale real estate resale operations.
AB 1972 by Asm. Juan Alaniz (R-Mosto) includes cargo theft on the list of property crimes that regional property crime task forces can address.
SB 1242, by Sen. Dave Minn, now a member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives, imposes harsher penalties for thieves who set fires in aid of organized retail theft.
AB 1960 by House Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) mandates additional sentencing for crimes involving the theft, damage, or destruction of property worth $50,000 or more during a felony.
SB 905 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would close a loophole that allowed auto property theft through locked doors.
SB 1144 by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Alameda) would require online platforms to collect information on all “high-volume third-party sellers” to combat the sale of stolen goods.
AB1779, Asm. Rep. Jackie Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) allows theft charges and related crimes from different counties to be combined into one criminal case.
AB 2943 ensures that retailers will not be penalized for repeatedly reporting incidents of retail theft.
Mr. Newsom signed these bills in August, and California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36. Prop. 36 would allow felonies for possession of certain drugs and theft for less than $950 if the defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions.
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