WASHINGTON (TND) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill to crack down on smash-and-grab thefts.

Assembly Bill 1960 classifies these crimes as felonies with tougher penalties. It requires courts to give a bigger sentence for suspects who take, damage, or destroy property valued at over $50,000.

“California already has some of the strictest retail and property crime laws in the nation — and we have made them even stronger with our recent legislation. We can be tough on crime while also being smart on crime — we don’t need to go back to broken policies of the last century. Mass incarceration has been proven ineffective and is not the answer – we need true accountability and strategies that enhance our nation-leading efforts to address crime. I thank Speaker Rivas for his leadership in strengthening law enforcement tools in California," Newsom said in a press release.

The Public Policy Institute of California reports shoplifting continues to rise with 2023 seeing 28% more incidents compared to 2019. Commercial burglaries dropped by 9% in 2023 but remain about 6% above their pre-pandemic level.

California Highway Patrol says they have arrested more than 2,900 suspects and recovered over $45 million worth of stolen goods since 2019.

Last year, California's local law enforcement agencies received $267 million grants in state funds to crack down on the issue. The Governor's Office reports those agencies have arrested over 6,900 suspects for retail and property crime offenses in six months.

Measures in other states

Over the last few years, more than two dozen states have passed laws targeting retail theft according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Alabama Retail Association says the state's Retail Theft Crime Prevention Act is effective after being around for one year. The group offers no precise data, but they say there is more retail theft arrests than before the law went into effect and provide examples on their site.

“Retail thieves feared no jail time or even arrest before this legislation," said Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown. “The sheer volume of goods walking out of stores without being purchased was driving up the cost of goods bought legally and causing stores, small and big, to consider closing or moving elsewhere."

Under the law, retail theft between $500 and $2,500 is a Class C felony, which can result in up to ten years in prison, and there is also felony punishment for those convicted of organized retail theft.

The law also allows retailers to file charges directly from their stores meaning they no longer have to go to a clerk's office. The law also provides training for prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.

According to the Associated Press, some Democrats and criminal justice advocates opposed Virginia's organized retail theft law arguing that it could ensnare people who resort to stealing to survive, including low-income people, the homeless and those struggling with addiction.

The VA law makes organized retail theft a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.