Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> signed legislation on Tuesday that further cracks down on retail theft, porch piracy, and inciting looting through social media.
DeSantis took a swipe at Democrat-controlled areas, which have seen the largest uptick in the aforementioned crimes, saying that Florida was &#8220;pretty much doing the opposite of what a lot of states like California and New York have done.&#8221;
The governor noted that coordinated retail theft and looting was being organized through social media, with companies reporting a $112 billion loss in 2022.
Despite the explosion in crime in places like California, New York, and Washington, D.C., Florida has seen a 30% decrease in shoplifting since DeSantis took office in 2019, the governor&#8217;s office said.
The bill that DeSantis signed into law, HB 549, institutes the following, according to his office:
HB 549 institutes the following:
<ul>
<li>A third-degree felony, punishable up to 5 years in prison, if criminals commit retail theft with five or more individuals.</li>
<li>A second-degree felony, punishable up to 15 years in prison, if criminals commit retail theft with five or more individuals and use social media to solicit others to participate in the theft.</li>
<li>A first-degree felony, punishable up to 30 years in prison, if a criminal commits retail theft with a firearm or with two or more prior convictions of retail theft.</li>
<li>The ability to charge a felony for multiple retail thefts occurring in the span of 120 days, which is an increase from 30 days.</li>
<li>Theft of property in an amount less than $40 is a first-degree misdemeanor.</li>
<li>A subsequent violation is a third-degree felony.</li>
<li>Theft of property valued at $40 or more is a third-degree felony.</li>
</ul>
“Florida is taking another step to distinguish ourselves from lawless jurisdictions and keep our residents and businesses safe,” said DeSantis. “If you steal in Florida, we will catch you and we will prosecute you.”
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
TODAY: Governor DeSantis signed a bill to crack down on retail theft &amp; porch piracy in Florida🎯👇 
&#8220;If you order something and they leave it at your front door, when you come home from work or you bring your kids over from school, that package is gonna be there. And if it&#8217;s not… <a href="https://t.co/25qQfO3kI5">pic.twitter.com/25qQfO3kI5</a>
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1777723717209952487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2024</a></blockquote>

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference in

DeSantis Signs Bill To Further Crack Down On Retail Theft, Porch Piracy, And Inciting Looting On Social Media

Crime

Florida

Politics

Ron DeSantis

Theft

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-fetterman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Fetterman</a> (D-PA) blasted the woke notion of “squatter’s rights” during an interview late this week where he again went against the grain in his party by signaling support for law enforcement.
“Squatters have no rights,” Fetterman <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/06/us-news/fetterman-blasts-squatters-violent-crime-i-am-not-woke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post&#8217;s Jon Levine. “How can you even pretend that this is anything other than you’re just breaking the law?”
“I am not woke,” Fetterman said, noting that he has always &#8220;tried to push back against that,&#8221; including when he was the mayor of the small Pennsylvania town of Braddock.
“It’s wild that if you go away on a long trip, for 30 days, and someone breaks into your home and suddenly they have rights,” he sad. “This is crazy. Like if somebody stole your car, and then they held it for 30 days, then somehow you now have some rights?”
Fetterman said that the Democrats&#8217; soft-on-crime policies led to the murder of New York Police Department Detective Jonathan Diller, adding that if the suspect is convicted, he &#8220;should spend the rest of his life and in prison, and never have an opportunity to get out.”
Diller, a husband and father who had served three years on the force, was shot in the stomach while making a traffic stop in late March in Queens. The suspect in the shooting was identified as 34-year-old Guy Rivera, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car pulled over by Diller when he allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired at the officer. Rivera had 21 prior arrests and was released from prison in 2021 after serving five years for criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to the Post. He was also in prison from 2011 to 2014 for first-degree assault.
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“If you have those kinds of established records, it doesn’t serve any greater goal to allow people that are offending, offending, offending and allow them to not be held accountable,” Fetterman said. “We have to be very smart and aggressive on crime.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW from me
I took <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenFettermanPA</a> to 3x Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York City
Story TK TK <a href="https://t.co/bMIxtNUKln">pic.twitter.com/bMIxtNUKln</a>
&mdash; Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) <a href="https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/1776591291553358215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-destroys-squatters-rights-in-florida-this-isnt-california-and-new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeSantis Destroys ‘Squatter’s Rights’ In Florida: This Isn’t ‘California And New York’</a>

John Fetterman Sept 26

Fetterman Blasts Squatters Trying To Steal People’s Homes: ‘Squatters Have No Rights’

General

Homelessness

John Fetterman

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/venezuela" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venezuelan</a> illegal alien who encouraged other illegal aliens to try to steal people&#8217;s homes through squatting is now facing potential federal firearm charges.
Leonel Moreno, who was recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-busts-venezuelan-illegal-alien-who-urged-illegals-to-take-over-americans-homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, illegally entered the U.S. in April 2022.
The New York Post reported that internal federal documents obtained by the publication shows the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been in contact with immigration officials and is considering bringing federal charges against him.
&#8220;The exact charges are not known, but sources said they would likely be brought under a section of the Gun Control Act which prohibits those on parole from possessing, shipping, transporting or receiving firearms or ammunition,&#8221; the report said.
Moreno posted videos on social media of him at firearms stores holding firearms, asking his followers which one they liked the best, and saying that he could buy them in stores.
John Fabbricatore, a former ICE field office director in Denver, said, &#8220;Charges under [Gun Control Act section] 922.g are a serious matter and can result in significant legal consequences for Moreno.&#8221;
“This should be a warning to any illegal aliens that possessing a firearm unlawfully will result in criminal charges and hopefully lead to a conviction,” he added.
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While there is no proof that he ever purchased a firearm at a store, Peter Forcelli, former special agent for the ATF, told the publication that the ATF is likely seeking charges because &#8220;he’s an illegal alien in possession of a firearm that was transported across state lines,&#8221; the report said.
“Based on the fact that he’s advocating going into people’s homes and taking them over is incredibly concerning,” Forcelli said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-busts-venezuelan-illegal-alien-who-urged-illegals-to-take-over-americans-homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICE Busts Venezuelan Illegal Alien Who Urged Illegals To Take Over Americans’ Homes</a>

US-MUSIC-POLITICS-HINCKLEY

Venezuelan Illegal Alien Who Advocated Squatting In Homes Is Facing Potential Gun Charges: Report

Guns

Illegal Immigration

U.S.

Venezuela

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives Rules Committee will prepare to vote on the Laken Riley Act, a bill which would require the secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela who has been named as the suspect in Laken Riley’s murder, was <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/clarke-county/jose-diego-ibarra-court-documents-reveal-immigration-criminal-past-united-states/SPXOP242MNF3NPCCRCCB4DZSQU/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> in August 2023 by New York police after he was caught driving an unregistered car with a five-year-old inside. He was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/brother-uga-murder-suspect-charged-green-card-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> in the Riley case with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and kidnapping after Riley’s body was found on February 22 near the University of Georgia’s Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick.
His brother Diego, who was arrested and charged with possessing a fraudulent green card on February 23, had been arrested in New York in September 2023 for driving under the influence without a license; in October 2023, he was arrested again for shoplifting.
“The Biden administration should not have released Laken Riley’s alleged murderer into the United States,” the bill, <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-118hr7511ih/pdf/BILLS-118hr7511ih.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H.R. 7511</a>, states. “The Biden administration should have arrested and detained Laken Riley’s alleged murderer after he was charged with crimes in New York, New York, and Athens, Georgia; President Biden should publicly denounce his administration’s immigration policies that resulted in the murder of Laken Riley; and President Biden should prevent another murder like that of Laken Riley by ending the catch-and-release of illegal aliens, increasing immigration enforcement, detaining and removing criminal aliens, reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, ending his abuse of parole authority, and securing the United States borders.”
House lawmakers are hoping to get the bill to the floor for a vote as soon as this week.
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The bill also would give the attorney general of a state or another authorized state officer, standing to bring an action against the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security “alleging an action or decision by the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security under this section to release any alien or grant bond or parole to any alien that harms such State or its residents.”

House Holds Hearing On Worldwide Threats To The Homeland

House Prepares ‘Laken Riley Act’: Would Require Homeland Security To Arrest Illegal Immigrants Charged With Theft

Department of Homeland Security

Laken Riley

U.S. House of Representatives

The eldest son of Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lauren-boebert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauren Boebert</a> (R-CO) was arrested this week in connection to a string of property thefts and vehicle trespasses, according to police.
The Rifle Police Department said that Tyler Jay Boebert, 18, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon over &#8220;a recent string of vehicle trespass and property thefts in Rifle.&#8221;
&#8220;Boebert is facing the following charges: four felony counts of Criminal Possession ID Documents &#8211; Multiple Victims, one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, and over 15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses,&#8221; police said. &#8220;This is an ongoing investigation, no further information will be released at this time.&#8221;
CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lauren-boebert-son-arrested-tyler/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=341353928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that records from the Garfield County Jail showed that Tyler Boebert was being held on 22 charges. He was released after posting $1,250 bond and will next appear in court in early April.
&#8220;I love my son Tyler, who has been through some very difficult, public challenges for a young man and the subject of attention that he didn&#8217;t ask for,&#8221; Lauren Boebert said in a statement. &#8220;It breaks my heart to see my child struggling and, in this situation, especially when he has been provided multiple opportunities to get his life on track.&#8221;
&#8220;As an adult and father, Tyler will take responsibility for his actions and should be held accountable for poor decisions just like any other citizen,&#8221; she added.
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The incident comes as Lauren Boebert has had a lot going on in her personal life — mostly centering around her divorce from Jayson Boebert, to whom she was married for 17 years. Some of the drama has garnered media headlines.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) came to Boebert&#8217;s defense after the story about her son surfaced on Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;This is a family in crisis and the recreational cruelty I see on social media needs to be out of bounds,&#8221; Fetterman said. &#8220;I know the impact this has on children. I&#8217;m calling for restraint because cruelty has substantial collateral damage. We can&#8217;t ever forget that they didn&#8217;t sign up for this.&#8221;

House Oversight Committee Holds Closed Door Interview With Hunter Biden

Boebert’s Son Arrested On 5 Felony, 15+ Misdemeanor Charges: Police

Boebert's Son Arrested On 5 Felony, 15+ Misdemeanor Charges: Police

Colorado

Lauren Boebert

The owner of the Compton bakery that was looted by a group of more than 100 people — and had a car crashed into it — last week says his business suffered $70,000 in damage.
Ruben Ramirez Jr., the son of Mexican immigrants and the owner of Ruben’s Bakery &amp; Mexican Food told Fox News that his family is trying to rebuild after the incident.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH:
Owner of the Compton bakery that was looted in several viral videos, Ruben Ramirez, joins <a href="https://twitter.com/SandraSmithFox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SandraSmithFox</a> to detail what happened, his confusion over why he was targeted and who these looters were, and his efforts to rebuild his store for his community. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericaReports?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmericaReports</a> <a href="https://t.co/5cpYaaKFCN">pic.twitter.com/5cpYaaKFCN</a>
&mdash; America Reports (@AmericaRpts) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmericaRpts/status/1743340889290719496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This has never happened to us before. We&#8217;ve seen ‘street takeovers’ in the area, but it&#8217;s never anything like this,&#8221; Ramirez said.
A group of more than 100 looters crashed a car into Ruben&#8217;s Bakery and looted the store in the dead of night on Tuesday, after an illegal street takeover, which began at 3 a.m. about a mile away.
<div class="dw-mm-player-container">Someone backed a white Kia through the front doors of the bakery, ramming it into the store twice as a large group crowded around nearby, security footage shows.</div>
<div></div>
<div class="dw-mm-player-container">Once inside, the looters, wearing masks or pulling their hoods over their faces, can be seen grabbing as much as they can from the store, jumping on counters, and pushing past each other before fleeing. Some go straight for the cash register.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Photos from the aftermath <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/compton-residents-vent-frustration-after-street-takeover-crowd-robs-local-bakery/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> the store ransacked with open food containers lying on the ground. A metal-grated window appears to have been destroyed by the car, and shattered glass lies on the ground as well.</div>
<div>
Among the items stolen were meat scales, meat, groceries, and lotto tickets, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/04/news/la-mob-of-over-100-looters-takeover-compton-bakery-after-car-smashes-through-front-door/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Captain Melissa Ramirez of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
<div>
&#8220;The worst is seeing my parents, who built something for over 48 years, to almost lose it because of this violence that&#8217;s going on right now. These street takeovers in Compton have been getting worse and worse, and I&#8217;m not the only one frustrated. My neighbors here are telling me the same thing,&#8221; the bakery owner said.
</div>
&#8220;I do hope they see justice, but more than anything I just want my business back. I want to be able to serve the community how we&#8217;ve been doing it for all these years and make everybody happy with our food,&#8221; Ramirez said.
Just before the looting incident, police had been called twice about a car on fire and the street takeover outside the bakery.
</div>
<div>
No arrests appear to have been made related to the looting so far.
Street takeovers have been an ongoing problem in the Los Angeles area.
Retail theft has also been a problem plaguing the Los Angeles area, especially organized mobs of thieves who descend on stores.
</div>

Ruben’s Bakery, street takeover, Compton

WATCH: California Bakery Owner Says He Suffered $70k Damage From Street Takeover Looters

California Bakery Owner Says He Suffered $70k Damage From Street Takeover Looters

California

Los Angeles

street takeover

A top Home Depot executive told a congressional panel Tuesday that the company is facing increasingly dangerous threats from shoplifting.
Scott Glenn, head of loss prevention at Home Depot, said employees have been threatened with weapons and even been killed in some cases since 2020, when the company saw a &#8220;significant uptick&#8221; in workers coming into &#8220;violent contact with bad actors.&#8221;
“Retailers are not exaggerating the problem,” Glenn <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qvU-WKkj2I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence.
Overall, retailers across the country lost $112.1 billion due to theft last year, up from $93.9 billion in 2021 and $90.8 billion in 2020, <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/retailers-lost-112-billion-2022-because-unprecedented-levels-theft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to <a href="https://cdn.nrf.com/sites/default/files/2023-09/NRF_National_Retail_Security_Survey_2023.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this year&#8217;s</a> National Retail Security Survey.
&#8220;These individuals are becoming increasingly aggressive, they are dangerous, and often care little about any consequence other than getting out of the store with as much as possible,&#8221; Glenn said. &#8220;I want to be very clear that we&#8217;re not talking about petty shoplifting. We&#8217;re talking about theft for greed, not theft for need.&#8221;
In April, a Home Depot security guard in California was fatally <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/19/home-depot-guard-blake-mohs-fatally-shot-by-would-be-thief/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot</a> by a woman who was stealing a phone charger and fled in a car driven by her boyfriend with her two-year-old child in the back seat. The victim, Blake Mohs, 26, was a Boy Scout leader and was engaged to marry his fiancée, Kasey.
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Last year, an elderly Home Depot worker also <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/02/son-of-gary-rasor-home-depot-worker-fatally-pushed-by-shoplifter-demands-crackdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> after a serial shoplifter shoved him down onto a concrete floor.
The spike in organized retail crime has also forced Home Depot to lock up valuable products and hire off-duty cops, among other security measures, Glenn said.
&#8220;There&#8217;s the myth that [organized retail crime] rings happen only in big cities. Unfortunately criminals don&#8217;t discriminate,&#8221; Glenn said, saying this type of crime is happening &#8220;everywhere,&#8221; even in suburban areas.
Home Depot has more than 2,000 stores and more than 490,000 employees across the U.S.
Glenn pointed to several issues he said he believes are root causes of the crime spike, including the drug crisis, third-party marketplaces that make it easy for criminals to resell goods, and a lack of resources for law enforcement.
A bill sponsored by one of the House committee members, Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), the “Combating Organized Retail Crime Act,” would launch a federal response across multiple agencies to fight organized retail theft.

Home Depot To Release Fiscal Year 2003 Earnings

Home Depot Exec Describes Soaring Violent Threats From Shoplifters In Congressional Testimony

Congress

Home Depot

shoplifting

As retail theft soars in Washington, D.C., one CVS store is taking drastic measures to prevent its stock of toilet paper and other products from being stolen. 
Instead of seeing packages of toilet paper on the shelf, at a CVS on H Street NE in the nation’s capital, you will only find framed photos of the product. The move comes in response to a spike in theft at the store, particularly among the homeless population, according to a <a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2023/10/northeast-cvs-only-has-photos-of-paper-products-on-shelves-due-to-theft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from WTOP News. 
“It seems to be a case that people don’t care about laws or respect that anymore,” a tourist told the outlet. “In the United Kingdom, we are seeing shops closing down because they’re losing so much money from people shoplifting, which is obviously having an impact on the economy in general.”
Sources told WTOP that homeless people had been entering the store and stealing toilet paper and other products, prompting it to remove items from display. To get the products for purchase, shoppers need to press a button for assistance &#8211; something that&#8217;s becoming more common across the country, especially in Democrat-run cities. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Washington DC CVS replaces shelves of toilet paper with framed photos of products amid rising thefts
A CVS location in Washington DC was forced to wipe its shelves clean of toilet paper and replace them instead with framed photos of the products amid rising thefts in the… <a href="https://t.co/mUfhQ6vfUj">pic.twitter.com/mUfhQ6vfUj</a>
&mdash; Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) <a href="https://twitter.com/OwenGregorian/status/1723689549623124145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2023, there were roughly 4,922 homeless people in D.C., an 11.6% increase from 2022, according to the annual Point-in-Time count <a href="https://dcist.com/story/23/05/05/dc-homelessness-increase-2023-pit-count/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> in May.  
According to a recent <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/cvs-thefts-columbia-heights-dc/65-1490b69c-abc1-46ea-887f-ce317f01ae16" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from WUSA9, thieves ransack a separate CVS location in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of D.C. nearly every day. Sources told the outlet that people leave the store with boxes of stolen goods daily, with staff saying that thieves will specifically target the store when it gets new shipments, stealing the product before it&#8217;s put out for sale. The result: near-empty shelves. 
“I think it’s enforcement and the infractions are not tough,&#8221; a woman who recently bought a home near the store told the outlet. &#8220;A lot of times, it’s just a slap on the hand.&#8221; She also said she was reconsidering moving to the area, saying, &#8220;It&#8217;s getting worse. People get killed in front of the Metro, stores are robbed every single day. You can’t even find food.&#8221;
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According to Fox Business, retail theft in the nation’s capital <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/washington-dc-cvs-only-shows-pictures-toilet-paper-products-rising-theft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is up 68%</a> over 2022, with more than 3,000 robberies taking place so far this year. At this point last year, 1,791 robberies had occurred, the outlet noted. 
A CVS spokesman <a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2023/10/thieves-hit-columbia-heights-cvs-leaving-shelves-nearly-empty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> WTOP that the company has no plans to shutter any of its Washington, D.C., locations. 
In July, it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/some-san-francisco-stores-locking-up-frozen-foods-to-prevent-shoplifting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that some stores in San Francisco began locking up their frozen foods section due to retail theft. One CBS News Bay Area reporter said that a Walgreens location was being robbed 20 times a day, prompting it to start locking up goods. 
“Workers said normally shoplifters clean out all the pizza and ice cream every night. They’re usually hit 20x a day. The whole store is virtually locked up,” CBS News Bay Area reporter Betty Yu said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/bett_yu/status/1681124070077906945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1681138386382331904%7Ctwgr%5Eac0f748e14bb10b8414dc9738d77cc5cdca4ae75%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsan-francisco-food-stores-lock-up-frozen-goods-to-mitigate-shoplifting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X. 
A video accompanying the tweet shows ice cream, microwave dinners, frozen fish sticks, and frozen pizzas in freezers locked with a chain. Additionally, rows of makeup, hair products, cleaning supplies, candles, laundry detergent, and other items are in locked cases.

Toilet Paper Replaced With Framed Photos Of Product In D.C. Drugstore As Retail Theft Soars

Business

Washington D.C.

University of Colorado football players allegedly had thousands of dollars of jewelry and other valuable items stolen during their game against UCLA over the weekend in Southern California.
Players discovered that their possessions were stolen at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles after they lost their game against the then-No. 23 Bruins, 28-16.
“The UCLA athletic department confirmed that a report was filed to the Pasadena Police Department following the UCLA-Colorado football game regarding items that were reportedly missing from the Colorado locker room,&#8221; UCLA <a href="https://www.outkick.com/colorado-jewlrey-stolen-during-ucla-game-deion-sanders/">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;UCLA is in communication with law enforcement, Rose Bowl Stadium officials and the University of Colorado on the matter.”
&#8220;That&#8217;s awful for anybody,&#8221; UCLA head coach Chip Kelly told reporters after hearing about the incident. &#8220;You would think that when you go anywhere that your valuables are safe.&#8221;
A video posted to social media following the game showed several players talking about the items that were stolen from them.
&#8220;I just got mine, bro,&#8221; said Colorado safety Cam&#8217;Ron Silmon-Craig. &#8220;I had the jewelry box and everything, bro. They took it off my jewelry box.&#8221;
The Denver Post <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/10/30/cu-buffs-football-players-robbed-rose-bowl-ucla/">reported</a> that at least five football players were victimized during the robbery.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
During the Colorado vs UCLA game, thieves stole Colorado’s players’ jewelry from the locker room. Crazy 😳 <a href="https://t.co/8mTeDab9zA">pic.twitter.com/8mTeDab9zA</a>
&mdash; College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollegeFBPortal/status/1718814870131314960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Someone tried to rob Colorado Football coach Deion Sanders when he was at Jackson State during a game against Edward Waters, according to Outkick.
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&#8220;Naw it was stolen but they got it back,&#8221; Sanders wrote at the time. &#8220;It was stolen out my personal bag in my office and My assistant caught the gentleman in the process of stealing it but she was alone. No Miscommunication my man at all.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Naw it was stolen but they got it back. It was stolen out my personal bag in my office and My assistant caught the gentleman in the process of stealing it but she was alone. No Miscommunication my man at all <a href="https://t.co/foXTKwqsQC">https://t.co/foXTKwqsQC</a>
&mdash; COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeionSanders/status/1363647569403015170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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UCLA Bruins defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 28-16 to win a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Thousands Of Dollars Of Jewelry Stolen From Colorado Football Players During UCLA Game

College Football

Los Angeles (UCLA)

Target announced plans to shut down nine stores across four different U.S. states after ongoing reports of violence, theft, and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of shoppers and employees.
The company said effective October 21, three stores in the San Francisco-Oakland area, three more in Portland, two locations in Seattle, and one store in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City will permanently close.
“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” Target said in a <a href="https://corporate.target.com/press/releases/2023/09/Target-Closes-Select-Stores-to-Prioritize-Team-Mem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>.
Before making the decision, Target officials said the retailer corporation invested “heavily” in efforts to prevent and stop organized retail crime in its stores, including ramping up internal security team members and third-party guard services, but struggled to combat the uptick in retail theft from organized smash-and-grab robberies involving large groups of thieves.
Target’s CEO Brian Cornell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-veers-off-target-reaps-rewards-of-pride-collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month the company has been battling an “unacceptable amount” of retail theft that has become increasingly violent and dangerous for workers.
Store theft that included “violence or threats of violence” surged 120% during the first five months of the year, Cornell said, adding that Target’s full-year profitability is expected to reduce by more than $500 million compared to the previous year.
Cornell reportedly said the company intended to keep locations open after releasing its rising shrink reported in the fiscal second-quarter earnings in mid-May.
“We do not want to close stores. We know how important our stores are. They create local jobs, they generate taxes, they’re very important for those local shoppers, and they play a critical role in communities across the country,” Cornell said. “We’ll continue to do everything in our power to keep our doors open,” he added. “At the same time, we’ll be closely monitoring the safety of our team and guests as well as the financial impact to our business as we determine the right path forward at Target.”
Organized retail theft has spiked in cities around the country, with videos from some incidents showing hooded figures in dark clothes darting in and out of stores with merchandise, often expensive luxury items.
Critics blame progressive prosecutors, who they say allow criminals to get off without serious consequences — if they face consequences at all.
Earlier this year, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/01/30/2023/grassley-cortez-masto-bill-bolsters-federal-response-to-organized-retail-theft#:~:text=The%20Combating%20Organized%20Retail%20Crime,trends%20in%20organized%20retail%20theft." target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> legislation to target the rise in flash mob robberies sweeping the nation, which they estimated costs retailers $720,000 for every $1 billion in sales — a 50% increase since 2015.
The bill, which Target officials advocated for in its announcement on Tuesday, would create a multi-agency federal task force at the state and local levels to promote inter-agency efforts and cooperation to crack down on theft and organized retail crime.
CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/26/target-says-it-will-close-nine-stores-citing-violence-and-theft-.html?__source=sharebar|twitter&amp;par=sharebar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that over the last two years, at least nine states have passed similar laws to impose harsher penalties for those involved in organized retail crime.
Target’s latest announcement comes after the company revealed a dismal quarterly report showing its sales sank 5.4% for the first time in six years after facing national backlash over its Pride Month collection.
Mairead Elordi contributed to this report.

Hurricane Idalia Barrels North as Florida Girds for Disaster

Target Cites Violence And Theft As Reasons For Closing Nine Stores Across US

Target Cites Violence And Theft As Reason Nine Stores Across US Will Close

Flash Mob

Liberalism

Organized crime

Pride

Target

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> is launching a task force to combat the uptick in retail theft, including organized smash-and-grab robberies involving large groups of thieves.
The Organized Retail Crimes Task Force was announced Thursday by Mayor Karen Bass, the LAPD, and several other law enforcement agencies, follows a chaotic week that saw two smash-and-grab robberies by large groups in the Los Angeles area.
Over the weekend, a mob of nearly 50 people in hoodies and masks stole up to $100,000 in luxury merchandise from a Nordstrom in Los Angeles. The thieves also attacked security guards with bear mace.
Last week, a group of 30 to 40 thieves robbed an Yves Saint Laurent store in southern California in broad daylight on Tuesday, absconding with an estimated $300,000 worth of merchandise, police said.
<a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/video-shows-wild-scene-at-americana-as-thieves-ransack-yves-saint-laurent-store/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Footage</a> from the incident shows over a dozen people mostly dressed in dark clothes, hoods, and masks dashing into the store and running out again, their arms full of the expensive merchandise.
The brazen smash-and-grab robbery was caught on video just before 5 p.m. The store is located at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale, just north of Los Angeles. The Glendale police chief joined the Los Angeles officials in announcing the task force.
Police said Thursday that they had <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/los-angeles-moves-crack-down-retail-theft-epidemic-task-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> the first suspect in the robbery. A 23-year-old man was charged with organized retail theft, burglary, grand theft, and conspiracy.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday, “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.”
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“These are not victimless crimes – especially in the case where Angelenos were attacked – through force or fear – as they did their jobs or ran errands,&#8221; she said, adding that the task force will &#8220;aggressively investigate&#8221; these incidents and hold the perpetrators &#8220;fully accountable.&#8221;
LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said retail theft not only affects businesses financially, but also has a broader impact on the &#8220;overall well-being of our community.&#8221;
&#8220;Together, we can create an environment where our streets and businesses are safe from the scourge of retail theft,&#8221; Choi said.
Los Angeles has been plagued by rampant retail and personal theft in recent months.
Most types of violent crime are down in Los Angeles except theft, which is up 15% to more than 20,409 thefts compared to this time last year, <a href="https://lapdonlinestrgeacc.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/lapdonlinemedia/cityprof.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data.
Since the fall of 2021, Los Angeles County has seen at least 170 organized retail thefts, including the smash-and-grab trend, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/los-angeles-moves-crack-down-retail-theft-epidemic-task-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.
Late last month, police <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/california-jewelry-store-smash-grab-robbers-snatched-900000-merchandise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> another group of masked thieves stole $900,000 worth of merchandise from a jewelry store in Irvine just south of Los Angeles and Glendale.
Organized retail theft is on the rise nationally as well. 
Incidents like the ones Los Angeles has seen increased by about 27% in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation.
The top ten cities with the most retail crime include New York, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, and Dallas.
Critics argue that the thieves are emboldened by California’s progressive prosecutors, who rarely force the shoplifters to face significant criminal consequences.

CA: LAPD Gang Unit

Los Angeles Launches Task Force To Combat Smash And Grab Robberies

LAPD

Police

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> film crew witnesses three people stealing from inside a Walgreens in San Francisco this week in the span of just 30 minutes.
The store, which is one of the most robbed Walgreens in the country, has had to resort to locking up most items in the store behind chains or plexiglass.
CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah visited the store and talked with patrons who said that they have never seen anything like it in their lives.
Theft at the store is &#8220;so typical that in the 30 minutes we were at this Walgreens, we watched three people, including this man, steal,&#8221; Lah said. &#8220;Did that guy pay? Did that guy pay? He didn&#8217;t pay?&#8221;
&#8220;Walgreens says this Richmond neighborhood store with aisles of products like mustard locked behind plexiglass has the highest theft rate of all their nearly 9,000 U.S. stores, hit more than a dozen times a day when thieves turn to cleaning out ice cream and frozen burritos, workers grew so frustrated, they resorted to the chains,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;They were ordered down by corporate because of the negative messaging.&#8221;
Other stores have also had to lock up their items across the city, including a nearby grocery store that even had to lock up bags of coffee.
One man who was interviewed in the grocery story said that he did not know how to describe what was happening inside the city.
&#8220;It&#8217;s become kind of like a police state in San Francisco,&#8221; he said.
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San Francisco supervisor Matt Dorsey said that what he was hearing from residents is that it was time for &#8220;tough love.&#8221;
&#8220;We are not doing any addict in this city favors by enabling behavior that is potentially deadly in ways we have never seen,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In San Francisco, we went to the Walgreens that is the #1 spot for theft in all the 9000 US stores, per Walgreens. This is where chains once shut the freezer section. And we saw 3 thefts right in front of us. But across SF, coffee, mustard, nail polish&#8211; are all locked up: <a href="https://t.co/IfYBVgpeI2">pic.twitter.com/IfYBVgpeI2</a>
&mdash; Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyungLahCNN/status/1683632951488049152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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San Francisco Walgreens Locks Freezer Section Of Store To Thwart Shoplifters

CNN Witnesses 3 People Stealing From Walgreens Over 30 Minutes In Democrat-Controlled City

San Francisco

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