
SACRAMENTO CA – California’s new 2025 laws addressing organized retail theft and property crime have been praised for their tough stance on theft, but a 2024 report by the Little Hoover Commission (LHC) reveals troubling gaps in data collection and raises concerns about the fairness and efficacy of these policies.
Without accurate and detailed crime data, LHC states, critics argue the state’s response may exacerbate systemic inequities while failing to address the root causes of retail theft.
The Little Hoover Commission’s report, “Retail Theft: A Data-Driven Response,” highlights a glaring issue: California does not collect the detailed data necessary to craft evidence-based responses to retail theft.
The LHC report points out current data collection efforts fail to include key factors such as the circumstances surrounding crimes, law enforcement responses, the demographics of those arrested and the final outcomes of cases.
“More detailed crime data is needed for policymakers to develop an evidence-based response to the issue,” the LHC report states, emphasizing decisions about stricter laws are being made without a clear understanding of their impacts.
While recent headlines have focused on an alleged uptick in retail theft, the LHC report finds theft levels remain similar to those in the 2010s and are lower than in previous decades. Despite this, retail theft remains underreported, leaving policymakers and the public unsure of the problem’s true scope, reported the LHC.
The lack of demographic data raises significant concerns about potential biases in law enforcement and prosecution, stated the LHC report.
Without tracking who is being arrested and the outcomes of their cases, the LHC maintains it is impossible to determine whether certain communities are being disproportionately targeted or impacted by these laws.
Advocates worry the emphasis on harsher penalties, such as longer jail sentences, could deepen inequities, particularly for low-income individuals and marginalized communities, emphasized the LHC.
The LHC insists stricter laws, when combined with systemic biases, could lead to unfair outcomes, including over-policing and harsher punishments for vulnerable populations.
The LHC report also underscores the challenge of underreporting retail theft, which obscures the problem’s actual scale. Without comprehensive data on unreported incidents, the LHC explains policymakers risk creating solutions that address public perception rather than reality.
This gap in knowledge not only undermines efforts to prevent retail theft but also hinders the development of solutions that are fair, equitable and effective, stated the LHC, adding, “Retail theft is undoubtedly underreported, but the degree of underreporting is difficult to determine.”
The Little Hoover Commission makes several recommendations to address these shortcomings, first suggesting the California Department of Justice expand its data collection efforts to include much higher levels of detail.
The LHC report encourages partnerships with California universities and research institutions to study the economic impact of retail theft, rates of underreporting, preventative measures and drivers of public perception.
“Without this detailed data, there is a risk of policies that are ineffective, unfair, or that fail to address the root causes of crime,” the LHC report warns. A more data-driven approach would allow policymakers to better understand the factors driving retail theft and craft solutions tailored to those causes, shares the LHC.
California’s stricter retail theft laws may aim to deter crime, said LHC, but the lack of a data-driven foundation raises serious questions about justice and effectiveness. Without transparent and detailed data, the state risks implementing policies that disproportionately harm vulnerable communities while failing to address the root causes of theft, notes LHC.
As the state moves forward, the LHC states advocates are calling for greater accountability in data collection and policy-making. Only with a deeper understanding of retail theft and its impacts can California develop solutions that are equitable, effective and grounded in evidence, reported the LHC.