Law enforcement officers arrested 64 retail theft suspect and recovered nearly $7,000 worth of stolen goods during the most recent week of enforcement efforts under San Bernardino County’s ongoing “Operation Smash and Grab” campaign, officials said.
The arrests took place between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 and shopping centers in Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley and Rancho Cucamonga, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Law enforcement made 64 retail theft arrests and recovered nearly $7,000 worth of stolen merchandise during a week of “Operation Smash and Grab” enforcement operations in the High Desert between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 2024.
“During the operation, investigators made 12 felony arrests, 52 misdemeanor arrests, and recovered $6,865.57 in property,” the agency said in a written statement.
The county-funded targeted enforcement campaign began in 2023 in response to a growing trend of retail theft, often involving organized groups of thieves, officials said.
Law enforcement made 64 retail theft arrests and recovered nearly $7,000 worth of stolen merchandise during a week of “Operation Smash and Grab” enforcement operations in the High Desert between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 2024.
“These violent criminals terrorize the citizens of San Bernardino County by utilizing intimidation tactics and a mob mentality that creates an unsafe and uncomfortable shopping environment for our residents,” the statement said. “Investigators utilize conventional and non-conventional investigative methods to accomplish this task and lessen the blight created by these bad actors.”
‘Operation Smash & Grab’: 33 retail theft arrests made in week in San Bernardino County
The multi-agency task force participants from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Probation Department, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino Police Department.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: 64 arrested during California High Desert anti-retail theft campaign