Los Angeles, Ca
Nearly 200 retail theft cases filed in L.A. County last year, Gascón says
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it filed nearly 200 cases related to organized retail theft last year.
The charges are part of county and statewide efforts to crack down on the growing number of retail thefts and smash-and-grab burglaries. Regional law enforcement agencies have created specialized task forces to track down and arrest those who take part in the crimes.
District Attorney George Gascón held a press conference Thursday to discuss the cases and what was accomplished in 2023.
In a news release issued later in the day, Gascón said retail thefts were not victimless crimes, saying that they cause financial losses to retailers and local businesses while damaging the “community’s sense of security while shopping.”
“We want businesses to succeed and for Angelenos to feel safe while they’re out in public. Filing these cases is just the beginning of my office’s work toward deterring these types of crimes in order to make Los Angeles County a safer place,” Gascón said, adding that his office is committed to helping law enforcement track down those responsible and ensure they are held accountable.
The cases were filed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023 and involved adults and juveniles, the D.A.’s Office said.
The majority of the cases involve multiple defendants who worked together to steal from stores with the intent to sell what they took. Those circumstances qualify the crimes as felonies, officials said.
While some cases are pending, sentences can range from probation to state prison.
Stores that have been targeted and were victims in the cases include the 99 Cents Only Store, American Eagle, Kohls, Macy’s, Nike, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Sephora, Target, Ulta and Victoria’s Secret. Small businesses are also among those cases.
The D.A.’s Office said it has worked with law enforcement partners to recover and return millions of dollars worth of stolen goods to retailers. Two of the largest busts involved $188,000 worth of product returned to Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and $250,000 in merchandise recovered and given back to Kevin Jewelers.
Target and CVS also had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods returned last year.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said the regional task force to curb retail theft has “restored much” of the feeling of safety and security taken away from L.A. residents and business owners.
“I am proud of the hard work and dedication to public safety of those not only from the Los Angeles Police Department, but our partnering agencies as well,” Moore said. “As public servants, we cannot work in silos; we cannot work alone. Public safety belongs to all of us.”
One of those partner agencies is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Since it was established, the Sheriff’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force has arrested 438 suspects related to retail theft, with 309 cases successfully filed, according to LASD Major Crimes Bureau Captain Rob Peacock.
Peacock says it’s not just the shoplifters who are being targeted by local law enforcement.
“We are not only focused on the individuals responsible for the thefts, but those that are in the criminal chain—the getaway drivers, those that harbor them, and those that sell the stolen merchandise,” he said. “These individuals need to understand that there will be consequences—we will use all our resources to identify, pursue, and arrest these suspects.”
As retail crime thefts continue to be a problem across the Los Angeles area, authorities are asking for the public’s help to bring a stop to them.
Anyone with information about these types of crimes in L.A. County is encouraged to contact the LAPD Organized Retail Theft Task Force by email or by calling at 818-374-9420. The LASD Organized Retail Crime Task Force can be reached by email or at 562-946-7270.
Anonymous tips can be made online or by calling 800-222-8477.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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