Proposition 36 helping Inland Empire authorities crack down on retail theft
Less than year after Proposition 36 was passed by California voters in a landslide, local law enforcement says that it's giving them a leg up in cracking down on retail theft.
The law, which went into effect in December 2024, increased penalties for some drug-related and theft crimes and allowed for felony charges in cases where someone was convicted three times. Prior to its passing, any theft of less than $950 was classified as a misdemeanor.
Riverside and San Bernardino County law enforcement says that it's helping them hold repeat offenders accountable for their crimes and enforce consequences.
An in depth look at Prop 36's impact was conducted by the SoCal News Group, which included following along as the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Robbery-Burglary Suppression Team busted alleged shoplifters at multiple stores in Lake Elsinore. They say that since going into effect, RSO has presented 335 felony theft cases to the District Attorney's Office.
In San Bernardino County, though their numbers aren't quite as high, they say that they've conducted four retail theft operations and arrested more than 40 people on felony theft offenses, many of which qualified for the charges because of Prop 36.
The new law has made for some viral moments already, including in Seal Beach where cameras inside of a patrol car caught two shoplifting suspects as they discussed the new charges they could be facing after stealing from multiple stores.
Critics of the law still argue that it will lead to overflowing prisons, full of people who aren't a danger to the public. Local DA's say it's meant to be a deterrent to people who repeatedly take from small businesses trying to make an honest living.
