Seal Beach police partner with businesses to combat organized theft

Seal Beach law enforcement officials have been partnering with local retail businesses to help minimize organized thefts and other related offenses in operations that were continuing this week, police said.

According to the Seal Beach Police Department, several targeted enforcement operations during the 2023 holiday season resulted in multiple suspects being arrested and the recovery of stolen vehicles and merchandise.

However, the city continues to experience a noticeable increase in retail crime, including “pushout” thefts, in which offenders exit a store with loaded merchandise without purchase, along with return scams and grab-and-runs.

“To address this growing problem, the Seal Beach Police Department has partnered with local retailers to deploy proactive enforcement operations to gather intelligence, identify suspects, and arrest all offenders,” police said in a statement.

Seal Beach police detectives conducted six organized retail crime-directed enforcement operations during October, November and December. The operations consisted of investigators conducting surveillance at retail establishments and making arrests as crimes occurred.

Twenty-five arrests were made during the operations, with five identified suspects related to crimes outside Seal Beach. Detectives also recovered two allegedly stolen vehicles and $13,300 in stolen merchandise.

“Throughout the holiday season, combating escalating organized retail crime enforcement becomes increasingly important to ensure the safety of our community,” Seal Beach Police Chief Michael Henderson said in a statement. “The Seal Beach Police Department continues to work diligently to show our dedication and commitment to the safety of our community and its consumers and to safeguard our local shopping centers by partnering with local retailers to take a proactive approach in combating these types of crimes as they occur.”

Officials estimate that retail businesses in California lose $7 billion annually to organized retail theft.

Anyone with information about retail crimes was urged to contact Sgt. Gibson at (562) 799-4100, ext. 1172, or jgibson@sealbeachca.gov.