California’s ‘smash and grab’ robberies – what’s really going on behind the headlines?

Incidents have been linked to organized crime' and given fodder to conservatives that progressive policies are encouraging crime

Amid fraught discussions over the future of policing in major American cities, a series of mass thefts at high-end stores across California have made headlines nationwide.

The incidents have drawn widespread coverage linking them to organized crime" and spotlighting concerns from retailers about a theft crisis. They also reinvigorated a political debate over crime rates in California, prompting pledges from local and state leaders to charge those involved and increase police presence in affected areas. Meanwhile, conservatives and some local leaders have pointed to the incidents as evidence that criminal justice reform and progressive policies are encouraging crime and making California more dangerous.