Los Angeles Leads Nation in Organized Retail Theft for 5th Straight Year

For the second year in a row, organized retail theft crimes were reported as significantly affecting businesses through violent smash-and-grab style robberies.

People steal merchandise from stores at The Grove shopping mall in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles on May 30, 2020. Valerie/AFP via Getty Images

While Los Angeles is known for designer boutiques and world-class shopping destinations, not everyone enters luxury retailers with the intention of paying, as the city topped the charts for organized criminal retail thefts again in a recently released survey.

The City of Angels has led the nation in such crimes since 2017—when it overtook New York, the National Retail Federation’s 2023 Retail Security Survey revealed.