2023 review: Smash-and-grab epidemic crippled Democratic cities

Smash-and-grab crime crippled retailers in Democratic-controlled cities across the United States throughout 2023.

Also known as “flash mob” robberies, smash-and-grabs are defined as criminal actions conducted after “breaking a window of a car, store, etc., and stealing whatever can be taken quickly.”

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This type of criminal activity has been utilized by robbers in the past few years, but 2023 saw their popularity appear to rise as videos, police reports, and stories of businesses closing flooded social media.

In January, a gang of masked thieves stole up to $2 million worth of high-end jewelry from Facets Fine Jewelry in the Park Slope area of New York City.

“The whole thing lasted 38 seconds,” the store owner said. “They took two and a half full cases of diamond engagement rings, newer pieces we’ve designed in-house, and pieces we’ve collected — art deco and Edwardian rings. … I want to say 100 rings.”

“They knew exactly what cases to take from,” she added. “They only took the big-ticket items.”

Another New York City business, a family-owned gallery, saw a precious $5,000 painting stolen in September after a thief smashed the gallery’s front door at Carlton Fine Arts in Midtown Manhattan.

Police said the painting that was taken had been placed on an easel close to the front window, and that the alarm was activated during the incident.

However, the criminal managed to escape the scene and flee in a silver sedan that was driven by an accomplice.

On the other side of the country, San Francisco saw both its small businesses and major retailers suffer as a result of smash-and-grab crime in 2023.

In May, Nordstrom announced the closure of two locations in San Francisco, citing the “dynamics” of the city’s downtown area, where retail theft has ravaged storefronts.

“We’ve spent more than 35 years serving customers in downtown San Francisco, building relationships with them and investing in the local community,” a memo from Chief Stores Officer Jamie Nordstrom sent at the time read.

“But as many of you know, the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.”

Nordstrom may have closed its doors, but other major retailers stayed open and continued to suffer at the hands of criminals.

In October, two suspects were taken into custody after a gang of criminals ransacked a high-end Dior store, leading San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott to label the retail crime behind smash-and-grabs as a “blitz.”

“Our city will not tolerate criminals ransacking our businesses,” Scott said.

“Not only are these crimes devastating to our business community and local economy, too often, we’ve seen these crimes escalate into violence. I want to thank our hardworking officers who are making sure our city is a safe place for businesses and shoppers.”

Many credit left-wing policies such as “no cash” bail and the “defund the police movement” for catalyzing smash-and-grabs and greater retail crime, which has increased nationally by 26% since 2002.

With the number of lives and the total amount of product lost, several cities, even Democratic-controlled cities, have taken action to address the crisis.

In September, Los Angeles County was approved to receive $15.6 million to fight smash-and-grab crime affecting retail businesses.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the funding, which comes from the state government, to create an Organized Retail Theft Task Force.

It will be made up of at least one lieutenant, three sergeants, and 30 detectives and work with other law enforcement bodies and businesses, according to officials.

“Our Retail Theft Task Force through our Major Crimes Bureau is focused on reducing these crimes by targeting these crews and aggressively pursuing not just those who commit the theft, but everyone in the criminal chain,” Sheriff Robert Luna said.

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“This Organized Retail Theft Grant will allow us to continue to investigate retail theft crimes and provide dedicated staff and equipment necessary to continue to combat these thefts.”

Whether other Democratic-controlled cities will follow Los Angeles County’s lead in 2024 will have to be seen.