By Julia Harte

(Reuters] – On Monday, a Nordstrom department store was the latest victim of a spate of robberies targeting luxury shops in California and Illinois.

Los Angeles Police Department stated that it took three suspects into police custody. According to local reports, as many as twenty people could have been involved with the theft and break-in.

Police officials in both states are worried by brazen burglaries that have taken place in high-end retail stores over the course of the week.

Recent social media posts have been filled with videos of the “smash and grabs” burglaries. They show masked men breaking into shops, running away with merchandise bags, then fleeing from cars outside.

Because of the large number luxury stores, San Francisco Bay Area has suffered a particularly severe hit. According to U.S. Census Bureau, the area is among the wealthiest in the nation, and the median household income there is nearly twice that of the national average.

A Walnut Creek Police Department release said that around 80 people entered Nordstrom’s Walnut Creek department store on Saturday night to steal merchandise. Three people were arrested by police.

The release stated that police were investigating “a clearly planned event”.

California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the California Highway Patrol increase their presence close to major retail areas.

According to experts, organized crime is not new. But, according to some, it has become more violent in recent years because of the increased security measures taken by retailers.

Joseph LaRocca (a Los Angeles-based expert in theft-prevention and former vice president for loss prevention at National Retail Federation) stated, “Retail crime organizations need to stock-up for the holidays as legitimate retailers do.”

According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, 57% of U.S. retail outlets responded that the pandemic increased the likelihood of organized crime.

He said that the robbers are not your typical shoplifter who merely steals small items. This can help investigators track the cash to their leaders.

LaRocca stated that some criminals were encouraged by California’s Proposition 47 which reduced penalties for certain crime. This law, which was passed in California, reclassified certain felonies as misdemeanors and made them easier to commit.

Charis Kubrin at the University of California-Irvine is a professor of criminalology, law, and society.

Kubrin claimed that it is hard to determine the cause of current organized retail criminality in California and elsewhere.

Kubrin stated that “between the pandemic, economic challenges and the issues between police and communities there are many factors occurring at the same time which make it difficult for one factor to be identified.”