By: Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Statewide — California saw a drop in most types of crime last year, including homicide, car break-ins, and auto theft, according to new data from the California Department of Justice.

But while overall crime is down, shoplifting is on the rise and remains a concern for businesses and law enforcement across the state.

Violent crime decreased by 5.5% and property crime dropped by 10% in 2024. The state’s property crime rate is now the lowest it has been in nearly 40 years. Notably, car theft fell by 16.8% in its first decline since 2019, but it remains nearly 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

All categories of violent crime, including homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, showed improvement. Still, violent crime overall is nearly 10% higher than in 2019, mostly due to continued elevated levels of aggravated assault.

Despite the positive trends, shoplifting rose by nearly 14% last year and is nearly 48% higher than before the pandemic. When combined with commercial burglary data, overall retail theft rose by 3% in 2024 and is nearly 23% higher than 2019 levels.

Experts note that some of the rise in reported shoplifting could reflect changes in how incidents are tracked. After Proposition 47 reduced penalties for some theft offenses, some retailers reportedly stopped reporting minor incidents. However, increased media attention and recent legislative efforts – including the approval of Prop 36 last year — may be prompting more consistent reporting.

Theft of car parts, including catalytic converters, has also declined, reversing a pandemic-era spike. Car break-ins, too, have dropped by nearly half compared to 2019.