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WHEREAS, recent changes to California law allow individuals who steal <br />repeatedly to face few consequences, regardless of their criminal record or how many <br />times they steal; and <br />WHEREAS, as a result, between 2014 and 2016, California had the second <br />highest increase in theft and property crimes in the United States, while most states have <br />seen a steady decline; and <br />WHEREAS, according to the California Department of Justice, the value of <br />property stolen in 2015 was $2.5 billion with an increase of 13 percent since 2014, the <br />largest single -year increase in at least ten years; and <br />WHEREAS, grocery store operators around the state have seen unprecedented <br />increases in the amount of losses associated with shoplifting in their stores, with some <br />reporting up to 150 percent increases in these losses from 2012 to present, with the <br />largest jumps occurring since 2014; and <br />WHEREAS, shoplifting incidents have started to escalate in such a manner that <br />have endangered innocent customers and employees; and <br />WHEREAS, individuals who repeatedly steal often do so to support their drug <br />habit, but recent changes to California law have reduced judges' ability to order <br />individuals convicted of repeated theft crimes into effective drug treatment programs; and <br />WHEREAS, California needs stronger laws for those who are repeatedly convicted <br />of theft related crimes, which will encourage those who repeatedly steal to support their <br />drug problem to enter into existing drug treatment programs, and this Act would enact <br />such reforms; and <br />WHEREAS, collecting DNA from criminals is essential to solving violent crimes, <br />and over 450 violent crimes including murder, rape and robbery have gone unsolved <br />because DNA is being collected from fewer criminals; and <br />WHERAS, DNA collected in 2015 from a convicted child molester solved the rape - <br />murders of two six -year -old boys that occurred three decades ago in Los Angeles County; <br />and DNA collected in 2016 from an individual caught driving a stolen car solved the 2012 <br />San Francisco Bay Area rape -murder of an 83-yearold woman; and <br />WHEREAS, recent changes to California law unintentionally eliminated DNA <br />collection for theft and drug crimes, but this Act restores DNA collection from persons <br />convicted for such offenses; and <br />WHEREAS, permitting collection and more DNA samples will help identify <br />suspects, clear the innocent and free the wrongly convicted; and <br />Resolution No. 2020-073 <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />