Attorney General cites task force and prosecutions as response to rising retail theft

Facing questions from the interviewer about organized retail theft, the attorney general and gubernatorial candidate described a task force created in 2022 that coordinates law enforcement, business leaders and store employees. "We created a task force working with law enforcement, working with business leaders, working with workers..." he said, and added that his office established a team of investigators and prosecutors to handle these cases.

He said the effort has led to convictions and prison sentences in serious cases and that his office routinely charges these offenses when requested by local prosecutors. "As a result of that work...we're getting convictions. People are going away to prison for years as a result of these serious offenses," he said.

The candidate acknowledged limits on his office's jurisdiction — his office takes cases when a local prosecutor asks for assistance — and said that state funding to support prosecution resources was pursued in the Legislature after discussions with law enforcement and businesses.