Hemet, California – On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36, known as “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act.” Proposition 36 took effect on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
Proposition 36 modifies existing laws and adds substantive charges and enhancements to areas of the California Penal Code and Health and Safety Code regarding theft, property damage, and drug-related crimes.
On Friday, December 20, 2024, the Hemet Police Department’s Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Team conducted an Organized Retail Theft Operation in the City of Hemet.
During this event, officers made two arrests for 666.1(a)PC a new felony created by proposition 36. Prior to December 18, 2024, the subjects would have been cited and released in the field with a court appearance date. Now under the new laws created by Proposition 36 regarding subjects who have at least two prior theft related convictions, both were arrested for felony theft charges and later transported to Riverside County Jail.
Chief of Police Michael Arellano said, “With the implementation of Proposition 36, The men and women of the Hemet Police Department are committed to enforcing the new regulations passed by California voters. These recent arrests highlight our dedication to upholding the law and ensuring the safety and well-being of our community and retail partners. Proposition 36 provides us with enhanced tools to address these issues more effectively, and we are certain that these long overdue changes will lead to significant reduction in crime and an improvement in public safety.”
Organized retail theft incidents may be reported to the Hemet Police Department at (951)765-2400 or you can provide anonymous information through the Hemet Police Department’s smartphone app, available for free Apple App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android users.