LAKE WORTH — On Jan. 6, the Lake Worth Police Department announced on all its social media accounts an undercover operation, cleverly named Operation Claus and Effect, that was conducted Dec. 9-20 to combat retail theft in the Lake Worth area.
“During the busy holiday shopping season, our department collaborated with numerous local businesses and @TxDPS to conduct Operation Claus and Effect — a strategic operation to deter and address retail theft,” the posts said.
During the operation, Lake Worth PD conducted 24 arrests and about half of them were repeated offenders, meaning they had two or more prior convictions for retail theft, or a crime related to theft.
Among those arrests, officials said none were Lake Worth residents. The department thanked the community, the businesses in Lake Worth and the Texas Department of Public Safety for their cooperation.
“We would like to thank our business community for partnering with us to ensure Lake Worth remains a safe place where life and commerce thrive,” the department said. “Because of the partnership we enjoy with our business community, this operation was successful. We would also like to thank the Texas Department of Public Safety for their assistance.”
Lake Worth PD also shared final numbers from the operation. During the 12-day operation, there were 722 calls for service, 29 calls specifically related to retail theft, 24 arrests, 21 felony charges, 14 misdemeanor charges, $2,000 in total merchandise recovered; three handguns were also recovered.
Lake Worth PD also wants to assure residents and shoppers that their mission to keep customers safe is a commitment the department holds itself to.
“We also want to assure our community that we remain committed to ensuring Lake Worth remains a safe, comfortable and convenient place to shop,” the department said.
In the past, Lake Worth PD has conducted roundtable conversations with local retailers and bigger retail stores to come up with ideas and solutions to address this recurring issue. Lake Worth PD did also recently release its 2024 crime statistics which showed a 22% decrease in burglaries, a 13% decrease in thefts offenses, a 50% decrease in robberies and a 4.5% decrease in overall crime.