FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is pushing to crack down on retail theft ahead of Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.   That announcement came from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office on Tuesday. Keeping community members safe during the holidays is something that is top of mind for officials in Fresno County.  The leading cause of death in Fresno County: How officials are responding Clovis Police Sergeant Jordan Hunter said officers will be conducting increased retail patrols. “We're going to do our best to provide a level of security and safety for our citizens to make sure they feel safe going to our retailers," he said. He explained the department typically sees more theft-related crimes throughout the holidays. "It always has a propensity to increase theft during the holiday time. People leaving packages in their vehicle or merchandise that they purchase from a vehicle, leaving that visible. So, when a criminal does come by, they're able to see that in plain sight and they break into that window, and they take a crime of opportunity. And sometimes people are out hundreds, if not thousands of dollars when their vehicles are broken into," Hunter said. "So, that's one of the biggest things that we do see during this time of the year is shopping centers, higher retail theft from just the retailers individually, but also with our citizens out in the public and their vehicles being broken into." He said community members can expect to see more officers on Clovis streets through Christmas Eve. "We're going to have several patrol officers assigned specifically to retail stores, shopping centers, and they'll be out in their mark patrol vehicles providing extra patrol and deterring crime in the area," Hunter said. In addition, he shared a few tips to help keep your family safe while shopping. Hunter said, "We also want to remind our citizens to shop in pairs, if they can, with a friend or a spouse [and] park in well-lit areas. If you're going to be out shopping in the evening and if you are making purchases at stores and you're making several stops, secure those purchases in the trunk so they're not visible and just eliminate that crime of opportunity for somebody may be out there. Have your keys readily available to you when you're walking to your vehicle, so you can get into your car and leave as quick as possible." In Fresno, shoppers were out in force at River Park Shopping Center on Tuesday.  As Public Relations for River Park, Tracy Kashian knows the impact retail theft can have on local businesses.  “Drip on Drip, which is in one of our niche retailers, they got hit really hard and, you know, they're a small store and you buy a season before the season to get your item. So for them to recover, it's a really hard it's a really hard catch up," she explained. She said their team invites Fresno County law enforcement agencies to quarterly meetings to come up with strategies to help protect retailers and consumers. "Retail theft has just gotten out of control everywhere. So, we work with law enforcement. It's very important for us and we keep in touch with them, what they're doing, what they need from us, what their ideas are for us," Kashian noted. "We have people from all around the valley, as far as you know, Merced and Lemoore coming to these meetings, just so we can constantly keep working on safety.”  She said the center doubles security during the holidays every year. "At River Park, security is really it's on the top of our list. It's the number one priority. We have to keep everybody here safe, including our tenants who have clothing and stuff they're trying to sell. So, it's a big it's a big deal for us," Kashian emphasized.  CHP, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department and the Fresno Police Department will hold Operation Christmas Presence 2024 on Wednesday, Nov. 27. It's an annual event that aims to enhance public safety during the holiday shopping season.