San Francisco police have been monitoring retail and grocery stores to catch shoplifters and have arrested 60 people since the undercover operation began last month, authorities said.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It affects our local business,” Adam Lobsinger, a spokesman for the SFPD, said in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It hurts our workers who have their hours cut or lose their jobs,” Lobsinger added. “It hurts people who are shopping to feed their families, and it hurts our seniors who depend on neighborhood pharmacies being forced to close.”
Details of the operation are scant, but police said officers have been deployed to monitor pharmacies, supermarkets and retail stores throughout the city. Stores include Walgreens, Old Navy, Target, Whole Foods, CVS and Macy’s, the Chronicle reported.
“These operations have resulted in 13 felony bookings, over 47 misdemeanor citations, and will continue,” the SFPD said in a statement.
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San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott speaks to reporters about a break-in and attack at the home of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), on October 28, 2022. in San Francisco.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
About half of the 60 suspects arrested were offered diversion, while the other half face prosecution ranging from commercial theft to grand theft.
Raj Vaswani, deputy head of the department, said the operation will last for at least another month.
“We are going to test it and see how successful it is,” Vaswani said. “Of course, we also have to look at the overall resources and how sustainable it is.”
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Both the city’s mayor and the district attorney released statements in support of cracking down on theft crimes.
“Addressing retail theft is a priority for my office and we have been working closely with the San Francisco police to ensure that there are accountability and appropriate consequences in all cases,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. .
Mayor London Breed addresses a news conference as Brooke Jenkins looks on at City Hall, Thursday, July 7, 2022, in San Francisco.
(Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
“Operations like this not only yield results in arrests and prosecutions, but also send a message that there will be consequences when you cross the line in San Francisco,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed added in her own statement, according to the Chronicle. . “There has to be accountability in this city, and we will continue to build on the strong partnerships with our retailers to address shoplifting so we can create a safer space for both residents and workers.”
Shoplifting crime has plagued San Francisco in recent years, and some stores have closed or reduced hours in response. Walgreens, for example, announced earlier this year that it would close four stores in the city due to “organized retail crime.”
The Bay Area has also been plagued by repeated crimes of robbery and burglary since last year, with criminals entering high-end stores armed with bats and other weapons and then fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.
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Logo of the San Francisco Police Department over a photo of the city.
(San Francisco Police)
West Coast police unions pinned the crimes of theft and embezzlement on Proposition 47, which passed in 2014. Under the law, charges for theft of items valued at $950 or less were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors. The measure was supported by several Democratic state leaders, as well as the ACLU.
“The ACLU lied to San Francisco voters. Voters were told that prosecuting thieves was actually a racist attack on people of color whose only real crime was poverty. So, Proposition 47, the so-called Law of Safe Schools and Neighborhoods, reduced felonies to misdemeanors for theft of property valued at $950 or less,” San Francisco Police Officers Association President Tony Montoya told Fox News Digital last year.
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Fox News Digital contacted the offices of Breed and Jenkins, as well as the police department Monday morning, but did not immediately receive responses.
