S.F. police announce dozens of arrests in crackdown on retail theft
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco police department burglary unit announced that its retail theft-abatement operation which began in late November has resulted in 60 arrests to date.
The operation is a coordinated effort among plainclothes officers, uniformed officers and store loss-prevention personnel.
In recent years, there have been countless examples of brazen shoplifters at San Francisco drug stores and smash-and-grabs shared on social media.
Outside the Ross store on Market Street Friday evening, shoppers queued up to enter the store. It's one way the store is trying to reduce rampant theft by limiting the number of people inside the store at any given time.
San Mateo shoppers Genevieve Desuasido and her daughter Felicity got in line hoping to pick up some gifts on their Christmas lists.
"If it's for safety and, ideally, the big picture is to have a better shopping experience for everybody, that's OK. We're used to waiting in lines. When you come to this area when you're shopping in Christmas lines anyways, I think we have to come with a little bit more patience," Desuasido said.
"I think it changes the time we shop sometimes. I try to get more done during the daytime. I definitely wouldn't have gone out alone as much to shop because you just have a fear of being at the wrong place at the wrong time," Desuasido said. "I do remember reading about a lot of stores being hit and you just feel really bad. Even the people who work the stores, the employees there and the people that are kind of scared."
In total, police said the operation has resulted in 13 felony bookings and more than 47 misdemeanor citations.
SFPD said about half of the people arrested were offered diversion. District attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office is prosecuting about 30 people for various retail theft crimes. One of the suspects has already pleaded guilty.
"We have a perception among people in this city that there are no consequences. One, that they won't be caught when they conduct themselves in this fashion and that, even if they are, that there weren't appropriate consequences with that conduct. And so we have to change that culture here and we're doing it day by day, since I took over," Jenkins said.
Genevieve and Felicity Desuasido left Ross with the realization that crime is neither theoretical nor far away.
"Definitely because of all the theft and robbery that has been going on, I'll probably try to shop closer to home rather than going out into the city that much but it is nice to come out once in a while," Felicity said.
"You just look around more when you walk and you walk exactly where you need to. For example, you don't really try to look down at your phone and be walking just regularly."
Mayor London Breed's office told KPIX she is in constant contact with the chief of police and the district attorney about operations like this and this is the kind of enforcement that is reflective of the work she hoped would result from the increased response to retail theft announced last year.
Mayor Breed said in a statement:
"Operations like this not only yield results in arrests and prosecutions, they also send a message that there will be consequences when you cross the line in San Francisco. There has to be accountability in this City and we will keep building on the strong partnerships with our retailers to address theft in their stores so we can create a safer space for both residents and workers."