News/Commentary

‘Can’t make this stuff up’: California sheriff dumps on Target for hindering efforts to stop shoplifters

November 13, 2023 | | Print Article

California’s Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has had it with Target.

With crime running rampant in the Golden State, the big-box behemoth has repeatedly reached out to the police department, asking them to help with the swarm of shoplifters, only to handcuff the officers with a list of demands.

“I can’t make this stuff up,” the frustrated sheriff wrote Thursday on X.

“Recently, we tried to help Target,” Cooper explained. “Our Property Crimes detectives and sergeant were contacted numerous times by Target to help them with shoplifters, mostly who were known transients. We coordinated with them and set up an operation with detectives and our North POP team.”

“At the briefing, we were told by their head of regional security that we could not contact suspects inside the store; we could not handcuff suspects in the store; and if we arrested someone, they wanted us to procees them outside… behind the store… in the rain,” he continued. “We were told they didn’t want to create a scene inside the store and have people film it and put it on social media.”

“They didn’t want negative press,” Sheriff Cooper wrote. “Unbelievable.”

According to Fox Business, “The National Retail Federation recently published a study investigating which major metropolitan areas across the U.S. are most affected by organized retail crime, based on surveys from nearly 200 retailers.”

“Four California cities landed on the top 10 list,” the outlet reports, “including Sacramento, which shared the seventh spot alongside Chicago.”

Even as Cooper’s deputies watched, shoplifters loaded up their bags.

“Our deputies watched a lady on camera bring in her own shopping bags, go down the body wash isle (sic), and grab a bunch of Native body washes,” he wrote. “Then she went to customer service and return them!”

“Target chose to do nothing and simply let it happen,” Cooper shared. “Yet somehow, locking up deodorant and raising prices on everyday items we need to survive is their best answer.”

“We don’t tell big retail how to do their jobs,” he stated, “they shouldn’t tell us how to do ours.”

As BizPac Review has reported, California’s progressive, soft-on-crime policies have wreaked havoc on the state’s retailers.

Over the summer, a video of three female shoplifters — one, an elderly woman, and another, a morbidly obese woman who appeared to be suffering from massive localized lymphoedema on one of her legs — went viral.

The trio of thieves were seen unloading several shopping carts full of alleged stolen goods from a Sacramento Burlington into their getaway car — a red Dodge Charger parked in a handicap parking space.

On X, folks are just as frustrated as Sheriff Cooper.

“Screw’em,” one user told Cooper. “Let them go out of business.”

“The positive PR that would come from filmed shoplifter arrests inside Target — and all other stores, for that matter — would be overwhelming,” another user predicted. “Citizens are tired of watching their state go into the toilet.”

“It would actually be nice to see videos of customers filming someone getting arrested in the store,” replied a third. “Can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that on social media. It’s usually someone running out the store with merchandise and no consequences.”

Others were just grateful that the sheriff spoke up about the issue.

DONATE TO AMERICAN WIRE

If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to American Wire News to help us fight them.

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Thank you for your donation!
Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles