Former Oakland and San Francisco cop now manages cannabis industry security
SAN FRANCISCO - Safety concerns over the cannabis industry are top of mind after an Oakland police officer was killed while responding to a burglary at a cannabis business on Dec. 29.
Hyrba Marketplace is a cannabis dispensary at Judah Street and 45th Avenue in San Francisco where customers can get a whiff of weed before they buy.
Hyrba Marketplace dispensary in San Francisco has marijuana samples in clear boxes for customers to sniff.
"You press this little clear button in the back," Hyrba employee Tee Alvarado explained while holding a clear box with marijuana inside. "And the smell just shoots you in the face."
The first thing customers encounter inside the store is an armed guard watching over all kinds of cannabis products.
"Space Gems are really fun," Alvarado said while giving a tour of the products on display. "They’re made out of ice water hash. They’re vegan."
Cannabis sales contributed more than $220 million to the California economy in 2022, and grew to $269 million by November 2023, making retailers a constant target of thieves in a business where customers often pay with cash.
"People are after product first and, in my opinion, cash second," Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions owner Chris Eggers told KTVU.
A former Oakland and San Francisco police officer, Eggers worked undercover.
"So, I have a unique education, if you will, on crime, crime prevention, and the mindset of offenders," Eggers said.
According to Oakland police, Officer Tuan Le was working undercover during the burglary of a cannabis business on Dec. 29 when he was shot and killed.
"Tragic is an understatement," Eggers said of the shooting that claimed the 36-year-old officer’s life.
Eggers left law enforcement in 2021 to start a cannabis security company.
"There’s some clients that come to us that have been broken into multiple times, or, you know, twice in one night, three times in one night, or they’re having a recurring issue every couple months," Eggers said.
Eggers provides consulting, security guards, installation, and he claims, technology you won’t even notice.
"This particular facility, we started working with them when we were designing the security camera layout, designing the burglary alarm, designing the access control," Eggers said.
He believes technology drives down security costs by sharing real-time information with law enforcement, to prioritize calls for help, speed up response times, and protect retailers from brazen criminals, stopping at nothing to get their hands on the merchandise.
In Le’s case, it was a crime that cost him his life.
"That incident needs to bring about conversation about how do we effect change," Eggers suggested.
He believes urgency through technology is a key priority.
Forensic artist Jonny Castro of Philly created this digital portrait of slain Oakland police officer Tuan Le. (KTVU)