San Francisco police make 60 shoplifting, theft arrests in a month
A KTVU camera crew said Fendi and Yves Saint Laurent were among the affected retailers. November 2021
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco police on Friday said that their burglary unit officers have made 60 shoplifting and theft arrests since late November.
Without identifying anyone, the police sent a news release saying that 13 people were arrested on felons and 47 people received misdemeanor citations.
About half of those arrested were offered diversion, police said, with the rest are being prosecuted for various retail theft crimes including commercial shoplifting, petty theft, and grand theft.
Police conduct these "theft abatement operations" at department clothing stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
"It is imperative," police wrote in the news release, "that there is accountability and appropriate consequences in all cases. Inventory loss due to retail theft has caused a financial and emotional hardship to our businesses and the community."
Last week, several major retail stores, including Walmart and Target, threatened to close some stores because of stealing.
The National Retail Federation sets last year's losses at almost $95 billion. Organized crime theft rose 26%.
And last Christmas shopping season, looters and thieves hit Bay Area stores hard, including a high-profile smash-and-grab at San Francisco's Louis Vuitton in Union Square, where the store was emptied out by thieves.
Other stores, including Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, were also robbed and vandalized.