Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has taken to social media to express his frustration with local Target leadership over their handling of shoplifting incidents in a California store. The sheriff claims that despite his agency’s efforts to assist with the problem, Target’s restrictions are impeding their ability to catch shoplifters effectively.
Cooper’s revelation came through a social media post on Thursday, where he exclaimed, “I can’t make this stuff up.” According to the sheriff, Property Crimes detectives and a sergeant from his agency were approached by Target to collaborate on addressing the escalating shoplifting issue.
The alleged shoplifters in question are known transients in the area, making it a recurring problem that law enforcement is keen to tackle. Cooper asserts that authorities worked in coordination with store leadership to develop a strategy to address the issue. However, what followed left the sheriff bewildered.
During a briefing with Target’s head of regional security, the sheriff claims they were told specific limitations on how they could handle suspects within the store. According to Cooper, they were informed that they couldn’t directly approach suspects inside the store, handcuff them on-site, or process arrests within the store premises. Instead, Target wanted law enforcement to handle arrests discreetly outside the store, even if it meant doing so in adverse weather conditions.
The reason behind these peculiar restrictions, as per Cooper’s account, was the store’s reluctance to create a scene inside that might find its way onto social media. Moreover, Target purportedly expressed a desire to avoid negative press coverage.
Cooper went on to share a specific incident where deputies observed a woman on video grabbing body washes from the shelves and subsequently attempting to return them at the customer service desk. Despite having evidence of the shoplifting incident, Target allegedly did nothing in response. In a perplexing move, the company’s solution to the rising issue seemed to involve locking up items and increasing prices.
“We don’t tell big retail how to do their jobs; they shouldn’t tell us how to do ours,” concluded Cooper, expressing his frustration with the imposed limitations.
The sheriff’s social media post garnered attention and reactions from the public, with some users highlighting the potential positive impact of filmed shoplifter arrests inside stores. Critics argued that citizens are tired of witnessing their communities struggle with crime and believe that enforcing the rule of law benefits everyone.
This incident sheds light on a broader concern, as it comes at a time when some Target stores are shutting down due to organized retail theft, posing risks to both workers and customers. Notably, these closures are occurring in Democrat-run cities.
As retailers, including Target, grapple with the challenge of rampant shoplifting, some have resorted to locking up items. However, this strategy has drawn criticism from frustrated customers who are inconvenienced by the need to wait for an employee to retrieve items from secured cases.
With all of the chaos and losses caused by shoplifters, many might expect that Target would support police in halting thefts, but they would be mistaken. Instead, the retailer has chosen to complicate the work of law enforcement. Shop accordingly.
