A California city attorney has threatened to sue a Target store after it repeatedly reported thefts at the store in the high-crime state.
According to Sacramento District Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, the store at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in Land Park will be fined and also charged with public nuisance if the store continues to call police when there is a theft in the store.
A person familiar with the incident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said The Sacramento Bee that city officials warned that an administrative fine would also be imposed.
Lawmakers have taken legal action against a company that reported a crime, leading them to add an amendment to a retail theft bill that would make such threats illegal.
The office of Sacramento City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood (pictured) has issued a warning and will file charges of public nuisance if the Target at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in Land Park continues to call police when there is a theft in the store.
Alexander Gammelgard, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, who testified at the first meeting of the commission on shoplifting in December, seemed stunned by the recent news, explaining that there was “no place for this.”
‘I … (was) also surprised that anyone would ever try to make a big deal out of someone calling to report a legitimate crime,” he told the Bee.
Wood’s office and Sacramento police said ABC45 News They were unaware that such a threat had been made.
Under the Proposition 47 initiative passed in 2014, lesser crimes were classified as misdemeanors and a $950 penalty was established for shoplifting.
However, many opposed the voter-approved plan, believing it is the root cause of rising theft in their state.
According to reports, Governor Gavin Newsom has been working on toughening penalties for shoplifting by introducing a package of 14 bills later this year specifically targeting the issue.
Newsom is working with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and state Sen. Mike McGuire, who believe their legislation will help minimize shoplifting, rather than reform changes to Proposition 47, the news outlet reported.
However, California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced in June that she would begin collecting signatures to get a reform bill for Proposition 47 on the November ballot.
A couple is seen walking into the Target in Auburn before surveillance footage captures them stealing something from the store
They were accused of exchanging goods in boxes
Shoplifting is on the rise in the state of California.
Nearly 100 robbers looted a gas station in Oakland in the middle of the night on Friday, as captured on surveillance footage.
The raid came days after Oakland’s progressive mayor boasted of a drop in crime in the crime-plagued city.
In June, nearly two dozen robbers held up a jewelry store in broad daylight at the Hacienda Shopping Center on the 700 block of E. El Camino Real near Sunnyvale, California.
The thieves destroyed jewelry boxes with hammers and other weapons and were later arrested.
A couple was arrested at a Target in Auburn in 2021 after they were accused of exchanging goods in boxes, CBS News Sacramento reported.
Sacramento Democratic District Attorney Thien Ho filed a lawsuit in September 2023 against the Democratic-led city over its failure to clear homeless encampments, escalating tensions between city leaders.
After filing the lawsuit, Ho said, “WeThere are more homeless people in Sacramento than in San Francisco. The community is at a breaking point.’
According to police data obtained by The Bee, there were 375 reports of thefts, robberies and shoplifting in 2023, compared to about 175 in 2022 and 87 in 2021. These reports were made at three different Target locations in Sacramento.
However, most calls did not result in a crime report, an arrest, or a summons.