In Fresno, a $500 fine is possible the first time somebody is caught stealing water from a fire hydrant, city spokesman Mark Standriff said. He is the former head of the team. Only King pocketing and then spending the money. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The incident is among a cluster of quick-hit robberies that have been plaguing high-end retail stores and pharmacies in the San Francisco area all year. If someone did not have the intent to steal when entering the business, the crime is not shoplifting under the California legal system. A California woman has been arrested and charged with grand theft after allegedly stealing more than $320,000 in merchandise from local retail stores. For their part, the stores advise employees not to interfere with shoplifters lest they get hurt. We probably shouldnt call it shoplifting anymore, since that term connotes the idea of a person trying to conceal their crime. 35. "I can't believe I'm actually living this situation.". Unfortunately, it is not just shoplifting in San Francisco that is getting headlines, though San Franciscos out-of-control drug problem makes this issue much worse than it otherwise would be. "People shopping there were just kind of standing there watching. David and Joan Traitel Building & Rental Information, National Security, Technology & Law Working Group, Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group, Military History/Contemporary Conflict Working Group, Technology, Economics, and Governance Working Group, Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies, Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance, Support the Mission of the Hoover Institution. And as weve seen in other places like New York City, store managers in California are telling their employees to not interfere with looters for fear of being branded as racists on social media or even run into lawsuits over alleged discrimination. The video was recently filmed at a TJ Maxx in Granada Hills and shows two men leaving the store with their arms packed with clothing and other items, with one of the men carrying a large duffle bag that appears to be full of items. (Wall Street Journal, subscription required). In Southern California, about 300 residents in the Antelope Valley saw their water system crash last year after thieves used water trucks to tap fire hydrants and water mains illegally. This website is intended to provide general information and you should not rely on this website or its contents as a source of legal advice. "The statistics are counter to the narrative," Scott said at a news conference, while also recognizing that some crimes may go unreported. And on Monday,about 20 people took roughly $5,000 of merchandise from a Nordstrom store at Grove mall. "I do think no one is going to have much empathy for Neiman Marcus, but that's besides the point," Rodriguez said. The scene was captured on video by another person in the store and circulated widely on news media. They ultimately blitzkrieg a particular location. Police data shows overall thefts are down 9 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2020, when the city was on lockdown and many businesses closed during the onset of the pandemic. Nissan Altima - Number of Thefts: 13,284 7. WebLONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) With violent smash-and-grab shoplifting costing California businesses millions of dollars annually, Gov. Once people realized that they were unlikely to be arrested or prosecuted for stealing below $1,000, they, of course, responded to the incentive. Officials say the thieves are getting their hands on water by breaking into secure water stations, drilling into water lines, tapping into fire hydrants and using violence and threats against farmers, making off with truckloads of water for their crops under cover of darkness. Creating a political moment to sign an almost meaningless shoplifting crime bill that rarely will be enforced. Torrance and Valley Village are both in Los Angeles County, and about 32 miles apart. WebCalifornia will allow 63,000 prisoners, out of a population of 115,000, the possibility of early release. Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern. Posted: Feb 28, 2023 / 03:52 PM MST. Its just that the Bay Area has chosen to forget. California officials are trying to put a stop to a crime that would be odd in most parts of the country. The "They care about what's happening in their backyard.". One alleged victim describes King as like a family member. Thestolen bags were estimated to be worth $25,000, local media reported. WebThe state attorney general announced earlier this month that five defendants had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit organized retail theft after officials seized roughly $8m in (Nov. 25), more than 80 people stormed another Nordstrom, Retailers and experts from the National Retail Federation say, 'Mob of people' storms, robs California Nordstrom, Walgreens closing 5 more San Francisco stores due to organized shoplifting. ", San Francisco Police Department spokesman Robert Rueca added that shoplifters aren't stealing "one or two items that someone might need to get by.". California, she added, has seen its property and violent crime rates fall in recent years to historic lows in some cases as the state embarked on reforms. Thanks to Prop 47 thefts under $950 will not be prosecuted, Carolla commented on the post. WOULD-BE ROBBERS SHOT BY ARMED SHOPPERS IN LOS ANGELES. Just like thatsince they know that police or prosecutors wont bother with a misdemeanor complaint and that store personnel wont stop them. These increases put the spotlight on Californias recent legal change that provides shorter sentences for prisoners, including violent felons, largely because of budgetary issues (California prison costs are among the highest in the country at $81,000 annually per prisoner), and also on Newsoms decision to suspend the states death penalty law via executive order. More than a dozen people in a Chicago suburb were recorded on security video Wednesday afternoon grabbing bags and wiping shelves clear at a Louis Vuitton store. Throughout our over one-hundred-year history, our work has directly led to policies that have produced greater freedom, democracy, and opportunity in the United States and the world. A Newport Beach attorney stands accused of living the high life in a Las Vegas casino for six months, spending and gambling away more than $10 million of other people's money. As a consequence, the chain has been steadily closing locations. Millions of dollars gone: In court documents the sultry swindler claims she has only $11 to her name. At least two more suspects are still at large after an early morning Gavin Newsom signed a law Wednesday No, theft is not decriminalized under the new law. The measure is widely expected to fail. Theres a referendum (known as prop 20) on the ballot today in California to address this. 6 people accused of stealing $1.1 million in construction equipment by: Samantha Jarpe. Officials say they are doing all they can to combat the issue by removing fire hydrants, securing key water sources and implementing greater enforcement to stop would-be thieves from making off with water. 2. Although the thefts have been clustered in California, they have also occurred elsewhere. "People are just openly coming in and stealing stuff. US Intelligence agencies conclude 'Havana Syndrome' not the result of a secret weapon, Hot take on New Orleans mayor recall efforts: It's voter suppression, Toxic gas attacks on school girls in Iran come under investigation, Garland Gives Curious Explanation About Why Mexican Cartels Aren't Classified as Terrorists, Dr. Marty Makary tells House committee what happened after virologists acquiesced to Dr. Fauci, WATCH: Ted Cruz Chews up Merrick Garland and Spits Him out at Senate Judiciary Hearing, The Day Your Doctor Wont Treat You If You Arent the Right Kind of Patient Is Closer Than You Might Think, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information, California legalizes shoplifting with predictable results. NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Newport Beach attorney stands accused of living the high life in a Las Vegas casino for six months, spending and gambling away more than $10 million of other people's money. California smash-and-grab gangs strike again, steal $25,000 in high-end goods. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 2021 HerLawyer.com. Why is shoplifting so rampant? ", Dr. Robert Klapper says to start pool exercises as way to improve back, Elizabeth Holmes has 2nd child as she tries to avoid prison, TikTok sets new default time limits for teens. Theft will be considered a misdemeanor if the stolen value does not exceed $950. It is a local problem in smaller communities, West said. "If it's a felony, our officers can take action," he added. Even being filmed by multiple people, including security, the thief wasn't discouraged. At least 1.8 billion gallons of water are estimated to have been stolen across the state since 2013, impacting legitimate farming operations, drinking water sources, Native American tribes and small communities, Nores said. Quick-hit robberies continue to target high-end retail stores and pharmacies in Californias Bay Area, officials say. WebCalifornia law defines petty theft as the theft of any property with a value of $950 or less. Were talking about a lot more than just shoplifting here. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. They say Walgreens policy is to not get involved. You wont believe it this guy loads merchandise from a Walgreens into a big trash bag and jumps on his bike to ride down the aisle and out of the store. The state decriminalized theft such that stealing less than $950 worth of goods was only a misdemeanor, leading to a small fine, frequently far less than the value of the merchandise that was stolen. Yvonne West, director of the State Water Resources Control Boards Office of Enforcement, told CNN that the board has recently received an uptick in complaints of stolen water. In an incident that seemed particularly shocking in San Francisco, a group of shoplifters in July was recorded on cellphone video sprinting out of a Neiman Marcus in Union Square lugging several tens of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, police said. Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, said her organization sponsored the legislation in the hope that it could stem the tide of rising theft. The city's district attorney, Chesa Boudin, who took office in January 2020 on a progressive platform that pledged to tackle incarceration rates and endorse diversion programs, has been at the center of a recall effort after complaints of rising crime in the city. "She stole from normal people like me. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife MET team has made more than 900 felony arrests of illegal cannabis growers and removed over 400 miles of pipes diverting water from natural streams to man-made dams from 2013 to 2018 during Noress tenure, he said. WebPolice in the Kabete constituency in Kiambu county have arrested 6 people suspected to have been stealing vehicles and vandalising their parts. This is a polity deciding that it is more important to stay its own hand from arresting and jailing criminals than to protect businesses from getting robbed, protect duly employed people from having to watch cretins flout the law and protect neighborhoods from losing retail outlets that they depend on. These arent episodic crimes. 'LAWLESSNESS': SAN FRANCISCO'S SHOPLIFTING PROBLEM INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATES BUSINESS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES. And if you need a one-liner for why Newsom is not the person to govern California, Newsom had this to say about the recall: Were going [to] defeat this partisan effort, and were going to work hard to do the work people sent us here to do. I havent seen smash-and-grabs in such a mass scale. Honda Accord - Number of Thefts: 36,815 3. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Fischer was wounded in the dognapping and five people in total have been charged in connection with the theft. We've received your submission. A governor of a state of nearly forty million, without a realistic vision to grow a better future. Moreover, a confrontation within the store risks harming not only store staff but also customers, so employees are almost certainly instructed by their managers to do nothing. Why would you attempt to continue to do business in a climate like that? In addition, the resentencing would guarantee a lower sentence and would not add more years for the convicted individual. Criminal justice experts say if California officials agree that moving away from mass incarceration and toward decriminalization of low-level offenses is imperative, then it's important to go after the bosses and co-conspirators rather than focusing on the shoplifters themselves, who may be paid juveniles and homeless people, according to officials. Danielle Echeverria/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File. After publication of this story, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the department could not verify figures Nores provided on arrests and the amount of water stolen, but added that the department had made 95 arrests last year for illegal marijuana grow operations, many of which had diverted water for their plants. No, it is, in effect, privileging one business model over another. A rational society knows this, and perhaps one day San Francisco will again as well. "San Franciscans will have to determine what they can put up with," he added. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Watch as shoplifters sprint out of Neiman Marcus, speed off in getaway cars, Biden pitches crime plan amid wave of gun violence, Vicky Nguyen gets inside look at retail theft rings, Journal of Criminal Justice published this month. by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! But he also conceded that it has been difficult recruiting new police officers to the city's department, which remains hundreds of officers short during a climate in which policing remains heavily scrutinized. San Francisco Police Chief William Scott and Mayor London Breed acknowledged that while some crime is up, including aggravated assaults, homicides and incidents with guns, the overall numbers of violent and property crimes have fallen. By Associated Press. Businesses need to invest in displays that are shatterproof. 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