After San Francisco shoplifting video goes viral officials argue thefts

After San Francisco shoplifting video goes viral officials argue thefts
SAN FRANCISCO — A flurry of shoplifters in masks and hooded jackets sprinted from a downtown Neiman Marcus last week and into getaway cars with armfuls of designer handbags — a scene captured on video and raising fears that rings of thieves were hitting retail businesses. The incident, which remains under investigation, was only the latest to give an impression of lawlessness running rampant in San Francisco's stores, where people have been caught on recordings openly swiping products seemingly without repercussion. But city leaders are pushing back at that image after the release Monday of a midyear public safety report. 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. 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."The statistics are counter to the narrative," Scott said at a news conference, while also recognizing that some crimes may go unreported."Sadly, as it relates to crime, we've gotten a lot of negative attention," Breed added. "What is not getting the attention is the fact when you do come to San Francisco and commit a crime, you will be arrested by this department."Retail thefts have gotten the bulk of the attention on social media because of the string of videos. But San Francisco isn't the only city to grapple with the problem: In Seattle, police said last month they made more than 50 arrests linked to coordinated thefts at nine large retailers and grocery stores, and in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the state's top prosecutor, police and big-box stores announced a partnership this month to combat "organized retail crime."In recent years, some retail stores have been placing not only high-end items but everyday products like toothpaste and shampoo behind security locks. But chains say even more drastic measures are required. Target said this month that it was closing four hours earlier at six San Francisco locations after a "significant and alarming rise in theft and security incidents at those stores," reported NBC Bay Area. Both CVS and Walgreens say shoplifting in San Francisco outpaces thefts at their stores across the country. In October, the California Attorney General's Office announced breaking up a major theft ring in the Bay Area in which $8 million worth of merchandise was allegedly swiped from Target, CVS and Walgreens, and then sold in other countries with the earnings laundered back to the United States. In an interview with NBC News last week, Scott suggested that California's Proposition 47, which voters passed in 2014 and lowered criminal sentences for certain nonviolent crimes like shoplifting and check forgery, is being exploited by those who want to commit theft. All data is taken from the source: http://nbcnews.com Article Link: https://ift.tt/2T7rdGA #francisco #newspak #newsworldnow #newstodayworld #bbcnewstoday #newstodaylocal #
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