SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, September 8, the San Francisco Police Department announced that hundreds of arrests have transpired as part of the department’s crackdown on retail theft, Chief Derrick Lew announced.
Officers have made 844 arrests for retail theft in the last 6 months, an increase of 27 percent compared to the previous six months. In the past year, officers recovered over $410,000 in stolen merchandise.
“It is incredibly frustrating to witness someone openly stealing from a business, and these crimes will never be tolerated in San Francisco. Retail theft harms our local retailers and negatively impacts our entire city,” said Chief Lew. “Our officers are doing tremendous work going after the individuals committing these crimes, and we plan to build on this effort by working more closely with our local businesses.”
The area of focus has been on partnerships with local retailers. By building relationships with more local businesses, SFPD is conducting more blitz operations at retail establishments to immediately catch thieves. Additionally, SFPD’s Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Task Force (with the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office) has been working closely with loss prevention to preserve evidence in cases where SFPD does not make an immediate arrest.
SFPD’s ORC Task Force recently partnered with REI. This relationship resulted in officers identifying and arresting numerous habitual theft suspects, including three arrests in recent.
Two weeks ago, officers arrested two suspects who stole over $1,600 in merchandise from a local Gap. Officers worked with the retailer to obtain suspects descriptions and located the suspects a short time later. Both suspects were charged by the District Attorney’s Office.
In August, the SFPD arrested habitual thief Lee Mitchell, who officers arrested 16 previous times. In nearly every case, Mitchell uses a knife, pipe or other weapon to intimidate employees at a Walgreens in the Richmond District before stealing beer and other items.
SFPD’s ORC Task Force recently launched a shadow program to train officers at district stations to effectively investigate retail theft cases. The program teaches patrol officers to build cases against suspects by collecting evidence, writing warrants and preparing cases for prosecution. These district station officers act as liaisons between SFPD and individual businesses.
The Police Department have been cracking down on individuals fencing stolen goods on city streets. In the past two months, officers have made nearly 100 arrests for fencing. During “National Blitz Week” in August, SFPD’s ORC Task Force and station officers arrested 19 individuals for theft and fencing throughout the city.
The SFPD has been working with city leaders to address retail theft, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, who has made public safety his top priority.
“When we make it clear that stealing from stores is unacceptable in San Francisco, we make sure that people are safe and feel safe in our city,” said Mayor Lurie. “Retail theft puts workers at risk, raises prices for customers, and drives businesses out of our neighborhoods. That’s why we are taking urgent action to stop it. SFPD’s stepped-up enforcement against organized retail crime has led to a nearly 20% decline in larceny cases so far this year. But we have more work to do, and I am grateful to Chief Lew, District Attorney Jenkins, President Mandelman, Supervisor Sherrill, and the officers and investigators of the San Francisco Police Department for continuing to move this work forward.”
Recent state laws have given law enforcement more tools to hold perpetrators accountable. In 2024, voters passed Prop. 36, which created Penal Code 666.1. Under the law, offenses typically classified as misdemeanor petty theft or shoplifting can be prosecuted as felonies if the suspect has two or more prior convictions for qualifying theft-related offenses. As of January 1, 2025, Penal Code 490.3 enables investigators and prosecutors to aggregate multiple petty thefts into a single felony charge of Penal Code 487 (a) once the total value exceeds $950.
Any business that wants to participate in an Organized Retail Crime operation can contact sfpd.retailtheft@sfgov.org or contact their district stations.
