BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It’s a small team with big results. The Bakersfield Police Department’s retail theft unit is earning high praise after recovering thousands of stolen items in a single year.
No more just going through self-checkout without scanning every item. No more walking out of stores without paying. Within the last year, hundreds of arrests have been made, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise have been returned to retailers.
The Bakersfield Police Department’s retail theft unit recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise in its latest yearly report. /BPD
“These people steal a large dollar amount of goods,” said BPD Sgt. Chad Garret. “That business suffers a loss, and a lot of times those losses get passed on to the consumers.”
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Organized retail theft has been a long-standing problem in California. But in Bakersfield, police are fighting back, saying theft hurts everyone. BPD’s retail theft team is made up of only eight people – one sergeant, six detectives, and one person in an administrative role.
The latest report shows nearly 500 arrests and more than 6,000 items recovered — worth about $137,000 — all in a single year and with its partnership with retailers.
“They give us real-time information about the offender in the store,” Garett said. “What they’re wearing — pictures — and that allows us to safely apprehend them in the parking lot when they’re actually committing these offenses.”
Garrett invites retail bosses to monthly meetings to work together in fighting crime.
“(When) this person goes and steals from Ross, they don’t only go there. They go to HomeGoods. They go to Target. They go to all these other stores,” Garrett said.
Some of the most popular items to steal include laundry detergent because of its resale value, cleaning supplies, and even hygiene products, which are now locked in cases at several retailers. Businesses are glad law enforcement is taking this seriously.
“Truly, politicians and law enforcement are starting to understand,” said Vice President of Asset Protection at Home Depot, Scott Glenn. “These aren’t insurance claims, these aren’t covered, these aren’t things that businesses can absorb. This is an impact on businesses in their communities that impacts their ability to serve their constituents.”
He said it isn’t just about stolen merchandise.
“I worry about the impact on our frontline associates,” Glenn said. “I worry about what this does to the community. I worry about — is our store safe?”
He continued, “These groups will do whatever it takes to get out of the building with as much merchandise as they can, anytime they can. They have been violent, and there have been highly publicized incidents out there in the retail space where people have been hurt, people have been killed.”
All in all, BPD has one message for shoplifters.
“Don’t steal,” Garrett said. “It’s as simple as that.”
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