Retail Theft, and What the City of Stockton Is Doing About It
We are Stockton Strong, and we will get through this.
“The last one we had that was a real strong-arm theft, was this man who stole a bass. He jumped over that whole rack of speakers over there and ran out. I went to lunch a few hours later and saw some people outside sitting with the bass. They said they found it in the bushes.” This story, told to me by Seth Jacks and Tim Poelstra from Music Go Round, a local music store, is not unfamiliar to many businesses in our city and around the nation.
According to research by the Public Policy Institute of California, retail theft has risen steadily in 14 out of 15 counties since 2021. Surprisingly, the only county in which retail theft has decreased is San Joaquin County. The report states that since 2019, retail theft has decreased by 25% in San Joaquin County. Despite this statistical improvement, many local business owners are still experiencing severe problems in regard to retail theft. Stephanie Dondero, one of the owners of Regallo Bello, a home goods and gift shop, decided to close the Stockton location of her store after 24 years in business. “It’s really sad nowadays, it’s never gonna go away until there’s punishment. We were robbed every day in the last few years, sometimes three or four times a day.”
The statement that offenders are not being punished, or not afraid of being punished, came up several times throughout my interviews with local business owners. I decided to research the laws in California surrounding retail theft to see if I could figure out why. Retail theft seems to come in two varieties: general shoplifting (larceny), and what has been referred to as “smash and grab,” which is better described as burglary. Larceny is stealing by trespassing, whereas burglary requires forceful entry into the building. For general shoplifting, the California Penal Code 459.5, states that for individuals who enter a business that is open to the public during normal hours who steal or intend to steal an item(s) with a value equal to or less than $950, they are charged with a misdemeanor offense that carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in the county jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Many people believe, due to a false post that made its way around social media, that Prop 47 made it legal to shoplift if the value of the items stolen is under $950. This is not true; it merely ensures that the crime is considered a misdemeanor as opposed to a felony. Smash and grab, or commercial burglary where two or more people cause $500 or more in damages while burglarizing a business, can have a sentence of two to twenty years in prison, and fines up to $100,000. So clearly, there are laws in place that are supposed to prevent this sort of thing from happening, or at least to ensure that those who commit these offenses are punished. So what is happening?
Some people claim that Senate Bill 553 prohibits employees from pursuing shoplifters. This is false, it only requires a “workplace violence prevention plan” that upon reading appears to refer primarily to violence and restraining orders among co-workers. However, just because there are no laws that prevent employees from pursuing an offender, that does not mean that it is suddenly safe to do so. Many employees and store owners, including Stephanie Dondero (the previously mentioned owner of Regallo Bello), have been threatened by the offenders, and it can often be difficult to take notice of identifying characteristics of offenders during a moment of extreme panic. Because of these factors, and because of the limited resources available in regard to law enforcement, many people who commit these crimes are not caught.
The City of Stockton is not taking this problem lightly, and in the past years has taken steps towards both catching the offenders and offering help to businesses who have been victims of these crimes. The Broken Windows Grant Program allows businesses to receive $800 per window broken, with a maximum of up to $2,000 per business. In 2023, 50 broken windows were repaired through this grant. Recently, the City received a $2 million grant for expanding the Office of Violence Prevention and recently allocated another $2 million towards the police department to help increase wages and make Stockton a competitive place to work in law enforcement.
Though I am aware of the positive changes occurring in Stockton surrounding retail theft, I have still witnessed crime being committed firsthand. I remember being in a department store and watching someone run out with a shoebox pursued by security. I did not do anything, because I did not know what to do. As someone with a strong sense of justice, but also the common sense not to just start chasing someone, I felt really bad. I have since looked up what to do if you witness this type of crime. According to a report on KCRA 3, and the State of California Department of Justice:
Do not attempt to intervene, it’s not worth your safety
Be cautious, and inform law enforcement or management when it is safe to do so
Fill out the Organized Retail Crime Webform
As a lifelong Stocktonian, it was difficult for me to write about anything that I felt could contribute to the narrative of Stockton being associated with crime. But the problem of retail theft is a reality we are facing, and I hope that I have been able to highlight the things that the city is doing well to face this problem productively. We are a city of problem solvers, and I believe that through the continued efforts of our community leaders, business owners, and everyday citizens, we will come out the other side of this stronger and smarter. We are Stockton Strong, and we will get through this.