California city attorney nearly cited Target over retail theft reports

The Sacramento City Attorney’s Office reportedly almost issued a public nuisance citation to a Target location over the last year due to repeated calls to police about retail thefts.

As first reported by The Sacramento Bee , a person who knew about the warning but was not authorized to speak publicly said that the store was a Target on Riverside Blvd., just south of downtown Sacramento.

The outlet reported that a police spokesperson also confirmed the location.

The Bee reported that the alleged warning to the store and similar actions by other California cities prompted criticism from law enforcement agencies and led lawmakers to amend a retail theft-related bill that would outlaw such actions by cities against businesses.

Public nuisance citations are more often associated with bars, nightclubs, or restaurants open late into the night that do not have adequate security or rules to disperse customers who may gather right outside the establishment.

The purported warning considered by Sacramento has drawn criticism from law enforcement agencies because it would involve citing a business calling to report a legitimate crime. A criminal justice professor told the Bee that citations like these could deter businesses from making reports.

The outlet’s article also reports that a Public Records Act request showed that city officials, including the city attorney’s office and police, met with Target officials to adequately respond to incidents.

The meeting was followed by several changes at the store, including alarms, cameras, security, light fixtures and other measures.

California’s state and local governments have been trying to address retail theft in recent years. An initiative backed by district attorneys that is eligible for the November ballot would increase penalties for thefts, rolling back some of the changes from Proposition 47, which voters approved in 2014.

State lawmakers are trying to pass several bills that would increase some penalties, hoping that the reforms will help convince the district attorneys to drop their initiative, which will be listed as Proposition 36.

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