San Francisco Target locks entire store behind glass

[Independent thinker]

now they need to jack the prices up and require a personal shopping assistant with every customer,,

That's the stupidity of it all. They don't even think about arresting people or keeping them locked up.

 

[Mushroom]

That's the stupidity of it all. They don't even think about arresting people or keeping them locked up.

Nope, because the DA refuses to prosecute them.

And in this I really don't blame the cops. I have worked all over the Bay Area, and we quickly learned where we could call the cops, and where to never even bother.

In some communities, the cops wanted us to call them for every single stop. Many of them (Mill Valley stands out) would not even cite a $5 shoplifter, they would arrest them and take them to the city jail. Both they and the local DA had a zero tolerance policy, and the low crime rate in the community showed it. Then you have other cities I worked in (Oakland, SF, Vallejo) where it was absolutely pointless to ever call the cops because they would never show up. And more than one admitted they felt it was worthless because their DA would never prosecute somebody even if they did arrest them.

But most were about average. Fairfield, Vacaville, Sacramento, the cops at those communities did show up when called. But I also saw that even in those cities, the DA almost never prosecuted.

The cops can arrest people like that all day long. But the problem is that most District Attorneys will not prosecute them. And the lack of prosecution simply encourages them to continue stealing as they know nothing will happen.

 

[Independent thinker]

Nope, because the DA refuses to prosecute them.

And in this I really don't blame the cops. I have worked all over the Bay Area, and we quickly learned where we could call the cops, and where to never even bother.

In some communities, the cops wanted us to call them for every single stop. Many of them (Mill Valley stands out) would not even cite a $5 shoplifter, they would arrest them and take them to the city jail. Both they and the local DA had a zero tolerance policy, and the low crime rate in the community showed it. Then you have other cities I worked in (Oakland, SF, Vallejo) where it was absolutely pointless to ever call the cops because they would never show up. And more than one admitted they felt it was worthless because their DA would never prosecute somebody even if they did arrest them.

But most were about average. Fairfield, Vacaville, Sacramento, the cops at those communities did show up when called. But I also saw that even in those cities, the DA almost never prosecuted.

The cops can arrest people like that all day long. But the problem is that most District Attorneys will not prosecute them. And the lack of prosecution simply encourages them to continue stealing as they know nothing will happen.

In just about every city around the country the cops are arresting the same people over and over again. What a waste of time. And, what is the point of arresting anyone when you know the courts will just let them right back out on the street, no matter how many times they are arrested. A long time ago I remember hearing that California had a three strikes and you're out law and I cheered. I wonder what happened to that? They must have changed it to 100 strikes and you're out.

 

[Mushroom]

What a waste of time. And, what is the point of arresting anyone when you know the courts will just let them right back out on the street, no matter how many times they are arrested. A long time ago I remember hearing that California had a three strikes and you're out law and I cheered. I wonder what happened to that?

It is not even the courts, the DAs simply are not prosecuting them.

Or prosecuting them for the minimum charge possible, normally misdemeanors. That is why "Three Strikes" has failed. The DAs are refusing to prosecute them.

I can go on and on about this, and have in the past. But here is a great example. New Years Eve 2017 I did a stop on a guy stealing some energy drinks and roses. That was a common type of stop, 10 minutes of paperwork and the guy is on his way. But nope, the moment he saw my badge he attacked me. I got battered pretty damned good, it took 3 of us to put him in handcuffs. Called the cops, turns out the guy had a violent felony rap sheet a mile long, and was on probation at the time. He got to spend the next few days in jail as there would be no releases until courts opened the next year.

Come time for his trial, I had given the DA my reports and a statement. As well as the video of the assault, as we had filed charges for battery as well as robbery as he used force to try and steal. Show up at court, guess what he was charged with?

One single case of petty theft, in municipal court. Not felony Battery, not Felony Robbery, shoplifting. Which means he likely walked in, pled guilty and just got time served.

I had a great many cases just like that. A felon gets violent when stopped, we bring them in anyways, The cops have no problem arresting them in those cases, yet every single time the DA only charged them with petty theft. There is a reason I stopped doing Loss Prevention, it was to freaking dangerous. I had been assaulted multiple times, even by gangs of up to 6 people. And in not a single case did the DA prosecute them for that. Just misdemeanor petty theft.

This is why they keep getting more and more violent, as the DAs are doing not a damned thing to punish them for it. Even if you beat up security, no big deal because they will not charge you for it anyways. And the media is of no help as they are supporting the DA.

Hell, you can see that in the very first publicized case LA had under that law. Jerry Dewayne Williams the "Pizza Thief". That was commonly talked about back in 1995 when it happened. A guy who has five felony convictions steals a pizza, and gets thrown in jail for 25 to life. And he was one of three men that intimidated a group of kids between 7 and 16 and stole their food. They were too scared to even say anything, the manager called the cops. And at time Williams was on parole, 27 years old and had a criminal record going back 14 years.

Of course, never mind the moment he threatened the kids he stole from it became a felony. The moment he did that it became Felony Robbery.

Oh, and even though sentenced, the uproar eventually got it reduced to 6 years. And in 2003 when he threatened to "put a bullet in her ass" if she did not give him money right in front of a cop, he was arrested again. The charge filed was a misdemeanor and not a felony. Probation extended, which he broke by moving without informing the court or getting their permission. The court did not even file charges.

Three Strikes Laws: The Myth of Jerry DeWayne Williams and His Pizza Slice – TinaTrent.com

tinatrent.com

California is full of people like this. And as they almost never put them in jail, most know they can literally get away with almost anything but murder.