The Sacramento City Attorney’s Office recently reported that Target threatened the company with administrative fines for reporting incidents of theft at its retail stores to police. Sacramento Bee.
The source, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said city officials warned the Target at 2505 Riverside Boulevard in Land Park that it could face public nuisance charges if it continued to report the thefts. The news outlet reported that a law enforcement spokesperson confirmed the location.
“Victims are threatened even for reporting a crime.”
The city attorney’s office and Sacramento police told The Sacramento Bee they were not aware of any threatened lawsuits. City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s office did not respond to The Sacramento Bee’s request for an interview.
In response to alleged threats and similar acts across the state, lawmakers amended a retail theft bill to prohibit authorities from making such threats.
“I’m astonished that someone would be willing to accuse someone of harassing someone who is calling to report a legitimate crime,” Alexander Gammelgaard, president of the California Association of Police Chiefs, said at a meeting of the state Assembly’s Retail Theft Committee.
“I don’t think there’s any room for that,” he added.
California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher Fox News Digital“[Governor Gavin] Governor Newsom continues to claim that reported thefts are going down, but now we know why: not only are thieves getting away with little punishment, but victims are being threatened for even reporting a crime.”
“We all know Governor Newsom’s pro-criminal policies are a failure, no matter how much his allies try to cover it up,” Gallagher said.
Criminal defense lawyer Nicole Castronovo blamed the rise in retail theft in the area on lax crime policies.
“Lawmakers have allowed burglars to terrorize our cities, and as a result, retailers are leaving our major cities in droves, taking jobs with them,” Castronovo told Fox News Digital.
“Right now, the government is trying to silence retailers so that manufacturers can lower crime rates in their place,” Castronovo continued. “Citizens who legitimately seek government protection should never be punished.”
Land Parks neighbors have expressed frustration with the area’s crime crisis.
“It’s a great opportunity to get the community together,” said Christina Rogers, president of the Rand Park Community Association. Kovr “When I’m standing in line paying and I see someone walk out of the store with a cart full of items, it’s really unsettling and disheartening,” he said last year about Target stores.
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