California sheriff rips Target for interfering with shoplifting crackdown: 'Unbelievable'

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2023

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A California sheriff launched a scathing tirade against Target, accusing the retailer of preventing cops from cracking down on shoplifting — even as the chain asks authorities for help.

Sheriff Jim Cooper of California’s Sacramento County said he was outraged when the Minneapolis-based discount chain told property crimes detectives that they “could not contact suspects inside the store.”

“We could not handcuff suspects in the store; and if we arrested someone, they wanted us to process them outside behind the store in the rain,” an exasperated Cooper fumed in a lengthy X post

“We were told they didn’t want to create a scene inside the store and have people film it and put it on social media,” Cooper added. “They didn’t want negative press. Unbelievable.”

Cooper detailed one incident at Target where “deputies watched a lady on camera bring in her own shopping bags, go down the body wash isle and grab a bunch of Native body washes. Then she went to customer service and return them!”

“Target chose to do nothing and simply let it happen,” Cooper wrote. “Yet somehow, locking up deodorant and raising prices on everyday items we need to survive is their best answer.”

“We dont tell big retail how to do their jobs, they shouldnt tell us how to do ours.”

The Post has sought comment from Target and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Hamstrung by policies that prevent employees from engaging with shoplifters, other big chains including CVS and Walgreens have resorted to locking up everyday items in an attempt to combat rampant shoplifting.

The trend has some shoppers fuming that the days of quick trips to the store are over.

Dr. Emily Long, a plastic surgeon based in Boston, took to social media recently to gripe over having to wait at Target to pick up beauty products that were enclosed behind a glass case.

The era of Target runs is officially over because tell me why it took me over an hour to buy a single bag of items, Long posted in a TikTok video earlier this month that snagged over 3.5 million views before she took it down.

Apparently now my Target locks away essential items, she said, adding that her body wash, deodorant, and razors were bolted up tight.

As her camera panned to the rows of items behind a glass container, Long added: Behold the dystopian nightmare that is my Target.

Reporters from the investigative outlet Inside Edition went shopping at five New York-area Targets to see just how long it takes to get employee assistance to retrieve products locked behind anti-theft cases.

In an aisle stocked with vitamins at a Target store in Manhattan, Inside Edition journalist Lisa Guerrero said she waited 10.5 minutes for an employee to unlock the anti-theft barrier. She had to ask for assistance three times and wait seven minutes before a Target staffer showed up.

And then their key didnt even work, Guerrero said, who had to wait even longer for the staffer to fetch the correct key before she could fetch a tube of toothpaste of the shelf.

Crime-battered Target said earlier this year that expected to suffer as much as a $1.3 billion hit to its bottom line because of theft and organized crime.

The “cheap-chic” discount chain said its profit will be squeezed by $500 million more than what we saw last year when the company lost as much as $800 million from inventory shrink.

While there are many potential sources of inventory shrink, theft and organized retail crime are increasingly important drivers of the issue, the company said. We are making significant investments in strategies to prevent this from happening in our stores.

Inventory shrink is an industry term that refers to fewer products being on its shelves than whats reported in its inventory catalog.

Theres no nationwide policy on how to deal with shoplifting, though many employers have encouraged staffers to do nothing at all in an effort to keep them out of harms way.

Lululemon made headlines this summer when it fired two staffers for failing to abide by the yoga wear retailer’s “zero-tolerance policy for intervening with a robbery.

One of the axed workers, Jennifer Ferguson, said that once a robbery occurs, employees are instructed to scan a QR code. And thats that. Weve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. Were not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.

A viral video showed the shoplifting incident that got Ferguson fired, where three masked men blatantly robbed an Atlanta-area Lululemon store.

Wearing sweatshirts with the hoods pulled over their heads, they were recorded swiping Lululemons high-priced athletic wear from tables and displays.

The looters who had allegedly struck the store nearly a dozen times prior momentarily stood in the store doorway and stared at the women before jumping back inside to snatch several more pairs of leggings.

Seriously? Get out, Ferguson is heard frustratingly shouting at the robbers, who make a beeline out of the store.

Thieves also had repeatedly targeted a Lululemon store in upper Manhattan on Broadway across the street from Columbia University in 2021. Between Jan. 2 and Jan. 17 they stole a total of $5,376 in merchandise, police said.

Sports

Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator after 2 years

Published

2 hours ago

November 18, 2024

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Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator after 2 years

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterNov 17, 2024, 06:28 PM ET
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Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday, a day after the Badgers’ 16-13 home loss to No. 1 Oregon.

In a statement, Badgers coach Luke Fickell thanked Longo for his two seasons with the program, while adding, “We are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team.”

Wisconsin ranks 97th nationally in scoring and 102nd in passing while operating an Air Raid-style offense that Longo brought with him from North Carolina and other stops.

The Badgers, who lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending injury Sept. 14, had only three points and 88 yards in the second half against Oregon, which rallied from a 13-6 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin ranked 101st nationally in scoring in Longo’s 23 games as coordinator and failed to eclipse 13 points on its current three-game losing streak. Quarterback Braedyn Locke had only 96 passing yards against the Ducks.

Fickell did not immediately announce an interim coordinator for Wisconsin’s final regular-season games against Nebraska and Minnesota.

Fickell had long targeted Longo for a coordinator role, going back to his time as Cincinnati’s coach. Longo, 56, oversaw productive offenses at Ole Miss, North Carolina, Sam Houston State and other spots but never consistently got traction at a Wisconsin program that had operated dramatically differently on offense before his arrival.

“This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success,” Fickell said in his statement.

Sports

4-star QB Jones, former FSU commit, picks Florida

Published

2 hours ago

November 18, 2024

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4-star QB Jones, former FSU commit, picks Florida

Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterNov 17, 2024, 06:47 PM ET
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Four-star quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. has committed to Florida, he told ESPN on Sunday, joining the Gators’ 2025 class four days after pulling his pledge from Florida State.

Jones, a four-year starter at Florida’s Mandarin High School, is ESPN’s No. 9 dual-threat passer in the Class of 2025. After multiple trips to Florida throughout his recruitment, Jones returned to campus Saturday, taking an official visit with the Gators during the program’s 27-16 win over LSU. A day later, Jones stands as the lone quarterback pledge in a 2025 Florida class that includes five pledges from the ESPN 300.

“I pretty much saw everything I needed to see when I visited last spring — I just love everything around the campus,” Jones told ESPN. “And then hanging out with the guys yesterday, seeing the camaraderie with each other, that really just sealed it for me.”

Jones was the longest-tenured member of Mike Norvell’s 2025 class at Florida State before his decommitment from the Seminoles on Thursday morning.

Jones’ exit came days after Norvell announced the firings of three assistant coaches on Nov. 10, including offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins. Jones was the first Florida State commit to pull his pledge in the wake of the staff shakeup but marked the Seminoles sixth decommitment since the start of the regular season, joining five ESPN 300 recruits who have left Norvell’s recruiting class across the program’s 1-9 start.

Jones’ commitment follows a key late-season victory for Billy Napier on Saturday and marks the Gators’ first recruiting win since athletic director Scott Strickland announced on Nov. 7 that Florida would stick with the third-year coach beyond the 2024 season.

Uncertainty over Napier’s future had weighed down Florida’s recruiting efforts in the 2025 class as the Gators began November with the No. 39 class in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle. But Jones’ pledge comes as a boost for Florida one day after the Gators hosted a handful of high-profile flip targets, including five-star offensive tackle Solomon Thomas (Florida State pledge) and four-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (Texas pledge).

When Jones signs with Florida, he’ll arrive on campus flanked by fellow in-state offensive talents in four-star wide receivers Vernell Brown III (No. 44 in the ESPN 300) and Naeshaun Montgomery (No. 115), as well as four-star running back Waltez Clark (No. 223). Florida is also set to sign a pair of in-state defenders from the 2025 ESPN 300 between four-star defensive end Jalen Wiggins (No. 68) and four-star cornerback Ben Hanks Jr. (No. 121).

With Jones’ commitment, Florida has another jolt to its momentum on the recruiting trail as the Gators seek to chart a strong finish in the 2025 cycle next month. More imminently, Florida will host No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday.

UK

Greater Manchester Police makes ‘improvements’ in treatment of women including new rules on strip searches – but questions remain after Sky News investigation

Published

2 hours ago

November 18, 2024

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Greater Manchester Police makes 'improvements' in treatment of women including new rules on strip searches - but questions remain after Sky News investigation

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it has made wide-ranging changes to the treatment of women in custody, following a Sky News investigation.

This includes ending the use of police strip searches for “welfare” purposes and ensuring it is a “last resort” when looking for concealed items.

A Sky News investigation in 2023 into the custody practices of GMP led to an inquiry by former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird.

In July 2024, the report found “horror stories” of police making “unlawful” arrests and unnecessary strip searches, sometimes to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.

A report today by the Greater Manchester mayor’s office welcomes the introduction of new measures including additional training for police officers dealing with domestic violence victims.

However, many victims are unconvinced. One such is Sophie, not her real name, telling her story for the first time.

She tells Sky News that even after the Baird Inquiry found her arrest was “unlawful” and the chief inspector called her treatment “appalling”, the police complaints department subsequently described the arrest as “acceptable”.

Sophie’s experience was investigated by Dame Vera alongside other women who Sky News spoke to last year.

She was arrested at 3am in the summer of 2022, and detained for 11 hours following a trivial complaint made by her ex-partner. Her accuser was designated by the police as a highly violent, domestic abuse perpetrator.

Even so, Sophie was arrested at her home in the middle of the night after her abuser alleged she had broken his car wing mirror, 14 months previously, and that she had bruised his arms on an occasion when he had strangled her.

‘They knew what I was trying to protect myself from’

The man making the allegation was someone who had punched, strangled, pressed his thumbs into Sophie’s eyes and locked her up in the house.

Sophie told Sky News: “He’s got a history of domestic violence; he’s got a history of being incarcerated. They knew what I’d gone through, they knew what I was trying to protect myself from.

“I was in contact regularly with domestic violence support workers who were meeting with police liaison officers. They knew that I had the locks changed. They knew I had an alert on the house and my phone.”

Sophie describes the police arrest as “an extension of his coercion”. She later refused to accept a police caution and was charged with the offence of damaging a wing mirror before a judge threw the case out saying it was not in the public interest.

At a press conference in July this year, Dame Vera said: “I tell you ladies and gentlemen, if someone tried to strangle me, I’d probably bruise his arms as well.”

She said the arresting officers had “locked away their brains” and criticised the custody sergeant who had logged his justification for the arrest as “to protect a vulnerable person”, in reference to the violent man.

A series of ‘failures’

At that time, GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he was “appalled” by Sophie’s treatment.

He told Sky News: “It’s a systemic failure, a leadership failure, a process failure. I do think in individual circumstances it may be a failure of experience.”

And yet, one month after this, the police complaints department wrote to tell Sophie “there were sufficient grounds for your arrest”. The letter told her: “The service provided by the police was acceptable.”

Only after Sophie revealed that her case was part of the Baird Inquiry did the police retract these findings.

In a statement, GMP told Sky News: “The outcome Sophie was provided was incorrect. Having reviewed the handling of the complaint, our head of professional standards gave Sophie a personal apology and we are ensuring there is a full reinvestigation.

“Complaints relating to the Baird review – including Sophie’s – are subject to a fair and thorough examination, without fear or favour, by our Professional Standards Directorate.

“Where an investigation finds there to be a case to answer, we will ensure officers face disciplinary proceedings.

‘1,500 more domestic abuse survivors now getting justice’

“We are working hard to ensure that the people of Greater Manchester – particularly women and girls – can have confidence in their police force. This includes providing trauma-informed training for officers and getting better outcomes for victims – with 1,500 more domestic abuse survivors now getting justice compared to three years ago.

“Our communities can have confidence that the force is robust in maintaining good order and discipline. Those not fit to serve are being removed from GMP with more than 100 officers dismissed on the Chief Constable’s watch.”

However, Sky News has been told that most complaints relating to the Baird Inquiry are subject to ongoing investigation and, so far, no officers have been disciplined or dismissed.

In response to the Baird Inquiry, GMP now has a dedicated female welfare officer in its custody suites and is soon to introduce a new independent oversight panel to scrutinise arrests.

According to the mayor’s office, 24 of the 26 recommendations from the inquiry have been implemented.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This is a landmark moment in our quest to improve the safety and treatment of women across Greater Manchester.

“It is clear that there is still progress to be made. The deputy mayor and I will continue to hold up a mirror to unacceptable practices wherever we find them.”

Deputy mayor Kate Green added: “While the implementation of these recommendations to date is welcome, it is essential that the improvements brought about are maintained and indeed built upon, and on behalf of the mayor I will continue to scrutinise GMP as it makes progress in these areas.”

However, Sophie feels let down and says if she was in an abusive relationship again, she would think twice about going to the police.

“I wouldn’t just be OK with reporting something now, I would look at the consequences of me doing that, and what could happen as a result of me doing that, and how they would treat me,” she said.

“It’s going to take me longer to get over what happened to me that night in being arrested and being locked up than getting over being slapped or punched.”

Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will be speaking to Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast from 7.30am this morning.