A Target near me closed down due to a fire

The rail lines have their own police, which is very understaffed, and this is technically private property the local police aren't supposed to patrol.

I'm sure if they witnessed the thefts happening then they would do something but it's not their problem. I think better locks on the containers that are resistant to portable grinders would work, like those puck locks if compatible. Then again I have a feeling the rail lines are cheap and don't care.



It's a complicated issue, but police are almost always free to intervene if they see a crime in progress. It's kind of the usual where police can enter private property without trespassing if something happens such as chasing a suspect. It's not great when there's "call jumping" (there have been weird cases where specialty police departments want to play Dirty Harry) but if a city police or county sheriff's deputy sees something going on that's their jurisdiction. However, there's a lot of rail and very few railroad police.

And railroad police have a rather special status in many states where they're considered more than just glorified security guards. They're privately employed with full police powers. There's a tourist railroad in Napa County that has 3 sworn police officers. Amtrak has its own police that get training at FLETC. I've seen Union Pacific Police once - when an Amtrak train apparently ran over someone. UP owned the tracks so they came in to investigate along with local police. Here's the law in California:

830.33.

The following persons are peace officers whose authority extends to any place in the state for the purpose of performing their primary duty or when making an arrest pursuant to Section 836 as to any public offense with respect to which there is immediate danger to person or property, or of the escape of the perpetrator of that offense, or pursuant to Section 8597 or 8598 of the Government Code. Those peace officers may carry firearms only if authorized and under terms and conditions specified by their employing agency.​
(e) (1) Any railroad police officer commissioned by the Governor pursuant to Section 8226 of the Public Utilities Code, if the primary duty of the peace officer is the enforcement of the law in or about properties owned, operated, or administered by the employing agency or when performing necessary duties with respect to patrons, employees, and properties of the employing agency.​
 
What if Prop 47 gets raised to $3000….. ?

California will turn into a real life Mad Max movie.


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You might just be predicting the future:

A small but vocal group will argue it's "unfair" to have such low shop lifting limits because people can't feed their families for under $950.

With a $3000 limit, criminals from all around the country will swarm for free merchandise and eBay will see an increase in profits.

Since police funding has been cut and cops are demoralized, they watch from a distance as BestBuy and Target shopping carts full of stuff are emptied into stolen vehicles.

There are signs of hope though:

 
60 Minutes did a segment on the cops in Chicago, the cop they interviewed openly said they don’t want to police proactively anymore.

Cop: You call 911 we will show up after the shooting or crime has happened.
 
You might just be predicting the future:

A small but vocal group will argue it's "unfair" to have such low shop lifting limits because people can't feed their families for under $950.

With a $3000 limit, criminals from all around the country will swarm for free merchandise and eBay will see an increase in profits.

Since police funding has been cut and cops are demoralized, they watch from a distance as BestBuy and Target shopping carts full of stuff are emptied into stolen vehicles.

There are signs of hope though:


No. The police will chase down suspects, even in misdemeanor shoplifting cases. However, all of these major retailers have given standing orders nationally that no employee or contracted security guard will attempt to stop shoplifters for fear of someone getting injured (especially customers or employees) and suing them. I've heard plenty of stories about how a drug store might call in that there are shoplifters (even with "loss prevention" people watching, but then nothing really happened until the police arrived and handled it, including chasing down the suspects.

San Francisco police on Saturday arrested Jean Lugo Romero, 40, in connection to the June 14 burglary in a Hayes Valley Walgreens, as well as seven other recent incidents at various Walgreens and CVS stores in the city. The charges, which include grand theft, second-degree burglary and shoplifting, stem from incidents between May 11 and June 19.​

There have been organized shoplifting rings throughout the United States. Again, I get that it's easy to bag on San Francisco and California, but it's not a problem unique to any one place.

They have been heavily patrolling the Union Square shopping district though. They laid a real beatdown on this Mustang convertible before a getaway driver could take off.

 
I heard about it in the news, as there was a fire, which is apparently suspected as arson to cover up a theft. Supposedly caused massive amounts of damage when the sprinklers went off and got a lot of merchandise all wet. They claim it's going to open in a few weeks although I'm not sure why it would take that long. Not sure where it was though in the store. This is a two story setup and only the ground floor was affected.



I drove by there tonight out of more or less morbid curiosity, and I wasn't the only one driving in. Not sure who else driving in knew it was closed (there were quite a few) but I saw at least someone who got out of a car to take pictures. The lights were clearly on and there were no signs of any kind of damage. They set up their carts lining up against the doors and I couldn't see anyone inside working. They signs apologizing for being closed, but otherwise didn't explain what happened. A lot of it was put on police barriers, but they weren't exactly set up to keep anyone out.

This is just kind of weird. There are other Targets in my area, but this is the only large one in a neighborhood where I feel comfortable. The one on the Oakland-Emeryville border is kind of far away, and Richmond, California has a certain reputation although the Target isn't that deep into the really depressing part of town. There's another one that's really small (took over a former supermarket) and doesn't necessarily have everything one would expect at Target, as well as a Target Express. There really are no other discount department stores around here for another few miles.

IMHO, ALL Targets should be closed down!
 
The rail lines have their own police, which is very understaffed, and this is technically private property the local police aren't supposed to patrol.

I'm sure if they witnessed the thefts happening then they would do something but it's not their problem. I think better locks on the containers that are resistant to portable grinders would work, like those puck locks if compatible. Then again I have a feeling the rail lines are cheap and don't care.


I’ve seen BNSF and Union Pacific Police very rarely. And train tracks are “forgotten” by local police(and not really in their jurisdiction).

Years ago, the local police did find people tampering with tanker cars full of ethanol headed towards the local pipeline racks. They’ve arrested people telling them you’re lucky you’re not dead - it’s denatured alcohol in those cars.
 
I’ve seen BNSF and Union Pacific Police very rarely. And train tracks are “forgotten” by local police(and not really in their jurisdiction).

Years ago, the local police did find people tampering with tanker cars full of ethanol headed towards the local pipeline racks. They’ve arrested people telling them you’re lucky you’re not dead - it’s denatured alcohol in those cars.

That's nothing compared to pipeline thieves stealing gasoline or other fuels. I'm trying to avoid the most gruesome photos, but this was pretty bad even at a distance.


190119-pipeline-explosion-ew-1151a.jpg
 
They are a higher end Walmart type of store that costs a little more and has slightly nicer stuff, primarily better clothes....

I'm surprised more people dont buy more car stuff?

Point noted about demand.
Most people couldn't fill their own washer fluid let alone change their oil, my neighbors always act like I'm some kind of sorcerer working on my car.
 
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