SACRAMENTO, CA - A Target retail store in Sacramento, CA has been threatened with fines for creating a "public nuisance" for calling the police to report the numerous thefts the Land Park location has endured.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the City Attorney's Office warned Target that the location at 2505 Riverside Blvd. would face an administrative fine citing an anonymous source. A spokesman for the Sacramento Police confirmed the warning, noting that the store has faced criticism from local residents for the repeated crimes.
A spokesman for the City of Sacramento, Tim Swanson, later stated in an email that the City Attorney's Office and Sacramento Police Department were not aware of any threat of legal action.
The outlet noted that California legislators allegedly motivated by the situation in Sacramento and other cities moved to add an amendment to a pending retail theft bill Assembly Bill 2943 that would outlaw such municipal threats.
The amendment states, “The bill would clarify that local law enforcement or a local jurisdiction is prohibited from bringing a nuisance action against a business solely for the act of reporting retail crime, unless the report is knowingly false."
The president of the California Police Chiefs Association Alexander Gammelgard, testifying before the State Assembly, said, "I ... (was) also surprised that anyone would ever attempt to make a nuisance case out of somebody calling to report a legitimate crime. I don’t think there is a place for that."
As noted by The California Globe, the City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood previously made headlines by asking a Superior Court to dismiss a lawsuit from the Sacrament District Attorney against the city for failure to remediate the homelessness crisis near the Capital by failing to enforce the law.
Writing for the Bee, Ishani Desai noted, "It’s unclear why City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s office would allegedly resort to issuing such a warning to any business seeking help from police."
According to The Sacramento Bee, the City Attorney's Office warned Target that the location at 2505 Riverside Blvd. would face an administrative fine citing an anonymous source. A spokesman for the Sacramento Police confirmed the warning, noting that the store has faced criticism from local residents for the repeated crimes.
A spokesman for the City of Sacramento, Tim Swanson, later stated in an email that the City Attorney's Office and Sacramento Police Department were not aware of any threat of legal action.
The outlet noted that California legislators allegedly motivated by the situation in Sacramento and other cities moved to add an amendment to a pending retail theft bill Assembly Bill 2943 that would outlaw such municipal threats.
The amendment states, “The bill would clarify that local law enforcement or a local jurisdiction is prohibited from bringing a nuisance action against a business solely for the act of reporting retail crime, unless the report is knowingly false."
The president of the California Police Chiefs Association Alexander Gammelgard, testifying before the State Assembly, said, "I ... (was) also surprised that anyone would ever attempt to make a nuisance case out of somebody calling to report a legitimate crime. I don’t think there is a place for that."
According to Lottwire, in 2023 the three Target locations in Sacramento made 375 calls for Police service for theft, robbery, and shoplifting.You literally cannot make this up.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 10, 2024
The office of Sacramento City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood reportedly threatened to fine a local Target for reporting theft to the police, labeling the reports as a public nuisance.https://t.co/IfRkTQvL26
As noted by The California Globe, the City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood previously made headlines by asking a Superior Court to dismiss a lawsuit from the Sacrament District Attorney against the city for failure to remediate the homelessness crisis near the Capital by failing to enforce the law.
Writing for the Bee, Ishani Desai noted, "It’s unclear why City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s office would allegedly resort to issuing such a warning to any business seeking help from police."
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