BELLEVUE, Wash. — On the first major shopping night of the holiday season, Bellevue police officers donned bright vests and walked up and down the major shopping areas as part of a coordinated crackdown on retail theft.
The increased patrols, dubbed "Stop the Lift," will continue through Christmas.
"What we're doing is targeting shoplifting and those people that are committing those crimes. We're doing some extra emphasis patrols at our retail establishments and really working with loss prevention to team up on this," said Captain Rob Spingler.
According to the Bellevue Police Department, the city's most frequent crime is retail theft, which accounts for 37% of all crimes. There have been more than 1,200 incidents reported so far in 2024, which is up 9% compared to 2023.
Last year, Forbes ranked Washington among the worst in the country for retail theft.
"This time of year we always see a spike in shoplifting and property crimes. There are more people out, there are more stores trying to sell as much as they can and sometimes the employees are more distracted because there are more people out there. All those things can be a factor," Spingler told KING 5.
This year marks the third consecutive holiday season that Bellevue police have partnered with retailers to focus on arresting thieves.
Spingler said the department's zero tolerance approach has led to 91% of "frequent shoplifters" being arrested.
"Our goal is to make Bellevue a safe place to live, work and visit," he said. "If you're coming to shop or visit friends, we want you to feel safe. You'll see extra officers out there and if we're working on the shoplifting problem and another crime happens to occur within our presence, then we'll be able to deal with that one as well."
Several other communities have announced similar efforts this season.