GIG HARBOR, Wash. — Gig Harbor Police Chief Kelly Busey has a message for shoplifters in western Washington.
“Don’t come to Gig Harbor to steal," Busey said.
Last week, the Gig Harbor Police Department partnered with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department to crack down on retail theft.
Officers conducted a two-day sting operation at various retailers, arresting 19 people, including someone who was wanted in several parts of Pierce County.
Chief Busey said retail theft is rising in Gig Harbor and is usually part of a longer list of offenses.
“Gig Harbor is inherently a very safe place to live, but retail theft is a big problem, it’s our number one problem,” Busey said. “We’re responding to theft calls every single day. A lot of it is related to drug use, a lot of it is related to even larger crimes, stolen vehicles, fencing operations, things like that.”
Busey said many of the thieves are coming from outside the city to target the larger retailers in the area, such as Fred Meyer.
Todd Kammeyer, the president of the supermarket chain, said the impact of retail theft could eventually fall on the customer.
“We want to everything, we can to keep prices low, and food affordable and accessible to all those who come to our stores, but the theft factor definitely puts a pinch on things,” Kammeyer said. “It makes it more challenging to keep prices where they need to be because of the huge amount of theft that may go through the buildings.”
Kammeyer said working with law enforcement makes sure everyone involved in stopping retail theft is safe.
“We can’t do it on our own,” Kammeyer said. “By having these partnerships, it really ensures that the right people are handling these situations.”
Busey said he believes current legislation around criminal pursuit makes catching offenders more challenging, and suggests a change could help police catch thieves more effectively.
“If they can get from the store with stolen merchandise to their car, frequently a stolen car, they can flee from the police with impunity," Busey said. "We can’t chase somebody in those circumstances. We don’t want to pursue every vehicle that flees, there’s a lot of danger to that. There’s danger to the suspect, to the officer, and of course, to the citizens at large. So we have to weigh the risks and rewards of doing that. But the threat of being pursued has to be there.”
Busey said Gig Harbor police will be conducting these kinds of operations in the future. Kammeyer said he looks forward to partnering with city leaders and other law enforcement agencies to address retail theft in the region.