Walgreens closes several San Francisco stores amid skyrocketing retail theft

WASHINGTON (TND) — Walgreens is shutting down five of its stores in San Francisco due to rampant shoplifting in the city, the company announced Tuesday.

"Due to ongoing organized retail crime, we have made the difficult decision to close five stores across San Francisco," a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business. "Each store will transfer prescriptions to a nearby Walgreens location within a mile radius and we expect to place the stores’ team members in other nearby locations."

A referendum called Prop 47 passed in 2014, raising the dollar amount for how much merchandise had to be stolen in order for shoplifting to be considered a felony. After Prop 47 passed, theft of commercial merchandise under $950 became only a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail. The referendum is called “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.”

Critics of Prop 47 argue criminals have become emboldened in San Francisco. Shoplifting there has forced at least 17 Walgreens to shut their doors, according to several media reports.

Data shows San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has dramatically reduced the number of shoplifting cases he has chosen to prosecute since taking office in Jan. 2020. Prosecutions for theft under $950 dropped from 70% under the previous DA, to 44% under Boudin in 2020. That number rose 6% by mid-June 2021.

The answer really lies, I think partially, with the district attorney and the fact that he's made it clear he will not prosecute many of these crimes," said President of the California Retailers Association Rachel Michelin. "When people hear that, they look at San Francisco and think they can commit these crimes and there will not be any consequences for their behavior.

San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed announced last month that the city’s police department will add four more full-time investigators to its retail crime unit. The police department will also increase the number of ambassadors it has on the force to grow the police department’s public visibility within the community.

Michelin criticized Breed for reportedly saying previously that retailers just needed to hire more security guards. "That's not going to solve the problem. Security guards are there to observe and report. They're not there to stop crime. That's law enforcement. We have to figure out a way in San Francisco for law enforcement and local officials to work together."