Mike Egel, president of DensityUSA, says on “The Big Money Show” that the new technology is designed to protect assets, inventory and employees.
The sheriff of California’s Sacramento County accused Target executives of hindering officers from preventing shoplifting despite the store’s plea for help in combating rampant retail crime.
“We don’t tell major retailers how to do their jobs, they shouldn’t tell us how to do ours,” Sheriff Jim Cooper posted in a lengthy X post on Thursday.
Cooper said Target, one of the largest retailers in the U.S., has contacted his office several times asking for help with shoplifters, who the sheriff said are often “known transients.”
The sheriff’s office and Target worked to stage a sweep at the store to catch shoplifters, but the plan apparently fell through after Target executives drew up a list of rules for how and how officers and detectives could arrest the suspects .
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Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper speaks during an event. (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office/FB)
“At the meeting we were told by their head of regional security that we could not contact suspects in the store; we couldn’t handcuff suspects in the store; and when we arrested someone, they wanted us to process them outside… behind the store…in the rain,” the sheriff continued, adding earlier in his comment that he “can’t make this stuff up.”
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Shopping carts stand in a Target store on August 16, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Cooper said the company’s list of rules was because Target wanted to avoid bad press.
“We were told they weren’t making a scene in the store and people wanted to film it and post it on social media. They didn’t want negative press. Unbelievable,” he wrote.
The National Retail Federation recently released a study that examines which major metropolitan areas in the U.S. are most affected by organized retail crime, based on surveys of nearly 200 retailers. Four California cities landed on the top 10 list, including Sacramento, which shared seventh place with Chicago.
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Black Friday shoppers leave a Target store. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via / Getty Images)
Cooper said members of his department even observed a woman stealing a pile of body wash from store shelves during the operation, but he claimed Target executives turned a blind eye to the matter.
“Our officers observed a lady on camera bringing in her own shopping bags and walking to the body wash island [sic], and grab some Native body wash. Then she went to customer service and sent them back! “Target chose to do nothing and just let it happen,” he wrote.
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“But somehow their best response is to lock up deodorants and raise the prices of everyday items we need to survive,” Cooper added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Target early Sunday morning.