Mercury News: Milpitas officials say collaboration is key to preventing retail theft
Recognizing that theft and organized retail crime have become global issues, Milpitas Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua organized a community forum on retail theft prevention on March 21 to give residents and business owners insight into what’s being done locally to abate these crimes.
“By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, we can collectively strengthen the Milpitas community’s resilience against retail theft,” Chua told the 70-plus attendees at the forum, held at the Milpitas Season’s Marketplace.
The forum was intended to empower individuals and businesses with strategies to identify, prevent and respond effectively to instances of theft. It provided a platform to share current statistics on retail crimes and best practices for prevention, and to inform businesses and shoppers of the specifics of the city’s and the Santa Clara County District Attorney Office’s focus and actions.
Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez emphasized how retail theft affects the entire community and not only the business owners but because stores closing and rising prices are direct consequences of the uptick in this crime. He said the police department is taking a threefold approach with effective crime prevention, deterrence and enforcement.