On January 23, the streets along SE 82nd Ave., a stretch housing retailers from Walmart to TJ Maxx, turned into a hub of law enforcement activity as the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office spearheaded a retail crime mission.
The operation, which ran for 10 hours, saw deputies and their comrades in arms from the Oregon Department of Justice, Milwaukie Police Department, and Oregon City Police Department contacting individuals as they departed stores, arresting 25 suspects on various charges and recovering merchandise worth more than $1,900, while also clearing 22 outstanding arrest warrants, in a show of force against retail crime.
Teams from across law enforcement units, including Sheriff's Office patrol deputies, detectives, Clackamas County Jail deputies, and Property & Evidence Technicians collaborated, their efforts funded by the Organized Retail Theft Grant Program, as reported by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
This grant program, birthed from Oregon Senate Bill 900 in 2023 and managed by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, endowed the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office with $686,000 for the fiscal year 2024-25 that helped pay for the staffing and equipment which are proving critical in these initiatives designed to hold retail offenders accountable; plus this is but a fragment of an ongoing partnership with local businesses and law enforcement to safeguard the aisles of commerce.
Since 2022, the bond between the Sheriff's Office, community businesses, and local law enforcement has fortified through missions akin to the latest effort, with a commitment to continue such endeavors throughout Clackamas County aimed at curbing retail theft.
