A recent incident of organized retail theft at a Target store on N. Capitol Avenue has led to an arrest as the San José Police Department (SJPD) continues to combat the trend of retail thefts in the city. On Monday at around 2:30 PM, an adult male suspect engaged in theft at the retail location, where he disarmed security devices from various items and attempted to leave the store without settling the payment for these goods.
Officers assigned to a specialized Organized Retail Theft Detail (ORT) quickly responded to the situation. They successfully detained the suspect, later identified as 53-year-old Derek Pitts from Oakland, CA, after he walked out of the store. As per the San José Police Department, during his arrest, officers found methamphetamine on Pitts, resulting in additional charges for possession along with theft. Pitts was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail, and the stolen items were returned to the store.
As a part of a more comprehensive strategy to address organized retail theft, funded by an 8.49 million-dollar grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections, SJPD ORT Detail has been dedicating resources to deploy officers for proactive interventions and follow-ups on cases. According to the SJPD statement, these specialized officers work on an overtime basis and are placed throughout the city to conduct visible and undercover patrols in locations that are known as “hotspots” for retail crime.
