Apparently many SFPD officers spent April camped out at a couple high-theft Safeway and Walgreens locations, and these operations brought the arrests of 37 suspects, who were allegedly stealing mostly candy and ice cream.
If you’re shopping (or shoplifting) at your local Safeway or Walgreens, be aware that some of the apparent customers around you just might be plainclothes SF police officers looking to bust people for stealing. The SFPD is obviously aware that Walgreens and Safeway stores are hotbeds for shoplifting, and so they spent April placing undercover officers at the Mission-Bernal Safeway and the Crocker-Amazon Walgreens on Geneva Avenue. And KRON4 reports this effort netted 37 arrests in the month of April.
INGLESIDE ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT OPERATION: 37 suspects were arrested in a recent retail theft operation in the city's Ingleside District. Stolen property taken by the suspects totaled approximately $2,500. Additionally, the stolen merchandise was seized by officers during the… pic.twitter.com/EPjQqSvLfd
— San Francisco Police (@SFPD) April 30, 2025
“Three operations were held in April 2025,” SFPD said in a Wednesday press release. “These operations resulted in the arrest of 37 suspects for Organized Retail Crime and petty theft. Thirty-three adult suspects were cited and released at the scene for shoplifting (490.2(a) PC). Four adult suspects were booked at San Francisco County Jail for outstanding warrants and stay-away orders in addition to the on-view theft charges. The stolen property taken by the suspects totaled over approximately $2,500 dollars.”
While 37 suspects sounds like a pretty good haul for SFPD, $2,500 seems like small potatoes compared to some shoplifting arrests we’ve seen. Doing the math, that’s an average of about $67 in merchandise that each suspect allegedly tried to steal, so these were not huge busts.
Still, it may serve as a deterrent from future shoplifting. And while 33 of the 37 suspects were just given a citation and let go, that is four people with arrest warrants or stay-away orders that did have to serve some jail time.
While arrests have been made, this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Related: Retail Theft Crackdown Targeting Safeway Stores, Walgreens In SF Yields 61 Arrests [SFist]
Image: @SFPD via Twitter
