Footage Shows Shoplifting Suspect Learn About Tougher New Laws the Hard Way
Some thieves in California found out the hard way that crime never pays, especially after a new ballot measure went into effect.
California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36 during last month’s election, targeting — among other offenses — theft and shoplifting and “implementing harsher penalties for repeat offenders,” per a summary from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. The statute entered into effect on Dec. 18.
Perhaps most significantly, the new measure “allows for the aggregation of stolen property value from multiple thefts,” meaning several smaller thefts could put the perpetrator above the threshold for a felony-level offense rather than a misdemeanor.
A video posted on Instagram by the Seal Beach Police Department, showed surveillance video of three apparent thieves, with two arrested under the new law. SBPD showed just how effective these new changes may be for finally solving the problem of petty theft in the Golden State.
The now-viral footage showed the suspects calmly grabbing items off the shelves of various stores, including an Ulta Beauty store, and leaving without paying. They were eventually apprehended by police officers in a parking lot, with at least one suspect tackled to the ground before being loaded into the back of a cruiser.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that may offend some readers.
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That’s when it appeared reality started to sink in.
A conversation between two of the suspects handcuffed in the back of the cop car referenced Proposition 36.
“It’s a felony?” one asked, a look of regret plastered on her face.
“B****, new laws,” the other replied.
The SBPD confirmed on Instagram that “Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning in California.”
“It undoes some of the changes voters made with a 2014 ballot measure that turned certain nonviolent felonies into misdemeanors, effectively shortening prison sentences and leading to a spike in retail theft and crime,” the account added.
“Here in Seal Beach we never believed in the cite and release program, but this new proposition only strengthens our commitment to combatting Organized Retail Theft.”
This entire exchange, beautifully captured in the video and even set to “These Boots Are Made for Walkin” by Nancy Sinatra for good measure, demonstrated the simple truth that criminals are less willing to commit crimes when law enforcement enforces meaningful laws.
The pride of these shoplifters came before quite the fall, when they realized that the insane experiment of decriminalized petty theft may be coming to an end in California and that police are more than happy to make sure law and order once more rule the day.
New laws!
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