ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County deputies are fighting back against organized retail theft to prevent instances like the last month, where SJCSO says two women stole $3,000 worth of Michael Kors merchandise in St. Augustine.
“You’re having this mob mentality, snatch and grab type stuff,” said Director Howard Cole with St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. He and his colleague Director Scott Beaver say what’s most concerning is these are repeat offenders.
“They have a pretty violent past,” Beaver explained.
“They’re stealing for profit in order to feed other crimes, human trafficking, the drug trade, and other violent,” said Scott Shalley, President and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation.
And they’re likely part of organized crime rings traveling across state lines, targeting stores if they’re located right off the highway so they can make a quick exit.
“Once you’re out of our county, we can’t pursue you anymore,” Beaver pointed out.
But now, Attorney General Ashley Moody has launched the Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange (FORCE) which provides a database where shops and police can report and compare incidents.
“We’re going to link multiple cases and every time we do that we gain more evidence and we identify the suspects and therefore they go to jail,” Cole added.
The more criminals they keep out of stores, the more stores can potentially give back.
“They’re the people who sponsor your little league teams, they support your local churches, they support other activities in the community,” Shalley explained. “And every time something gets stolen it hurts their ability to do that.”
At the St. Augustine Premium Outlets, deputies are making sure shoppers can show their support, and feel safe doing it.
“You’re gonna see undercover [officers], you’re gonna see people on bicycles, you’re gonna see marked units, unmarked units, you may even see our mounted unit - horse unit, so we’re there,” Beaver said. “We’re here to protect you.”
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