Riverside, CA Police make 18 arrests in holiday theft crackdown
Riverside police have made 18 arrests during a crackdown on holiday thefts, officials said. They made four felony arrests and 14 misdemeanor arrests, stopped a robbery in progress and recovered more than $3,900 worth of stolen merchandise, officials wrote in a news release. The crackdown happened at various locations and included crime suppression and high-visibility patrols. Officers also passed out fliers to customers educating them on how to avoid becoming a victim. pe.com

St Petersburg, FL Police conduct holiday shoplifting operation, 19 arrests
Yesterday plain clothed detectives with the Department's Economic Crimes and C.O.T.A. Units conducted a one day operation with loss prevention officers at the Wal-Mart Store located at 201 34th Street North. The purpose of the operation was to address the problem of shoplifting that increases during the holiday season. A total of 19 individuals were arrested, mostly on charges of retail theft although several had outstanding warrants and one juvenile was in violation of court ordered home detention for a previous burglary charge. Of those arrested, 9 were adults and 10 were juveniles. In one instance three juvenile were arrested when they attempted to steal a bicycle parked in front of the store while plain clothed detectives stood about 5 feet away. Operations of this type are being planned in the future at other retail establishment in the hopes of deterring shoplifting and other forms of theft at stores city wide. wtsp.com

Poulsbo, WA Police tip leads to arrest, recovery of hundreds of stolen items  The Poulsbo Police Department said they recovered 92 stolen or fraudulent credit, debit and gifts cards as well as other stolen items after quick-thinking merchants came forward with tips. Eidsmou said he showed the supposed customer the wedding ring. After he didn't even ask about ring size or quality, "my first thought was tell somebody as fast as I can." Owner of Dahlquist's Fine Jewelry, Richard Koven added, "We didn't know at the time what they were up to, we just knew there was something odd about them." komonews.com

High-end thieves target Holt Renfrew in Calgary
Calgary police are investigating the theft of a number of designer handbags. Early Wednesday morning, police say two men smashed the north-facing glass window of Holt Renfrew, located at 510 9 Avenue S.W. Once inside the store, the men stole several Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags. Damage to the store is estimated at $10,000. globalnews.ca

Two Charged in 'Team' Shoplifting Attempt at Best Buy in Wichita Falls, TX  Two people are charged with theft in what appears to be a team shoplifting attempt. Austin Bounds, 29, and 28-year-old Trisha Breitbarth are charged with theft with previous convictions. Police say they responded to a report of two men and a woman stealing a camera at Best Buy. A witness told officers the three left in a car and pulled into the parking lot at Target. Officers say one man ran and had to be tased and the other man and the woman were found trying to hide in the store. Police charged Bounds and Breitbarth after viewing surveillance video at Best Buy. In the video, police say one of the men walked off by himself. Then Bounds can be seen taking a camera and cutting the security sensor off and kneeling down, while Breitbarth sets a large purse down next to the camera. They say Bounds then put the camera in the purse and they then left the store together. Officers say they found other items inside the car they believed to be stolen. everythinglubbock.com

Former Walmart employee charged with six counts of conspiracy in Massena, NY
Village police have charged Victoria L. Davis, 33, of 220 Dullea Road, Brasher Falls, with one count of fifth-degree conspiracy and five counts of sixth-degree conspiracy stemming from an alleged shoplifting ring at the Massena Walmart. Ms. Davis was employed as a Walmart associate and allegedly conspired with two males and a female to allow them to pass through her checkout aisle without paying for items in their carts on several occasions in July and early August. She was terminated from her employment at Walmart on Aug. 8 after store officials discovered the theft of several items, according to police. She is the fourth person charged in an investigation into several alleged shoplifting incidents at the Massena Walmart store. watertowndailytimes.com

$1,800 worth of merchandise stolen from Target in Bismarck, ND
$1,800 of merchandise is stolen from Target. Tuesday afternoon at 1:40 pm, Target says a black man and a black woman walked out of the store with a Sony PS4 worth $400. A $400 Xbox One, and two Dyson stick vacuums worth $1,000 were also taken. Bismarck Police believe it may be linked to the theft at Best Buy last Friday, December 12th. 18 pairs of Beats by Dre headphones were stolen from the store in duffle bags. kfyrtv.com

Two arrested in Johnson City, TN JC Penney for allegedly stealing $600 of cosmetics