Shoplifting in Pleasant Hill is on the rise, according to retail employees, and businesses have responded by tightening up on security. Now, many locals are asking if those measures will be enough to prevent future crimes?
In February, 55 incidents of shoplifting and theft were reported to the Pleasant Hill Police Department, according to public records provided by Contra Costa News. Many stores, such as Kohl’s, are becoming recurring targets with multiple robberies taking place at the same locations.
“Since being at this store, I would say definitely once a week” a shoplifting incident occurs, said a Kohl’s associate who preferred to remain unnamed. “Usually it’s new offenders.”
The employee also said the Sephora store located inside Kohl’s has been repeatedly hit.
“[At] the Sephora here, I know there was a big one,” she added, referencing a Feb. 18 incident where a reported $1,000 of merchandise was stolen from the beauty store.
“Usually, it’ll be people running in and out, grabbing a lot of products,” she said.
As many businesses increase their security measures in response to the rise in crime, California’s controversial new law, Proposition 36, has also stiffened penalties for shoplifters. The statute, overwhelmingly supported by voters in the 2024 election, allows felony charges for thefts under $950 if the defendant has two prior theft convictions.
Some security guards in Pleasant Hill have started to notice the difference since the law took effect.
“Robberies are not much of an issue anymore,” said Marcos Rivera, a 33-year-old private armed guard for two jewelry stores at the SunValley Mall.
“Everybody’s scared of it… because of Prop. 36, where they’re able to get them documented and if they get caught again, they’re held accountable,” he added.
“It’s not like slapping the wrist again.”
But Rivera said that shoplifters continue to target stores that don’t have a visible security presence. “I know that a lot of corporate businesses don’t like the authority image in front of the door, so they like to either keep them inside or hidden,” he added.
However, other businesses in the area are still experiencing a rise in thefts despite the new penalties.
“Unfortunately we get stolen from every day,” said Gabby, a 19-year-old sales associate at Forever 21, which will soon be closing its doors at the SunValley Mall.
“Just last week, we had a customer upstairs and he just walked out with a bunch of our stuff,” she added. The store wasn’t aware of the situation until a manager from a nearby store notified them that the suspect was running to the parking garage, Gabby said.
The mall security was called, but the suspect got away. Forever 21 has an outdoor entrance to welcome in customers, and Gabby said that has only made it easier for thieves to make quick exits.
“It used to always be open, but unfortunately it would get more people out than in, especially the shoplifters,” she said. “This one time, this lady had a bunch of stuff, we were on to her, and unfortunately she walked out of that entrance and a car was already parked right outside for her, and they left.”
Like many stores, Forever 21 enforces a store policy that prevents employees from physically stopping a perpetrator from stealing goods. The directive is meant to protect workers from potential violence, but Gabby said it simply encourages more thieves.
“People see that we technically can’t do anything about it, [and] they take that as an opportunity just to shoplift.”
As employees face the daily task of handling theft and shoplifters, customers are also feeling the effects on their shopping experience.
“I’ve seen a lot of security measures. If I go to Walmart or Target, everything’s locked up,” said Sydney Francis, a 21-year-old Diablo Valley College student and frequent shopper in the Pleasant Hill area.
“Even Legos are locked up,” Francis said. “. It wasn’t like that before.”
Like many residents, Francis’ faith in the safety of the community has been shaken as a result.
“The Sun Valley mall is insane right now,” she said. “I’ve seen videos of people in groups going there. It’s gotten really bad, because you can’t really do anything when there’s 12 or more people all barging in.
“There’s really not much to do, especially for the safety of the employees.”
Another business, Old Navy, in Pleasant Hill, has a similar protocol for dealing with shoplifters: don’t engage. A retail associate at Old Navy said she thought shoplifting is “definitely annoying, but also you can understand it sometimes with certain items” like baby clothes or necessities.
As a result, the associate said, the impacts of Prop. 36 sounded “reasonable.”
“I think that honestly, [the felony threshold] should be lower, because people steal a lot and have kind of a high price to be [considered] a felon,” she said.