One ‘retail theft operation’ nets 13 arrests at Capitol Hill drugstore

One of the most abused drugstores in the city made for easy pickings as the Seattle Police Department reports it made 13 arrests in a Friday “retail theft operation” at the 15th Ave E Walgreens on Capitol Hill.

The arrest total matches the number of people taken into custody in similar East Precinct efforts CHS reported on last month — but those 13 were netted by undercover SPD surveillance involving two separate operations at two of the neighborhood’s busiest grocery stores.

As far as shoplifting and disorder, the 15th Ave E Walgreens somehow manages to keep stride with the Broadway QFCs and the 15th and John Safeway despite its smaller footprint and less central location.

In its operation Friday at the 15th Ave E store, SPD reports the 13 busts were made for a mix of theft and warrants.

While retail environments in the city are facing massive challenges from ongoing theft, SPD’s retail operations entail sometimes ridiculous levels of policing to stop shoplifting and recover low value items like soda pop.

In one example from Friday, an undercover cop chased down a man who left the drugstore after being seen “concealing an orange soda in his clothing.” Here’s what it took to try to recover the soda — and make the bust:

I followed SUSPECT from the parking lot and observed him enter a nearby alley. Here, he met with a black female who had been in the store earlier but did not take anything. The two interacted in close proximity for at least a minute before splitting up. I was unable to observe what the two had been doing but observed the female go south through the alley and the male go west on Republican ST. I informed arrest teams there was Probable Cause for the male and gave Officers his location. Arrest teams located SUSPECT and placed him under arrest. During the search incident to arrest, no stolen items were located on SUSPECT’s person and he insisted he did not take anything.

Having predicted the lack of property on SUSPECT, I followed the female for several blocks to a bus stop just east of 16 AV E and E XXXX ST. I am positive the female suspect was passed the stolen items by SUSPECT, but by this time there were no longer any arrest elements available to assist. Being in plain clothes, I decided to abandon my surveillance of the female and return to where SUSPECT was in custody. There, I informed SUSPECT he was under arrest for the theft and he was being permanently trespassed from all Walgreens in Washington State.

Like Friday’s example, the SPD operations typically entail police working with loss prevention security staff at the stores to identify people stealing merchandise and then making arrests. Arrests are made while others are simply trespassed from the property so they can be arrested if they try to return.

SPD says altogether Friday at the 15th Ave E store, there were 13 arrests. Approximately $600 in stolen merchandise was recovered.

Walgreens, meanwhile, announced it was trimming back stores across the country in May including the closure of its Central District location. Walgreens directed customers to its 4412 Rainier Ave S store for their prescription needs after May 19th. Customers from the Jackson store will “remain eligible for free prescription delivery for 90 days,” a spokesperson told CHS.

Walgreens continues to operate pharmacy locations on Broadway and 15th Ave E.

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