Using Prop 36, Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputies crack down on retail theft

With the implementation of Proposition 36 approved by the voters in November, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department Operation Ugly Sweater cracked down on retail theft in the county. Undercover officers from the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department and Rancho Cordova Police Department supported 15 businesses during the operation.

The passage of Proposition 36 has made it possible to charge repeat offenders with a felony. During the operation, 9 people were charged with felonies. 7 of those were due to Prop 36.

Sacramento Sheriff’s Department Facebook Post

Last week, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies from North Patrol and Central Division teamed up with the Sheriff’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force, Property Crimes Bureau, and the Rancho Cordova Police Department to conduct Operation Ugly Sweater to combat retail theft in Sacramento County, especially after the passage of Proposition 36. The operation supported more than 15 Sacramento County businesses by conducting undercover retail theft operations to apprehend retail thieves.

During the operation, Deputies and Detectives made over 50 arrests, including nine felonies, 7 of which were made possible by Proposition 36. The first Proposition 36 arrest by the Sheriff’s Office was 35-year-old Anthony Solis, currently on Probation for Robbery (PC 211). Solis has a long history of drug-related convictions, in addition to many theft-related offenses, including stolen vehicles, robberies, and burglaries. During the arrest for retail theft, Detectives also located an illegal handgun and drugs for sale.

Detectives also recovered a total of three illegal handguns during the operation. On one occasion, a father and his 14-year-old son were arrested together, stealing several hundred collectible cards. In another instance, a man was arrested for starting a fire in front of a store while patrons came and went.

Detectives also took the time to educate the businesses’ loss prevention teams and provide resources for ensuring that theft suspects were prosecuted for their offenses.

Photos from the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department