Acting on “intelligence” that the looters who blitzed the downtown Walnut Creek Nordstrom might return for a repeat performance Sunday, city officials advised business owners to close their shops early, called up police reserves and alerted business owners and residents to “be prepared.”
No specific intelligence source was cited and no time was given for a possible repeat of last night’s incident.
Past experience has shown that the crews who make up these roving bands of thieves are aware of police response times and precautions and tend to shift their attention to “softer” targets while police mass elsewhere. No intelligence has been developed as to any possible secondary target.
Despite the admonition, at least one shoplifter returned to try his luck at Nordstrom Sunday, making off with an unknown item and reportedly eluding police as he made his escape despite an enhanced police presence.
It sounds to me more like “CYA” after the city leaders allowed a repeat performance of looting and rampant crime.
@Mark – How precisely did “city leaders” (and which particular “leaders”) “ allow” the predatory proletariat platoon to plunder a targeted merchant?
They didn’t. That’s how. Zero legislative bodies in Walnut Creek or any entity of which it is a political subdivision promulgated a law that allows or excused such felonies penal code violations.
Perhaps you meant they “didn’t prevent” this guerrilla assault? If so, what specific policies do you propose the city’s elected or appointed civilian officials enact that could possibly “prevent” this particular criminal attack and by what authority could they promulgate such a prophylactic policy?
Concrete, actionable policy prescriptions are welcome and helpful. Vague derision is counterproductive.
I answered you in another thread, but here it is again. It’s called being proactive.
1. Last night was highly predictable, Kenosha excuse trigger.
2. Show of Force. Have 10 additional officers on hand at Broadway Plaza on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday.
3. As a previous target, announce that extra forces have been deployed. Announce that looters will be arrested.
4. Have Mutual Aid primed from local law enforcement.
5. Scan social media. We’ve known this day was coming for months.
6. The first possible arrival of Hooligans may be dissuaded by the Show of Force.
7. If looting occurs, arrest 20, 30, 40.
8. If need be, close Nordstrom Friday and Saturday nights.
9. Exit cameras on freeways out of Walnut Creek / CBD.
The City council can set tone and expectations.
The police apparently had no plan for the months-long anticipated Kenosha verdict. Does the WCPD brass live in a bubble?
@CC: I blame the City Council for ordering the police to stand down on May 31, 2020 or not firing whoever did it. That decision marked Walnut Creek as a penalty-free target for looters.
Inevitably a looter or bystander will be killed before this organized crime stops. Place the blame for that where it belongs. On the May 2020 City Council, classic short term thinkers.
Restoring deterrence will be much more expensive than it would have been to maintain it last year, but that is the only path which can avoid tragedy. Start with a regionally and CHP approved advance authorization to lock down all traffic out of town immediately whenever an incident occurs. The public will support this despite the inconvenience. If the perpetrators risk capture the organizers will choose a different crime to commit.
I can’t even imagine in my head how many police it would take to lock down all access and egress points in Walnut Creek. Theres already a mutual aid protocol in place for high profile incidents but we’ve seen various groups overwhelm officers at various locations in the past. I think you’d have to call out the National Guard – and even then it would be damn difficult to do.
A proactive plan in advance of the Kenosha decision would have cost a fraction of what you suggest.
Inaction by elected officials ordering local police to “stand down “ and not arrest hooligans, gangsters, and vandals constitutes misconduct per se. The official ordering such omissions to act needs to be impeached forthwith and held criminally and civilly liable for any resulting theft, vandalism, and destruction of property. Laws are on the books for a reason and they need to be ENFORCED.
The police have zero power until we get rid of DA Becton she doesn’t prosecute crime in this county. SF is trying to get rid of their bad DA and we need to as well! She’s destroying our county!
Interesting fact is that both of these bad DAs were funded by billionaire liberal activist George Soros. He’s active across the country to get a new wave of DA’s in that allow crime. I’m giving hundreds of thousands to each race. You wonder what his real motivations are? Is he trying to cause the nation’s social fabric to fail? Congress should investigate him.
Oh no – not this tired old conservative saw. Soros Soros Soros Hanks Hanks Hanks Gates Gates Gate… so boring, so trite. The counter move to your Soros pawn advance is to bring out the Koch brothers but that’s equally boring. Let’s put on our big boy pants and just agree that we’ve got a lot to work on and our problems are bigger than any one person.
This is bigger than any one police department.
For the minute or so it took those retail tourists to take what they wanted, you’re right…
Four downtown officers + one Apple officer + one Nordy officer + at least four reserves out on a Sat night and they only caught 3, pretty poor performance. I’ll be dropping off the new WCPD training manual at the station tomorrow. 108RS
Criminals are not oblivious to law enforcement…they know which communities crack down HARD & which are pussies
Union Square, Walnut Creek, tonight Hayward. This is A LOT bigger than any one police department.
And that’s why there is NCRIC.
108RS
good to know. presumably the fbi is working this problem. regardless of WC police problems. this flash mob trend will go where any soft target is.
The timing was predictable after the Rittenhouse verdic The Bay Area enhanced political activism gives opportunity and cover for the Criminal element. This time the Protests didn’t happen but the Organized Looters were ready. Bypassing Protest/Riot, vandalizing and assault. Going straight to Looting. As a result Police weren’t distracted and Looters were caught. More arrests will be made by further investigation.
Some are impressed by the organization by the looters. In case the the Nordstrom looting there is now eighty dumbshits out there making mistakes.
Not impressed by a 4% arrest rate. The looting should have never transpired. Poor leadership at City Hall and WCPD.
Send your list of ideas to the WC Mayor, they may adopt some!
Rob,
I did better than that. I dropped off a copy of a book titled “Firestone Park: Policing South Central LA” at the police station for the chief. It was where I was trained.
108RS
Four to five major hardware stores in Southern California cleared out of sledge hammers, crowbars, and hammers.
https://www.foxla.com/news/group-of-young-suspects-stole-hammers-crowbars-at-the-home-depot-in-lakewood
More smash and grads in SoCal, and shoppers threatened with the hammers, someone is going to get killed. 108RS
Send your ideas list to the WC Mayor, perhaps they will adopt some of those!
San Francisco Chronicle: “A single store’s decision to report a majority of its shoplifting incidents doubled the entire city’s monthly shoplifting rates.
“The lack of clear data means that the debate over issues like shoplifting is not grounded in clear facts, allowing each side in the divide to say they are right.”