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Shoplifting is a multi-billion-dollar problem in Washington and it only gets worse during the holiday shopping season. With that in mind, the Bellevue Police Department (BPD) is cracking down.

Retail theft is the most common crime in Bellevue. There have been more than 1,100 cases so far this year. Fourteen of those happened last Friday alone and 40 people have been arrested since the beginning of December.

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Throughout this holiday shopping season, the department is conducting shoplifting emphasis patrols dubbed “Stop-The-Steal” to catch and arrest shoplifters.

“Those are extra officers,” BPD Officer Seth Tyler told ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio Tuesday. “They’re going to be in the stores and in the malls talking to retailers and looking for those shoplifters. We are looking for those folks that are out not to shop but to steal, raising prices for everyone else.”

Shoplifting has been seen as a low-level crime, but this operation is zero tolerance.

“If you get arrested for shoplifting in Bellevue you can expect to go to jail,” Tyler said. “You’re not going to get a ticket or get released at the scene. You’re actually
going to get processed, fingerprinted, photographed and taken to jail.”

BPD is not just working with retailers, it is working with other law enforcement agencies in Western Washington. The departments share trends and information on suspects in a coordinated effort to stop shoplifting.

“These folks that steal from retail stores don’t discriminate jurisdictions they will hit us, then they’ll hit Southcenter, then they’ll hit another area,” Tyler said. “They do work regionally.”

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The operation runs throughout the holiday shopping season. So, if you’re thinking of shoplifting in Bellevue here’s another warning.

“If you come to Bellevue to shop, you’re going to have a great time,” Tyler said. “But, if you come to steal, you’re probably going to end up in the back of a police car.”

James Lynch is a reporter at ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio. You can read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on , or email him here.