Why is La Jolla Village Square a popular target for shoplifters? – San Diego Union-Tribune

La Jolla’s commercial districts have their own assets and challenges, but one area in particular seems to be more challenged than others by shoplifting.

In recent months, three times the number of shoplifting cases have been reported in the La Jolla Village Square shopping complex in the 8600 block of Villa La Jolla Drive compared with The Village commercial district in La Jolla, which includes streets such as Girard Avenue and Prospect Street.

As a result, San Diego Police Department officers have intervened with additional attention to the Villa La Jolla Drive area, including undercover operations.

La Jolla Village Square contains businesses ranging from movie theaters and casual restaurants to stores such as Ross, Marshalls, Ralphs and Cost Plus World Market. It has a parking lot and a trolley station.

Between January and September, 35 cases of shoplifting were reported there, compared with 10 in The Village. Police said there are other cases that go unreported.

Why would Villa La Jolla Drive be subject to more thefts than some other areas? SDPD Lt. Bryan Brecht said it could be a combination of the presence of the Blue Line trolley’s Nobel Drive Station and the businesses that are there.

“Thefts are going to happen because of the type and size of businesses,” Brecht said. “[Investigating officers] are saying that 80 percent of the thefts they are seeing come from those [who] come in via the trolley and/or homeless people. … There are different types of businesses there, often with a lot of clothing — stuff that is easy to grab — so you are in and out.”

Comparatively, he said, The Village has “smaller, more niche-type businesses” that are less likely to be burglarized and have more limited ways to get in and out of the area.

The Police Department recently set up two separate undercover operations in the La Jolla Village Square area. The decision on where to have the operations is often based on when the scene was last examined and the number of thefts that take place there.

At the start of this year, SDPD sent plainclothes officers, especially around Marshalls, and placed unmarked cars in the parking lot. The officers entered stores posing as customers.

“They made lots of arrests, and the majority were those coming off the trolley,” Brecht said. “So a lot of it has to do with location … it is convenient. If you were going to steal something, you could hop off the trolley from another area and then hop back on.”

An undercover operation in September at the Ross store netted five arrests. Lt. Paul Phillips said three of the suspects had outstanding warrants related to other crimes, and one tried to cross nearby Interstate 5 to evade police.

Representatives of several businesses in the complex declined to speak to the La Jolla Light, and many customers said they were unaware of shoplifting.

Still, many of the stores have cameras and other surveillance, and some check customers’ receipts upon leaving.

Brecht said company rules often limit the extent to which store security intervenes.

“The reports we get are done online by security,” he said. “They don’t contact people, they document and report. They aren’t looking to detain people. They upload photos and report it online, but there are no consequences. The security guards aren’t confronting folks, so those are big factors.”

Brecht said people who see thefts or suspect they are about to occur should tell store employees and not get directly involved.

Those who witness such a crime also can call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (619) 531-2000. ♦