It’s All About Teamwork
Mar 13, 2024 09:09AM ● By Michele Townsend
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - On March 7, a press conference was held at the West Sacramento Walmart to announce a new tool that will aid in the fight against theft. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, in collaboration with Yolo County law enforcement leaders and asset protection professionals from Walmart, announced the launch of a new Direct-to-DA retailer reporting program designed to dramatically expedite the investigation and prosecution of retail crimes, called “FastPass”.
“Over the past few years, I have consistently heard community members express concerns about the disruptions and blatant, bold thefts that many of them have witnessed at some of our retail businesses,” said West Sacramento Police Chief Rob Strange. “D.A. Jeff Reisig was hearing these growing concerns as well. With many daily use items now getting locked up to prevent theft, the shopping experience for our residents has become increasingly inconvenient at best and fear-provoking at worst. Reisig and I knew that we had to try a different approach to have a better impact, so the Fast Pass program emerged.”
A West Sacramento police officer struggles with a shoplifting suspect who allegedly pulled a gun out and dropped it on the floor. Photo courtesy of West Sacramento Police Department
“In just the past week, our officers and the loss prevention staff across our city have been assaulted with weapons twice, including a suspect who fought officers and loss prevention in an attempt to obtain his firearm,” Strange said. “In both cases, the offenders were previously convicted felons, one who was even on active parole. I am hopeful that the voices of communities across the state will be heard in a manner that recognizes these realities and that effective policy-level change will occur in the current legislative and election cycle.”
FastPass is a program that allows retailers to report theft crimes directly to the District Attorney. The theft crimes have already been investigated and documented by store loss prevention or asset protection teams.
“By utilizing the FastPass to prosecution model, we are able to dramatically expedite the investigation and filing of criminal cases and reduce the delay between the time of the crime, the arrest and prosecution. In some cases, it will cut the delay down from months to weeks or even days,” Reisig said.
The FastPass program is not designed for first-time offenders but rather for repeat offenders. FastPass is focused on improving collaboration between retailers, prosecutors, police, social service organizations, local policy makers and civic and business groups to tackle systemic drivers of retail crimes, enhance information sharing, prosecute habitual and violent offenders, and propose second-chance opportunities to reduce recidivism.
Since FastPass launched last fall, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office reported that the office has filed criminal cases against 49 suspects, including dozens of felony cases (60%), with total losses exceeding $100,000. The 49 individuals combined have more than 134 previous theft convictions and 93% of all the offenders have previous arrests, including theft, burglary, robbery, violent assaults and family violence.
“The FastPass to Prosecution project led by D.A. Jeff Reisig and his team in Yolo County is a perfect example of how retailers and law enforcement can collaborate to make communities safer. Every jurisdiction in the country is struggling with limited resources and limited personnel to address the problem of organized retail crime and habitual theft. FastPass can serve as model for prosecutors across the country for how to focus the limited resources of government in partnership with retail asset protection teams to target high-profile, prolific, and violent criminal actors in the community,” said Lisa LaBruno, Retail Industry Leaders Association’s senior executive vice-president of retail operations.
FastPass partners currently include Best Buy, CVS, IKEA, Lowe’s, Nugget Market, Raley’s, Rite Aid, Safeway, The Home Depot, The TJX Companies, Walgreens, and Walmart. The list of partners continues to grow.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig and the leaders of law enforcement agencies across Yolo County unite for a March 7 press conference to announce FastPass to Prosecution program. Photo courtesy of West Sacramento Police Department
