San Francisco is hoping holiday shoppers return in big numbers this year, after a massive organized retail theft incident last year left stores in shambles and scared some shoppers away.
Mayor London Breed, the city's police chief and district attorney announced new security precautions in hopes of bringing back holiday shoppers.
The announcement was made at a Union Square event Tuesday, where the mayor clarified that the skating rink and Christmas tree being set up earlier than usual was carefully thought out.
"We're so in the holiday spirit this year, more than ever before, mostly because we went through a global pandemic," she said.
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Breed and other city leaders are hoping this will help clear memories of the pandemic and of retail theft last year.
Groups of thieves swooped in on at least 11 stores and ransacked many of them, including several high-end outlets like Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Bloomingdales.
Police were able to fend off thieves from a few retailers, but Police Chief Bill Scott said at the time, the organized group intended to overwhelm responding officers.
This year, police presence will be increased at Union Square where police will double patrols in and around the shopping hub, and more street ambassadors will join them by patrolling parking structures, too.
"We have officers out that you won't see," chief Scott said, "but they're out there for a purpose, and that purpose is to arrest people who don't get it."
Newly confirmed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office will work closely with police if they catch suspects this year.
"I want to be clear today that the lawlessness and the organized retail theft we saw this time last year, will not be tolerated under any circumstances," she said.
