California retail stores lock up underwear as Newsom vows crackdown on rampant retail crime surge

Two major retailers have begun to lock up undergarments in their California stores amid a surge of retail theft in the state.

Several retail stores from different corners of the country have kept beauty, hygiene, and cleaning products on lockdown in recent years, but the effort to limit the loss of goods to theft is reportedly making its way into the clothing department in some Golden State stores, according to a report from one local outlet.

In an effort to prevent the loss of additional merchandise, some Target and Walmart stores in the San Francisco Bay Area have locked up underwear and socks, frustrating customers who have to wait for assistance to receive their desired undergarments.

Highlighted in a report from NBC Bay Area, the effort has garnered the attention of those who shop at the stores and are inconvenienced by the new method.

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"It comes to the point of ‘How ghetto does it look that they have to lock up the socks or whatever it is that they have under the key’?" shopper Olga Leon told the outlet.

Pointing to problems stemming from the initiative, shopper Curtis Edwards said, "I'd be very upset. . . . I got to call somebody to come up from the counter to get socks."

Two Target stores in the East Bay area — one in Richmond and another in Pleasant Hill — are already placing the undergarments on lockdown, according to the outlet. One customer reportedly had to wait 10 minutes for an associate at one store to open up the case so he could buy boxers.

Walmart, another major retailer that has been a target point for several organized theft rings in recent years, is also beginning to implement the undergarment lockdown effort.

One Walmart store in the Hilltop area has started locking up underwear, and according to the report, clerks say their store is being ravaged by shoplifters almost every day.

In a statement to the outlet, Richmond City Councilmember Cesar Cepeda said, "The cost will go up as residents will have to pay more, or they'll have to commute and travel farther to pick up their groceries, to pick up their socks, to pick up their prescriptions."

"It's really going to be hurting our community," he added.

Retail crime continues to rise across the U.S., and last month it was at the center of a congressional hearing.

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The House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence held a hearing titled "From Festive Cheer to Retail Fear: Addressing Organized Retail Crime" on December 12.

Subcommittee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, blamed "soft-on-crime policies" for the problematic trend in a statement announcing the hearing.

"By putting criminals over communities, families and small business owners, hardworking Americans across the country are being forced to pay the financial and emotional costs of these failed policies," Pfluger said.

"Amid an unprecedented spike in retail crime, reports also suggest many professional shoplifters or boosters are part of a much larger organization of criminals — including transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that are taking advantage of our open borders," he added.

Big chain stores like CVS and others have been forced to lock up merchandise behind plastic barriers to keep it from being stolen off the shelves.

A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that 70% of retailers believe organized retail theft has become a more prevalent issue in recent years.

Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, outlined a plan to crack down on retail and property crimes throughout the state.

"Building on California’s existing laws and record public safety investments, I’m calling for new legislation to expand criminal penalties for those profiting on retail theft and auto burglaries," Newsom said in a Tuesday press release. "These laws will make California safer and bolster police and prosecutor tools to arrest and hold professional criminals accountable."

The legislative framework proposed by Newsom, according to the release, will increase enforcement tools, aggregate theft amounts, eliminate sunset dates for organized retail crime and strengthen penalties for large-scale stolen goods resellers.

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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins praised Newsom's proposal, insisting that it will "make our communities and businesses safer."

"This vitally needed package of reforms will empower law enforcement and prosecutors to be able to hold prolific thieves accountable and ensure that there are consequences for those who brazenly flaunt our laws," Jenkins said.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.