APD to focus on shoplifting hotspots through holiday season

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It might be October, but the Albuquerque Police Department is already looking ahead to the holiday season.

This summer, APD had officers covering busy shopping areas up to five days a week.

“What we’re announcing is for the holiday season you can expect seven days a week these officers are going to be out enforcing these retail tact plans, and not just in Uptown, but in Cottonwood, Montgomery and Eubank, San Mateo/Montgomery, in the Valley area off Renaissance,” APD Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said.

Hartsock said 10 to 15 officers will be spread out across the city every day, focusing on large or busy shopping centers. Some detectives will also be on the ground. 

“From now til December, Commander Hartsock’s teams will be working to continue our fight against shoplifting, organized retail crime and ensure that we make a dent in these crimes that are occurring in the city,” said Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina.

Chief Medina says the department is focusing on three main areas – curbing crime on Central, serving out warrants, and cracking down on shoplifters. 

 “We are we’re going to continue to focus Central Avenue, we’re going to clean it up every other week, warrants, every other week we’re going to arrest as many people as we can with those outstanding felony warrants, and every day we’re going to hit shoplifting,” Chief Medina said. “Those are the three big focuses for us as a department in this holiday season.” 

APD says this plan started last Saturday and is set to run through Dec. 31, but Chief Medina says the Department will evaluate the situation and go from there. 

If you’re a retailer interested in joining the APD’s efforts to curb shoplifting. You can join Operation Sticky Fingers here.