Sebastopol police chief urges Safeway president to help with ongoing local loitering, theft

Sebastopol Police Chief Ron Nelson is requesting help from a major supermarket chain to address recurring loitering and theft happening at its west Sonoma County store.

Nelson sent a letter Wednesday to the Safeway Northern California Division president expressing his “deep concerns” about how high school students have continued to gather around the location at 406 N. Main St., steal and create an “undesirable environment for paying customers,” Nelson said in the correspondence.

This unease, Nelson said, increases immediately after the day ends at Analy High School, about 0.2 miles away from the store.

Sebastopol police have increased afternoon patrols, but “do not have the resources to address the situation constantly,” Nelson said in the letter.

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez previously said she has anecdotally noticed an increase in smash and grab robberies and theft cases involving children since the passing of Proposition 47 in 2014, which reclassified multiple nonviolent felonies ― including many property crimes valued at under $950 ― to misdemeanors.

But tracking these thefts is often difficult because they are underreported.

Rodriguez’s office is set to receive just over $2 million in October to target organized retail crime.

“I am requesting Safeway to take urgent action to address these pressing concerns,” Nelson said. “Despite efforts made by law enforcement, concerned community members and parents, the situation has not seen any tangible improvement.“

Nelson offered a few ways he believed the chain could assist, such as having onsite security guards in the afternoon and collaborating with Sebastopol police to address the situation.

He also suggested the grocer engage with the local community, schools and youth organizations to “address the root causes of loitering and disruptive behavior among high school students.”

“Continued failure to address these concerns not only jeopardizes the well-being of customers but also undermines the reputation and integrity of Safeway as a trusted longstanding retailer and community partner in Sebastopol,” Nelson said.

Nelson and Safeway did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.