Police departments the country over are experiencing an overwhelming amount of crime in recent decades. Because the amount of crime outweighs the resources they have to intercept every kind, they have scaled back on hunting down things like petty theft.
But, will police investigate petty theft? In most major cities, the police do not have the time or resources to investigate every instance of petty theft. More rural areas or towns with smaller communities will likely have police investigating this crime.
So, it really depends on the area along with its local laws. However, there are some problems with this failure in policing.
Defining Petty Theft
Petty theft, also called petit theft, petty larceny, or petit larceny, is when someone steals private property from an individual or business with a total value of less than $1,000.
Of course, every state and municipality defines this slightly differently with varying value limits.
When someone commits this crime, it is either a 1st or 2nd degree misdemeanor. Such a charge will always come with at least a fine but the penalties can also include jail time and/or probation.
It will largely rely on if the thief is a repeat offender, if they got caught in the act if the police were able to recover the stolen items, and if additional crimes happened along with the theft.
Petty Theft vs. Other Theft
It’s important to note that petty theft relates to stealing of an item, not on a person’s body. In that case, the terminology falls under mugging or robbery. In the case of people breaking into vehicles, buildings, or homes, then this classifies as burglary.
For the sake of illustration, if someone steals a necklace from someone while they’re wearing it, it’s robbery.
If the victim also experienced violence, it’s mugging. But, if someone takes a necklace from a jewelry box in someone’s house after breaking in uninvited, it’s burglary. If they swipe it from a department store, it’s petty theft.
While the above is an oversimplification, it demonstrates the difference between various types of theft. It’s important to note that sometimes these can all fall under the umbrella of “petty theft.”
It truly does impinge on the state’s definition of the term and legislation formed around it.
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Police Conduct in Petty Theft
Whether its shoplifting or theft of personal property, the victim calls the police to report the missing items. An officer comes to the scene where the theft occurred and takes down a statement from the victim.
Here, everything that happened and the items missing (including their value) go down into a report.
The officer hands the victim a case number and they have a date when they can obtain the official police report. Either the victim goes to the police station, or the police department mails it to the victim’s address. If someone was able to apprehend the thief, then usually the officer also makes an arrest.
Police Investigations of Petty Theft
Investigating petty theft by police is a different matter, however. Single or one-off cases usually end at the report.
More often than not, no further action occurs and the items don’t usually return to the rightful owner. In this regard, shoplifting has more of a chance for investigation because many businesses have security guards on the premises.
Unfortunately, private citizens don’t usually have those kinds of resources. So, it’s not likely that police will investigate the crime.
This is especially true when victims fail to produce serial numbers, receipts, and other pertinent documentation that relate to the value of the stolen items. If there’s nothing to go on, there’s nothing to find.
Local Laws & Prosecuting Attorneys
What compounds this issue is the local laws around prosecuting thieves as well as the District Attorney’s willingness to prosecute petty theft.
If the legislature has made stealing practically legal or if the DA won’t prosecute thieves, even with evidence like video footage, the police have little incentive to investigate.
For instance, in California, they will not prosecute theft worth less than $950. As long as the theft didn’t accompany any other crime, they won’t touch it.
But, if you’re in a place like Dousman, Wisconsin, police might be more likely to investigate regardless of other accompanying crimes.
Other Police Procedures
In other instances, detectives receive directives only to investigate solvable crimes. In other words, they have only the go-ahead for low-hanging fruit.
Because most petty theft is nearly impossible to track, the police will not waste time and resources trying to find it.
However, the police constantly comb through pawnshops and surveillance footage with the hopes of finding a thief.
But, this is often a long shot and if police engage in this activity, they do it once per week or every other week. This is why it’s imperative for people to keep receipts and serial numbers of their possessions.
Active Petty Theft Investigations
The only time police actively investigate petty theft is if a rash of the same crime happens within a specific radius and timeframe.
This is because it affects multitudes of victims and/or businesses with a likelihood of the criminals striking again. When the thieves have a signature for their crime, it’s a big red flag.
A Hypothetical Scenario
So, let’s say you live in an area where some acts of burglary have the classification of “petty theft.” Now, pretend you had your car broken into and riffled through. The thieves took some change on the floor and a couple of CDs or some small items of value. When you tell the police, you’ll get a police report and dust the car for prints, but that’s usually going to be the end of it.
However, if you and five of your neighbors experience a similar theft with matching signatures of the crime, then a full-on investigation will ensue.
Police take statements from each person affected, collect video footage (if any), find witnesses (if any), and ask other precincts about reports of similar activity.
If any of the victims have serial numbers for the missing items, the police will run those as well. They’ll check online marketplaces, local pawn shops, nearby flea markets, and other such places.
While none of this guarantees an arrest, it definitely increases the chances.
The Problem of Not Investigating Petty Theft
Although it’s understandable why the police won’t investigate petty theft, there are some clear problems with them not doing it.
Taxpayers give a fair portion of their earnings to the government in exchange for, what they they expect, is a return on investment by way of protection from crime.
Also, the police seem to have enough resources to nab people for traffic violations. These people, usually honest taxpayers, receive a court date, fines, and sometimes a loss of driving privileges. Such cases seem to fill the courts more than actual crimes do.
All this, and other similar situations, contribute to a lack of trust in the police. The proof of this comes from the vast amount of videos available showing police interactions during traffic stops.
They have no qualms about treating the general public like criminals and violating their Constitutional rights.
Conclusion
Police in most large cities and towns do not have the resources to investigate every separate instance of petty theft.
If it’s the same type of theft committed by the same criminals, they will investigate it. But, usually, the amount is too small for them to expend the time and resources.
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