Apple hires police to watch over its Apple Stores in Sacramento

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Thieves grab MacBooks from an Apple Store
This is the kind of situation Apple wants to avoid.
Photo: CBS New York/Apple

Police might have cracked the crime ring behind the spate of snatch-and-grab robberies in Apple Stores across California, but Apple’s taking no chances. According to a new report, it has contracted local police departments to bring officers in as extra security in some of its stores.

Specifically, the report notes that Apple is doing this in Sacramento. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple followed a similar strategy in other locations which have been the target of criminals.

The police officers are being privately contracted by Apple, meaning that Android-owning taxpayers don’t need to get upset at the idea that their tax dollars are going toward protecting Apple Stores. They are guarding the stores against potential thieves, offering a visible presence which should hopefully act as a deterrent. (Although they’ll totally be ready to spring into action should anything kick off!)

A CBS Sacramento report quotes one Apple Store customer saying that seeing a police officer in the store makes them feel safer. “The police officer is gonna chase the guy down, they got radios, call for backup; the security guard is gonna go ‘oh well,’” they said.

A good move on Apple’s part

This move on Apple’s part isn’t the first time Apple Stores will have been watched over by uniformed officers. Already, officers are stationed at the Marina and Union Square Apple Stores in San Francisco.

Probably not coincidentally, neither of these stores was robbed in the recent Apple Store crime spree — something pointed out by San Francisco Police Officers Association President Tony Montoya. “I think it’s just an overall deterrent when [thieves] are casing these locations on whether or not they’re going to go in and steal these products,” Montoya said recently.

This isn’t necessarily something Apple can easily roll out nationwide, though.

While it’s certainly got the cash to pay officers, smaller cities do not typically have enough officers to be able to fill these assignments. In places like San Francisco, retailers sign contracts with the city that pay officers overtime for working assignments such as this, outside of their regularly scheduled shifts.

Source: CBS Sacramento

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