Retail Theft Down 13% in San Bernardino’s Southern District as Police Ramp Up Felony Enforcement
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Photo by Manny Sandoval: Southern District Lieutenant Nick Oldendorf speaking during the July 15th Coffee with a Cop meeting at the Double Tree by Hilton on Hospitality Lane.
Retail theft in San Bernardino’s Southern District is down 13% year-to-date, a promising trend highlighted by San Bernardino Police Department leadership during Coffee With a Cop on July 15 at the Double Tree by Hilton.
Southern District Lieutenant Nick Oldendorf attributed the decline to targeted felony enforcement and proactive work by the department’s retail crime task force.
“With Prop 36, it now makes it a felony,” Oldendorf said. “They’re doing 2–3 [felony retail theft cases] per week. We’re going to push forward for results on the retail task force.”
Oldendorf added that the department will soon deploy new surveillance integration tools in collaboration with local businesses. “They’ll soon be able to place a device inside local stores to access the businesses’ surveillance,” he said.
According to Oldendorf, the task force has made an impact at key hotspots including Target, Marshalls, Food 4 Less, and WSS Shoes, where repeat offenders had previously driven up theft rates.
“We’re going after the locations that show an increase,” he said. “We started doing undercover operations, and the theft numbers immediately started going down—word travels very fast.”
The Southern District Crime Statistics through June 2025 show consistent year-over-year improvement in nearly all categories. According to Oldendorf:
- Burglary: down 27%
- Larceny: down 26%
- Shoplifting: down 13%
- Motor vehicle theft: down 11%
- Property crime overall: down 24%
- Violent crime: down 19%
Although violent incidents like homicide increased slightly, most serious crimes—including robbery and aggravated assault—declined.
Looking ahead, SBPD Public Information Officer Chris Gray announced that the department will host its second Chief’s Luncheon of the year. “Funds generated will go straight to our unit and are funneled to youth events,” Gray said, noting that proceeds help support youth initiatives like Project Fighting Chance, soccer drills, and youth basketball competitions.
Another community event that SBPD is also preparing for is National Night Out, which will take place Tuesday, August 5, at 4 PM at Lytle Creek Park.
“August is hot, and we need trees—and Lytle Creek has trees,” Oldendorf said, expecting more than 2,000 attendees. The event will feature water-themed activities and family-friendly programming.
From felony-level enforcement to community engagement, SBPD officials say their data-driven approach is working.
“Our team is making an impact, and the numbers speak for themselves,” Oldendorf said.
