HEMET — The Hemet Police Department’s Organized Retail Theft Unit conducted an undercover retail theft “blitz” on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at JCPenney and Harbor Freight, police said.
The operation partnered with store loss-prevention personnel and investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, according to a Sept. 12 Hemet PD release. Undercover officers and retail staff worked in and around the stores identifying and apprehending people engaged in theft-related crimes, police wrote.
Three suspects were arrested. Charges included shoplifting, repeat theft offenses, and probation violations under Penal Code sections 490.5(a), 666.1(a), and 1203.2(a), according to the release. The department did not name the suspects.
Organized retail theft incidents may be reported to Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400, or anonymously through the department’s smartphone app, the release said.
