Roseville Police Department conducted a retail blitz on Wednesday as part of a metro-wide initiative to address rising retail theft, resulting in 29 arrests.
Roseville Police’s new Retail Unit, detectives and additional officers partnered with nearly two dozen area retailers and their loss prevention teams to catch suspects and their accomplices in the act.
- In total, 29 individuals were arrested.
- 7 suspects were booked at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center for either felony or gross-misdemeanor charges.
- The remaining suspects were issued citations for misdemeanors.
- Police recovered more than $5,100 in merchandise that was returned to retailers.
Local retailers, including those in Har Mar, Target, Rosedale Center, Rosedale Commons, and nearby strip malls, participated by bolstering their staffing, with some bringing in national loss prevention teams to assist.
One suspect arrested on Wednesday is accused of felony theft of more than $25,000 in merchandise from stores in Roseville, Maplewood, Richfield, Oakdale, Apple Valley, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, and Rochester between June 2024 and March 2025.
“We know organized retail crime is a growing problem in communities across the country. These highly organized crime rings are stealing and reselling millions of dollars in merchandise negatively impacting local businesses, employees, community members, and our local economy,” said Police Chief Erika Scheider. “Roseville Police, in coordination with the Minnesota Organized Retail Crime Association, is taking proactive steps to address these issues in our community.” 
During the operation, retailers were instructed to call Roseville’s retail unit officers directly to report potential thefts in real time. Roseville Police immediately deployed officers and marked squads to the area to be in position when the suspects left the store.
Roseville Police analysts and records staff provided officers with real-time intelligence on suspects and vehicles spotted at various locations. In many instances, officers were also able to locate and detain getaway drivers as well.
During the detail, Roseville Police was in position within a minute from when loss prevention called in the suspicious activity or thefts in progress. It typically takes 3 to 4 minutes for officers to respond to a theft in progress.
Roseville Police received support from partners, including the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.