17 arrested in shoplifting blitz in mid-Michigan, police say

A total of 17 people were arrested on Friday in response to a string of shoplifting incidents in and around Genesee County, Michigan. 

The Flint Township Police Department said two of the arrests involved people suspected of taking The North Face-branded jackets from Birch Run Premium Outlets, a shopping mall in Birch Run. 

The Birch Run loss prevention staff notified the regional Shoplifting Task Force that they were aware of a "high-value theft involving North Face jackets." The Birch Run Police Department said three men were seen running out of the store on Friday morning after stealing "a large number of jackets." 

About 4 p.m. on Friday, undercover officers saw the vehicle believed to be connected to the suspects in Flint Township and continued to monitor it until a Genesee County Sheriff's Office deputy could initiate a traffic stop. Task force officers recovered several stolen jackets along with cash and other items. 

The Flint Township Police Department said two people were eventually arrested in connection with the incident. 

That same day, the Shoplifting Task Force, which works with the Flint Township Police Department and the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office, coordinated a regional shoplifting blitz. The targeted enforcement and surveillance were intended to intervene as soon as thefts occurred and make immediate arrests, with 15 people taken into custody on retail theft charges and outstanding warrants. 

"When businesses are repeatedly targeted by thieves, the costs don't simply disappear. Retailers absorb losses, security expenses increase, prices can rise, and businesses may eventually reconsider whether it's worth staying open," the Flint Township Police Department said.