High-dollar items and highly dangerous criminals: Chesterfield police on a mission to catch shoplifters

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Retail theft is being called a national epidemic. But for Sgt. Jason Bromwich, it is a calling.

Bromwich belongs to the Chesterfield Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit, a division solely dedicated to retail theft.

Even with the closing of Chesterfield Mall, the city of Chesterfield boasts a large retail footprint, which includes St. Louis Premium Outlets and the shops at THF Boulevard, considered the largest outdoor strip mall in the country.

Bromwich said the face of shoplifting has changed over the years.

"I think people think that we go to Walmart and arrest a couple people,” he said. “Although we do that, we also tackle what's known as organized retail theft.”

Nationwide, organized retail theft has ballooned, with shoplifters turning to Facebook or other online platforms to boost their bottom line.

“They have to steal it, and they have to get rid of it. They don’t make any money by sitting on it. And the easiest way to do it is through social media,” Bromwich said.

A few years ago, detectives with Chesterfield’s SEU caught a man who used Facebook Marketplace to steal $20,000 worth of merchandise out of his mother’s basement.

The SEU has officers out on patrol seven days a week. So far in 2024, they’ve made close to 150 felony arrests and recovered close to $180,000 of stolen property.

Christian Springer and Alex Hohnen are the co-owners of Opulence, a shop carrying high-end athletic shoes and apparel at St. Louis Premium Outlets.

The store has security cameras and in-house theft deterrents, but Springer says it’s the Chesterfield Police Department’s responsiveness that provides an extra sense of comfort—to him and customers throughout the mall.

“We're really lucky to have that—because we're not putting our lives on the line—we just leave it to the [police department] and they take care of it,” Springer said.

Bromwich added that the police presence helps keep the business community afloat.

“At times, we've seen businesses go out of business. Whether it be from theft or online shopping. But the more theft that we have, the more businesses are going to close, which, the retail district is probably the most vital part of Chesterfield," he said.

But a business’ bottom line is only second to public safety. Recent incidents across the country show how brazen and dangerous criminals can be.

In 2022, a Chesterfield police officer required 10 stitches to his face while trying to apprehend a suspect wanted for stealing more than $150,000 worth of merchandise.

And recently, a group of shoplifting suspects were charged after slamming into a vehicle during evening rush hour traffic on I-64. They were charged under the state’s new Valentine’s Law for fleeing from police and putting other lives at risk. The suspects were clocked at speeding more than 85 miles per hour.

Not all criminals are that bold. But as Bromwich noted, his department is, particularly when it comes to public safety and catching those who steal.

“The more we can do to curb that and slow the growth, the better for everybody,” he said.