El Cajon police enforce jailing of repeat shoplifting offender under Prop 36

EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX5/KUSI)— The El Cajon Police Department (ECPD) is enforcing Proposition 36, passed in December 2024, which provides stricter consequences for repeat theft offenders, including those who have committed smash-and-grab retail crimes.

According to a report from the ECPD, officers responded to a call involving two separate theft incidents on Tuesday from the El Cajon Target located at 250 Broadway, near Graves Ave.

When officers arrived at the Target, they reportedly made a citizen's arrest for theft, and a records check showed that one of the suspects, a 45-year-old man, had two prior convictions for theft.

Rather than issuing the man a citation, officers booked him into San Diego County Jail under Proposition 36, which allows for the jailing of repeat offenders of theft.

The second suspect, a 43-year-old man, reportedly was found with methamphetamine during the search, and had two prior convictions for drug possession.

He was booked in San Diego County Jail on possession of a controlled substance with priors, in accordance with the proposition's guidelines, according to the report.

Proposition 36, which is the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, passed with 68% of the vote last year.