Kent Police arrested seven people as part of a shoplifting sting last week at the Safeway on the East Hill at the southwest corner of Kent-Kangley Road and 132nd Avenue SE .

The Crime Reduction Unit, formed in 2024, organized the crackdown with assistance from patrol officers and Safeway’s loss prevention team, according to a Sept. 29 Kent Police social media post.

The arrests included eight misdemeanor charges, six misdemeanor warrants and one felony warrant, according to police. Officers recovered hundreds of dollars of merchandise that they returned to the store.

“We have run several of these operations over the past two years and have posted about them on our social media channels prior,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in a Sept. 29 email. “We have worked with several lar

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