Police are being told not to respond to non-urgent calls — and it’s starting to show.
Shocking footage shot in a San Francisco Walgreens pharmacy shows a couple calmly looting the shelves and walking out, unmolested.
A man, making no effort to hide his face aside from a pair of sunglasses, stuffs a large carrier bag with boxes upon boxes of medical supplies in the Instagram clip.
His female accomplice meanwhile sorts through an even larger duffel bag, crammed full.
Staff in the store can only stand and watch helpless, as the duo eventually decide they’ve taken enough and stroll out of the store — without paying.
WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
One staff member, wearing a face mask and gloves, makes a half-hearted attempt to snatch some of the supplies back as they leave, but he is shrugged off as they walk out the door.
“Pieces of shit,” the person recording the video can be heard calling after them. “I hope you overdose.”
The video comes as police departments around the country are forced to channel resources into combating COVID-19, while culling services that could potentially accelerate the spread.
In Philadelphia for example, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw advised officers not to detain burglars, thieves, drug-dealers or prostitutes; instead officers must complete paperwork and release the suspects, who may or may not be issued an arrest warrant later down the line.
Across the US, many front police desks have been closed, plainclothes detectives have been moved to uniformed patrol, while dispatchers have been told not to respond to non-urgent calls.
On Thursday California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order, directing the state’s 40million residents not to leave unless absolutely necessary.
The order will stay in place until April 19 at the very earliest, as the country attempts to flatten the curve of infection rates.
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