Apple Stores in Sacramento, California are now guarded by the police. These extra safety measures have been taken by the tech giant following a theft epidemic that was apparently orchestrated by a local crime ring and in spite of the fact that 17 suspects have been apprehended in relation to the crimes so far.

It is estimated that over the last few months, over $1,000,000 worth of Apple merch has been stolen from brick and mortar outlets across 19 counties in California.

According to CBS Sacramento, no taxpayer dollars are at use for the extra work, as the law enforcement muscle is privately contracted by Apple. Officers are more effective in apprehending thieves than mall security since they can venture outside of mall territory and call for backup should an incident occur.

The police is mostly employed in Bay Area malls during large events and holidays, but this slightly unusual appearance is proving to be effective - both the Roseville and Sacramento Apple stores have incident-free since constables were assigned to them.

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