HPD cracks down on shopping cart thefts

HOUSTON According to the Houston Chronicle, HPD's south central patrol division has launched a special plainclothes detail to stop shopping cart thefts. In their first 30 shifts, more than 1,000 carts were rounded up.

The goal is not just to find the carts, which cost about $100 apiece, but to also stop more serious crimes that may involve the use of carts.

Shopping cart thefts are a big problem for Houston stores. H-E-B spends almost $300,000 a year to replace carts at its 67 Houston-area stores.

- Headlines at a glance