The Chico Police Department, the Downtown Chico Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce announced a “Retail Watch” program Tuesday.

According to a release, the program will consist of monthly meetings between business owners and the Chico Police Department to discuss and combat the increase in petty thefts that Chico has been facing. It is expected to expand to include information sharing, arrest data, and possible signage for businesses that choose to participate.

“Retail Watch” was formed as a result of meetings in December 2017 and January 2018, the release stated. Retailers shared data related to shoplifting in their stores, with some individual businesses reporting losses of up to $250,000 from shoplifting alone.

Chico Police Chief Michael O’Brien has declared the issue of shoplifting a priority, and decided that monthly meetings will be needed to keep communications open between the Chico Police Department and retailers in Chico.

All retail businesses in Chico are strongly encouraged to participate by calling the Chico Chamber of Commerce at (530) 891-5556 to receive more information about monthly meetings.

Josiah Nicholl can be reached at [email protected] or @joey_theorion on Twitter.