A suspect is arrested during a Portland Police Bureau East Precinct retail theft mission.

Target plans to close three Portland stores, effective Oct. 21.

“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests,” the company said in a Sept. 26 statement.

Currently, Target is closing nine stores across four states.

The three Portland locations closing are the Galleria at 939 SW Morrison St; the Powell location at 3031 SE Powell Blvd; and the Hollywood location at 4030 NE Halsey St.

Both east side locations are relatively small for Target stores and are in former bowling alleys.

Target will still have 15 stores in the Portland area, with more than 2,500 employees, the company said.

“Before making this decision, we invested heavily in strategies to prevent and stop theft and organized retail crime in our stores, such as adding more security team members, using third-party guard services, and implementing theft-deterrent tools across our business,” the company’s announcement stated. “Despite our efforts, unfortunately, we continue to face fundamental challenges to operating these stores safely and successfully.”

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and city and county leaders announced the creation of two new task forces earlier this year, one of which is focused on organized retail theft.

Schmidt announced the task forces in early May, but they weren’t officially underway until July 1. 

The other closing Target locations are in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.