You have to wonder: How did this come to anyone's attention in the first place? But it could be that the person who lost the money asked Walmart for help, and the cameras caught the story.
So this may not be as baleful a sign of our times as it at first seems. But how much effort do police departments make for stolen bicycles? It's definitely an example of the cops taking a crime seriously, not because the crime is serious, but because the case is easy.