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Stream Episode 10 Now!
'Retail Crime Uncovered' Podcast Presented by Sekura Global

The fascinating podcast hosted by Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology supported by Sekura Global. Retail theft insights from leading crime and loss experts, shop staff and policing bodies. Hard-hitting interviews with ex-offenders and retail criminals.

In this episode of Retail Crime Uncovered, Emmeline catches up with Stewart Farrell, Head of Retail Loss Prevention at Next, to check in on how the busy run up to Christmas went in terms of sales and losses. Stewart talks about some of the innovations and solutions at Next that are helping them to better track product and protect from theft and fraud. As one of the contributors to Operation Pegasus we hear about the importance of collaboration across the industry, and importantly, what’s behind the door at 10 Downing Street!

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CA's Shoplifting & Burglary Surge Concentrated in a Few Regions
At the statewide level, shoplifting jumped 29% from 2021 to 2022

Testimony: Retail Theft in California

The Little Hoover Commission held the third of four hearings on Retail Theft last week, this one focused on reporting and tracking crime statistics related to Retail Theft.

PPIC policy director and senior fellow Magnus Lofstrom testified before the commission. Here are his prepared remarks.

Recent trends in retail theft vary across the state and by type of offense—but the data indicate a rise in shoplifting, especially in the Bay Area, and a broader rise in commercial burglary among urban counties. Concentration of increased retail theft in some areas, and likely underreporting of lower value incidents, plausibly contribute to differences in how retailers and residents perceive the problem of retail theft. More comprehensive data are needed.

It is important not to limit analyses of retail theft to shoplifting, especially given that Proposition 47 reclassified a number of property and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.

At the statewide level, shoplifting jumped 29% from 2021 to 2022 but remains 8% below pre-pandemic levels and 17% below the 2014 rate. By contrast, commercial burglary has been ticking up in recent years; the rate rose by 16% between 2019 and 2022 and is 15% above the 2014 rate.

Only 3 of the 15 most populous counties saw increases in shoplifting from 2014 to 2022. San Mateo’s shoplifting rate almost doubled (up by 95%), while San Francisco and Alameda saw increases of 40% and 9%, respectively. Relative to pre-pandemic rates, 6 of the largest counties saw increases. Between 2014 and 2022, however, shoplifting rates fell at least 20% in 6 other populous counties and in 5 of the most populous counties from 2019 to 2022.

Increases in commercial burglary in urban counties are more widespread. Commercial burglary rose in 10 of the state’s largest counties between 2014 and 2022; the largest increases were in Orange (98%), Los Angeles (62%), and Santa Clara (61%). ppic.org


Coordination - Aggregation - Prosecution: Keys to Fighting Retail Crime?
Three Ways to Combat Retail Crime in 2024

Retail crime creates higher prices for consumers, results in stores having to close their doors, and communities left without vital goods and services.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has focused intensely on addressing retail crime since defining it as a national crisis in a letter to Congress in March 2022.

The Chamber recommends three key steps communities should take to combat retail crime:

Coordinate resources among business and law enforcement

To effectively fight rampant crime, local businesses must coordinate and share information on criminal strikes to discern trends and effective responses. This coordination can occur under the umbrella of a local chamber of commerce like the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce’s Organized Retail Crime Association or the Ohio Chamber’s Crime Task Force. Gathering local businesses, law enforcement, and policymakers in one setting dedicated to confronting crime fosters shared solutions that can increase community detection and quicken response efforts.

Aggregate offenses to punish repeat offenders

Prosecutors like San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephen have advised that state laws be changed to create a separate offense for the repeated stealing of certain amounts within specific time periods. By allowing for the aggregation of offenses against criminals, we can reduce the repeated store-by-store thefts plaguing our communities and driving businesses to close their doors.

Prosecute aggressively to combat lawlessness

Crucial to any anti-crime response is the local prosecutor. District Attorneys and County Attorneys are the gatekeepers of the criminal justice system, deciding whether arrested parties will be prosecuted. Lax prosecution of crimes against businesses sends the wrong message to business owners and communities, and only emboldens criminals. The business community should support legislation reducing the case backlog for state and local courts, thereby freeing up prosecutors’ ability to address current crimes.  uschamber.com


The Political Tides Have Turned on Crime
Democrats’ next crime fight: retail theft
Democrats want to talk tough on crime in an election year. Their target — shoplifting. Successfully pursuing retail theft could rob the GOP of a winning message on criminal justice and give Democrats a national roadmap for addressing the issue.

Now New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is waging her own war on shoplifters through a mix of tougher criminal penalties and funding in her $233 billion budget proposal. She wants to create new police teams to address the matter, while offering a tax credit for businesses to help bolster security measures.

The GOP has effectively linked Democrats to spikes in crime, and tackling shoplifting makes political sense: Voters see everyday items under lock and key or social media videos of thieves picking shelves clean. In New York, Republicans in suburban House districts like Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota clinched victory in 2022 with a focus on crime. Across the country, California could be in for a change of direction, with many officials there citing retail theft as a breaking point for the state. Getting tougher policies on crime would be a departure for the state after years of rewritten sentencing laws favored by the left.

And with 213 seats up in the New York State Legislature, competitive House races throughout the state and a fierce fight underway for the White House, party leaders believe it is crucial for Democrats to reclaim ground on the issue of crime — particularly since they are often divided over other law enforcement matters.

Retail theft, in part, could be sustaining the concerns that voters have consistently registered with crime as Democrats in blue states have spent years trying to scale back tough-on-crime laws to expand rights to defendants in low-level infractions.  politico.com


Crime & Violence Forces Another San Francisco Store to Shut Down
San Francisco’s oldest toy store closing due to inflation, 'perils and violence' of crime downtown
The oldest toy store in San Francisco announced this week that it is shutting down due to the rampant crime and violence in the city’s streets, and because of inflation. Jeffrey’s Toys, the downtown San Francisco toy store that inspired Pixar’s classic "Toy Story," announced on Friday that it will be closing permanently at the end of February.

The business' attorney, Ken Sterling, told The San Francisco Chronicle, "The store has been struggling for a number of years, due to the perils and violence of the downtown environment, inflation, the decrease in consumer spending and the demise of retail across the world."

Stern added "The family is saddened it has come to this and we’ve explored all other options to try and keep the business going." He also noted that San Francisco officials have "their work cut out for them on how to revitalize what was once a vibrant and fun downtown experience."

Last month, Jeffrey’s Toys co-owner Greg Luhn all but predicted the demise of his business, telling a local ABC affiliate in December the store’s future would be decided by last-minute holiday sales.

Luhn had also previously expressed worry about stores like his in the city being shuttered. He told a local NBC affiliate in December, "We’re one of the oldest family-run stores in the city, but all of them are slowly disappearing. I hope things will change, but I know that we just can’t keep covering the loss every month without help from the city."  foxnews.com


Will Small Stores Benefit from Major Retailers' Anti-Theft Measures?
Small retailers ‘will be a haven for shoppers who hate anti-theft tactics’ while major chains jump to lock up products
Major retailers may be set to lose customers to smaller businesses that are refusing to enforce strict anti-theft measures, according to researchers.

Molly Burke, senior retail analyst at Software Advice explained that there are numerous low-cost tactics that small businesses can employ that are effective and may even see some shoppers turn their backs on large chains for a nicer shopping experience.

Complaints about certain anti-theft measures that are being implemented at major retailers such as locked-up items and receipt checks are flooding social media. Some shoppers have even threatened to boycott stores that implement these techniques.

While some small businesses may implement some of the other security measures like locking away items, Burke has reassured customers that the culture of small businesses means it is unlikely to become the norm.

This means that those shoppers turning away from large chains like Walmart, Target, and CVS because of these issues will find a haven with smaller stores more in need of customers. the-sun.com


10% of All Mass Shootings Take Place in Illinois
Illinois and Chicago routinely lead the nation in mass shootings
In the last 11 years, Illinois accounted for close to 10% of all mass shootings in the nation, with almost 490 across the state, killing 356 people and wounding more than 2,080 others. That’s more than California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York — all more populous than Illinois.

And perhaps not surprisingly, the data points to Chicago as the main source for the grim record. The city saw 34 mass shootings just in 2023, resulting in 27 deaths and 143 injuries, according to GVA data, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in a single event, not including the gunman.

Those totals pushed Chicago into the top spot nationally last year, findings closely supported by the city’s own database, which showed 32 mass shootings. In the decade worth of data reviewed by the Tribune, Chicago tallied 234 deaths and more than 1,560 injuries in 365 shootings.

At a rate of one mass shooting every 11 days, no other city in the country even comes close. The next three cities combined didn’t have as many in the same period. In fact, if Chicago were a state, it would rank only behind California in total mass events across the decade. chicagotribune.com


Four Off-Duty Security Officers Targeted and Murdered in January
According to law enforcement, three off-duty California private security officers and an Ohio off-duty security officer may have all been targeted and murdered shortly after leaving work this month.

Keith Longwood, a California security guard who often worked at nightclubs and apartment complexes had left work on January 18th, and several hours later was found dead inside his vehicle. Police say that he was shot in the head. Investigators now believe that his death was related to his work.

A second California security officer was shot and killed in Hawthorne during an altercation outside a restaurant. A third California security officer identified as Carlos Beltran was killed in Los Angeles. His family isn't sure why it happened, and neither are police investigators.

In the Dayton Ohio area, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck recently explained to local reporters why he thinks the shooting of a local security officer who had just left work was targeted. The off-duty nightclub security guard was shot and killed inside a vehicle early Monday morning.  privateofficer.org


California Op-Ed: Retail Thievery Is a Menace to Economy

Video: What to know about the petition to amend Prop 47

Violent crime leads to travel warnings for popular US destinations