Shoplifting incidents continue to persist at elevated levels in the United States’ largest cities – New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, as per the latest findings of the impartial study group, Council on Criminal Justice. This trend that started in 2020 has continued unabated ever since countless videos of smash-and-grab thefts took over social media during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to widespread alarm among Americans, many of whom voiced concerns that crime levels were spiraling out of hand. While recent polls indicate that these views have softened somewhat, the majority of Americans still perceive the crime rate to be higher than before.
The audaciousness of these shoplifters is a stark testimony to the challenge at hand – these individuals don’t hesitate to walk into a store and blatantly steal items. This behavior is detrimental to both the consumers and the retail businesses themselves. ‘We are living in such uncertain times that necessitate stepping up and doing what’s right’, one individual remarked. ‘We need to push for stronger awareness about obeying and respecting the law.’
In response to the surge in retail theft, an array of states including Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York, and Vermont have enacted a total of 14 pieces of legislation during 2024. These laws were passed with the sole aim of mitigating the impact of shoplifting and were proposed by the National Conference of State Legislatures. They cover a variety of provisions such as redefining retail crimes, revising penalties, introducing cross-county aggregation of theft charges, and ensuring the safety of retail workers.
The Iowa law-making body passed House File 2594 unanimously in March 2024. This established a new state crime of ‘organized retail theft’ – identifiable as the act of a group stealing retail merchandise and then making attempts to sell it, advertise it for sale, or try to return it to obtain a refund. Based on the value of the stolen items, the offenders can be charged with anything from a serious misdemeanor to a Class C felony, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine between $1,000 and $10,000.
The legislators justified the enactment of this bill citing an upward trend in incidents of shoplifting within the state of Iowa. Cedar Rapids, for instance, witnessed a surge in such incidents. In 2024, the number of reported shoplifting cases rose by 24% from the previous year, totaling to 1,532 cases from a figure of 1,238 in 2023.
The Cedar Rapids police department has been advising retailers who frequently fall victim to thefts to enhance their security measures such as securing high-value merchandise and employing visible cameras. By doing so, not only can thefts be deterred but any occurring incidents can also be more effectively investigated using the recorded footage.
Cedar Rapids Police Chief, David Dostal, suggested that the rise in reported shoplifting incidents could imply a higher rate of reporting. Stating that several businesses now discourage their employees from intervening during theft attempts for their own safety. Instead, these businesses urge their employees to keep an eye on the culprits and make sure they are recorded on CCTV cameras, with a view to reporting incidents to the police.
Major retail corporations have taken assertive actions in an attempt to curtail the rise in thefts since 2020. Measures include adopting unpopular practices of locking up merchandise, upgrading security camera systems, retaining private security services and some have even resorted to shutting down stores.
Several nationwide home improvement chains have been selling power tools that are designed to be activated only once they are scanned and turned on at the checkout point. According to a 2022 survey carried out by the National Retail Federation, among the most pilfered items in instances of organized retail crime was laundry detergent. This theft trend has resulted in a loss of items amounting to $94.5 billion for the retail industry, termed as ‘inventory shrinkage’.
Despite these mitigations, the issue of shoplifting remains a persistent dilemma for retailers. An indicative example of this is the city of Chicago, where the reported incidents of shoplifting had indeed dropped below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023. Nevertheless, there was a sharp rise of 46 percent in shoplifting incidents from January to October 2024 when compared with the same period from the previous year.