Shoplifting Surges Nationwide Despite Decline in Overall Crime Rates: Report
As most forms of crime have returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, shoplifting has continued to rise significantly across the country in 2024.
A recent crime report released on Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) revealed that shoplifting has increased by an average of 24% during the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. This surge is notable, as shoplifting is now about 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
The study, which analyzed crime statistics from 23 large cities across the nation, found that shoplifting has been steadily increasing since the pandemic ended in 2022. Numerous reports have highlighted the rampant amount of shoplifting, particularly in liberally-ran cities like Los Angeles and New York. Online videos of “smash-and-grab” incidents have become common, prompting many grocery and convenience stores to lock up a large number of products in glass cases that require employee assistance to open.
The rising tide of shoplifting has also led to several retail store closures in major cities. For instance, Target announced last year that it was closing nine stores due to retail theft.
Adam Gelb, president and CEO of CCJ, explained to CBS News that shoplifting statistics are typically less accurate than those for other crimes, suggesting the actual numbers may be even higher.
“There may be a very large discrepancy between actual shoplifting incidents and the shoplifting that is reported to police,” Gelb noted. “That’s the main challenge with this offense. By contrast, homicides are thought to be one of the best measures of crime, because when someone disappears, we know about it.”
While shoplifting has surged, other crimes have seen a decline in urban areas. Homicide rates, which rose to historic levels during the pandemic, have dropped significantly in 2024. Although this trend varies by city, the overall average across the country shows a reduction in homicides.
The contrasting trends between the spike in shoplifting and the decrease in other crimes comes as residents of large US cities continue to criticize local governments for its soft-on-crime approach to petty theft.
