Law enforcement working to curb retail theft during holiday season
By Jenna Wilson
Shoppers can expect to see more law enforcement officers in and around popular shopping destinations this holiday season.
The St. Joseph Police Department warns that shoplifting is a year-round problem, but it increases every holiday season due to the number of shoppers who come by.
“It gets so crazy out here during the holiday,” said Chloe Norton, a visitor of The Shoppes at North Village. “I definitely try to avoid coming on the weekends because that’s when everybody comes.”
Shoppers flock to the stores to get special gifts and the best deals but SJPD says that not everyone goes in ready to pay.
“It’s a fairly regular call that we get but during the holiday season we know that increase in shoplifting is coming,” said Sergeant Jeremy Peters with SJPD. “Suspects think they can go undetected with this type of crime because of the volume of people that are in stores.”
According to data from the National Retail Federation, retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 compared to 2019.
In response to this alarming statistic, law enforcement across the city will be regularly engaging with local retailers and have visible patrols in shoplifting hotspots such as the Shoppes.
“During our downtime and between calls for service you’ll see our officers in the parking lots,” Sgt. Peters said. “Oftentimes, asset protection employees will recognize the common shoplifters and give us a call so we can intercept that person from the property.”
SJPD shared additional safety tips for shoppers to keep in mind this time of year, such as parking in well-lit and visible areas, to prevent crimes of opportunity.
“Please don’t leave your packages and purchases in the car where it’s visible because some people will see that, try to break in and steal those items,” said Peters.
There are consequences for shoplifting in Missouri, such as thousands of dollars worth of fines and potential jail time depending on how much money the stolen items are worth.
