Staff Reports
It appears a certain trend is emerging in America: while serious crimes are witnessing a pre-pandemic retreat, shoplifting is gearing up for its own wild resurgence in 2024. Thanks to the latest data from the Council of Criminal Justice, it turns out that in a chaotic twist of fate, the petty thieves have stepped into the spotlight while those big-ticket offenders are navigating their way back to the shadows, or at least they should be.
Shoplifting saw a meteoric rise of a staggering 24% across 23 major cities in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, other serious crimes—like homicide and robbery—seem to have decided that they had crammed enough excitement into our lives and are now easing back to those comfortable pre-pandemic levels. Given the juxtaposition, one might question whether people have suddenly taken up a passion for five-finger discounts in lieu of more dangerous pursuits. Perhaps that next reality show will be “Extreme Shopping: Theft Edition.”
Shoplifting rates spike across US while other crimes dip below pre-pandemic levels, study finds – The Daily Bo Snerdley https://t.co/AvtQk1az1C
— Kay Sheil (@Kay20207495Kay) July 26, 2024
To put a fine point on this comedic tragedy, cities like Chicago and Boston have turned into shoplifting capitals, with rates ballooning from around 14% and 11.9% in May 2020 to an outrageous 41.4% and 42.2% respectively in June 2024. This is enough to make even the most stoic conservatives chuckle or cry. While the nation debated the future of law enforcement, it seems some citizens saw a golden opportunity amidst the chaos and decided that morality could take a backseat to impulse shopping.
Homicides took a slight dip—down 2%—but that’s hardly the news as heartening as one might hope. Even better, robbery rates fell by 15%, pinching the overall alarm bells sounded by some everyday folks. However, one cannot help but notice that two-thirds of the cities reported spikes in homicide rates compared to 2019. More mysteriously, it’s unclear whether the surge in shoplifting is due to an actual increase in thieving activity or just a newfound eagerness to report petty crime, sparking the question: what’s next? A national celebration of shoplifting? Maybe award ceremonies for dedicated brazen bandits?
Despite the data, the underlying causes for these crime trends are still up for theorizing. Scholars speculate it has something to do with the pandemic messing with people’s routines or perhaps, outrageously enough, a change in police practices and trust levels. Because nothing says “I trust our system” quite like raiding the grocery store aisle like it’s Black Friday, right? Predictably, there’s still no definitive research to pin down these patterns, leaving plenty of room for imaginative conjecture—who needs hard facts when you have a suspiciously consistent storyline?
In a world where the serious crimes are retreating while delightfully cheeky theft is on the rise, one can’t help but wonder if the next step is a national dialogue on the merits of low-stakes crime. Until then, retailers may want to brace themselves, and maybe even offer an “Oops, I did it again” discount for their budding thieves.
