Violent crime has declined nationally after it jumped in 2020, but trends in retail theft are more difficult to assess, in part because of varying data collection and theft reporting methods.
The effects of retail theft are highly visible, impacting people’s perceptions of safety. In some places, customers in grocery stores and pharmacies must navigate a proliferation of anti-theft measures, with basic items such as toothpaste and shampoo held under lock and key.
Ames Grawert is senior counsel and counsel in The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. He discusses the trends across the U.S.