Dallas Solution to Too Many Shoplifting Cases…Make them Harder to Report

Dallas Solution to Too Many Shoplifting Cases…Make them Harder to Report


One way to bring down crime rates is to make it harder for citizens to report criminal acts to the police, which is what Dallas police did with shoplifting.

Last year, a new policy went into effect that requires retailers to report thefts under $50 by mail instead of by telephone or in person. The result of this change is that many business owners just stopped telling law enforcement about shoplifters.

Not surprisingly, police statistics for 2012 showed petty shoplifting had plummeted by 75%, from ten reports a day to less than three. The decrease also influenced an overall drop in crime numbers for the city, contributing about a third of the 10.7% reduction.

Police Chief David Brown insists good police work is responsible for the rosy numbers, not the policy change.

http://www.allgov.com/news/unusual-news/dallas-solution-to-too-many-shoplifting-casesmake-them-harder-to-report-130326?news=849544