Shoplifting Rates Spike Across US While Other Crimes Dip Below Pre-Pandemic Levels, Study Finds

Shoplifting rates increased during the first half of 2024 while other serious crimes have decreased to pre-pandemic levels, according to a Council of Criminal Justice (CCJ) study.

Shoplifting increased 24% in 23 cities across the country during the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, according to the mid-year 2024 update from CCJ. Other crimes, including homicides and robbery, receded to or below 2019 levels.

“Shoplifting is a theft by someone other than an employee of the victim of an item displayed for sale. After a notable decline in the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic … shoplifting dropped 15% from 2019 to 2020 and declined another 10% in 2021,” the report reads. “Shoplifting increased 12% across the sample cities from 2022 to 2023, but by the end of 2023, the shoplifting rate was 10% lower than in 2019.”

The rate for the first half of 2024 is 10% higher than the same time span in 2019, according to the report.

Chicago saw a 14.8% shoplifting rate in May 2020, which has since skyrocketed to 41.4% in June 2024, the study shows. Boston had an 11.9% shoplifting rate in May 2020, which has now increased to 42.2% in June 2024.

In the first half of 2024, there were 2% fewer homicides and 15% fewer robberies compared to the first half of 2019, the CCJ study reads. Domestic violence and aggravated assault rates were also lower.

“The average homicide rate for the entire sample was 2% lower in the first half of 2024 than in the same period in 2019,” the study reads. “The overall decline was driven by large drops in cities with traditionally high homicide rates, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. Two-thirds of the sample cities (19 out of 29) actually had homicide rates that were higher in the first half of 2024 than in 2019.”

More investigation is required to determine whether the shoplifting trend is due to increased activity or an increase in reporting, according to the study. There is also not enough research to determine the reason behind the change in homicide rates, however scholars theorize that pandemic-related factors impacting people’s daily activities and emotional and economic stress levels, as well as police practice changes and trust in law enforcement, could play a role.

Featured Image Credit: Screenshot/YouTube/NBC Bay Area

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