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NEWS
Shoplifting cases rising in mall area
BARBOURSVILLE -- Barboursville had the second highest property crime rate in the state in 2007 for the second year in a row, according to the Federal Bureau of Invstigation's Uniform Crime Report.
Barboursville Police Chief Mike Coffey doesn't ignore the statistic, but he is quick to provide explanation. He points to the Huntington Mall, which he described as the county's center of commerce.
| Click for theft pie chart |
Shoplifting accounted 69 percent of all theft crimes reported last year in the village, according to Barboursville Police Department statistics. The number of incidents continue to increase, and last year's 286 shoplifting reports represent a 16 percent increase 2006. It's an 81 percent increase from 2003, when the village recorded 158 cases.
The majority of shoplifting incidents occur at the Huntington Mall. That did not surprise the mall's corporate owners at Cafaro Company. Spokesman Joe Bell believes the village's property crime rate would be much lower, if analysts factored Barboursville's daytime shopping population into the calculation. He admits shoplifting is a problem at any shopping center.
"Shoplifters aren't going to try to shoplift out in the middle of the woods," he said. "They're going to go to where the shopping is."
Bell cited national estimates that put the price tag for shoplifting at $40.5 billion. Retailers refer to that as shrinkage.
Coffey believes that number could be tallied in hundreds of thousands of dollars in Barboursville. He said some thieves steal cart loads at one time. Some incidents involve the taking of multiple thousand-dollar items.
"Their merchandise is going out the door without money coming back in," he said.
Bell said national statistics indicate shoplifting is a growing trend. He and Coffey said local numbers could signify a similar increase or better work by in-store security.
Coffey believes as many as 10 unreported incidents occur for every shoplifting report his officers take. Bell believes that estimate is significantly less -- possibly one for one.
Barboursville's preliminary statistics indicate a possible decline in thefts for 2008, but current numbers do not account for the holiday shopping season. Coffey said thieves easily blend as the number of mall shoppers increase up to 20,000 each day.
Bell said "that's when the thieves become as busy as the regular shoppers."
Shoplifters do not meet a particular stereotype. Coffey said the crime involves all ages, including an increasing number of teenagers and young adults who believe theft is widespread.
Shoplifters also travel from near and far to steal. Coffey said locations include Grayson, Ky., Wayne, Hurricane and Cross Lanes, W.Va.
"Anybody who comes to shop at the Huntington Mall, will also come to shoplift. It's the same kind of diversity," he said. "Some come with the sole intention of coming here to steal."
Barboursville's police chief blamed drug use for the continuing problem. It may sound like an excuse, but Coffey said many drug users commit break-ins, prostitution, check crimes or shoplifting to support their habit.
For example, Coffey said some drug houses will pay 50 percent of an item's value. That means a crack cocaine user would receive $50 in crack for shoplifting a $100 item.
Bell did not argue the drug motivation, but he said many shoplift out of economic necessity or the thrill. He said they see it as a victimless crime, when they should realize it drives up the price of items for their sister, mother and other shoppers.
"Do you really want to do that to people in your community?" he asked.
Coffey worked as a Huntington investigator before moving to Barboursville. He said a high property crime rate in Barboursville is not as noticeable to many because shoplifting affects business, in contrast to the break-ins and burglaries that affect residents in Huntington.
Shoplifting prevention
Coffey and Bell admit shoplifting is a problem at every shopping center. They question is can total elimination ever can be achieved.
Barboursville police officers take a reactive stance in the battle. Coffey said officers depend upon the individual retailers to patrol private businesses. He believes shoplifters are smart enough to avoid a uniform presence walking the halls.
The police officer responds when the stores report an incident. The frequency varies. At times Coffey's officers respond once a week. Other times it is three to four times per shift.
Bell said the Huntington Mall security guards can provide some assistance, but shoplifting is not the team's primary concern. Its guards focus on general well-being and security within common areas of the complex.
The stores, especially large retailers, have loss prevention teams. They utilize human and electronic surveillance to track shoplifters. Coffey said some retailers need to do a better job, while he complimented others.
"They know who to watch, and they can follow you from the time you enter the door to the time you leave," he said.
The cost of hiring and equipping a security team can be troublesome for smaller stores. Others believe the cost of possible civil litigation outweighs the expense of shrinkage. Fielding a loss prevention team opens the possibility of an inappropriate arrest or physical injury to the guard.
Lack of punishment fuels desire
Coffey said he believes property crimes are not a priority in Cabell County because of increased jail costs.
"Those problems keep manifesting themselves," he said. "The people keep doing it because they know they're going to get by with it or get slap on the wrist."
The Barboursville chief said his officers typically issue a citation on one's first offense. The case is handled in municipal court. He said the typical punishment is a misdemeanor conviction that demands payment of a fine and double restitution to the retailer.
Many people escape punishment by not attending court. Arrest warrants are issued, but Coffey said police officers have difficulty tracking down everyone. That leads to repeat offenses.
Those difficulties have Barboursville authorities contemplating a new strategy. It involves taking more cases to state court. State laws provide more punishment, but the process is less efficient. It forces officers to take the offenders through magistrate court and participate in a long process that follows.
State court also opens the door to jail time, but first- and second-offense cases are misdemeanor convictions. That means the county would be forced to pay for any jail sentence. Pre-trial incarceration costs already present budget problems for the county.
