New law to curb retail theft

Pursuant to Florida Statutes and local administrative orders, when someone is booked in Hillsborough County, the jail automatically searches the arrestee's background. If they were on pre trial release (either bond or ROR) for another charge, community control (house arrest) or probation at the time of the arrest, they are administratively no bonded on the older bond, CC or probation case. They have to go before the first appearance judge the next morning. Generally, their no bond status is continued by that judge.

I suspect there is a similar procedure in place in most Florida counties.

Florida Statute 903.0471 Violation of condition of pretrial release.—Notwithstanding s. 907.041, a court may, on its own motion, revoke pretrial release and order pretrial detention if the court finds probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a new crime while on pretrial release or violated any other condition of pretrial release in a material respect.

 

FWIW, among larcenies nationally, traditional retail theft such as in dept stores, malls etc. account for roughly about 30% - 46% of all larcenies depending on whether residential larcenies are included or not.

From FBI NIBRS

 

Judd Legum exposes Target’s BS and credulous stenography from underresourced media
The overall tone of this coverage — with a few exceptions — was credulous. Many stories do little more than summarize Target's announcement. Others contextualized Target's store closures as the result of a larger crime wave. "The big box chain is part of a wave of retailers – both large and small – that say they’re struggling to contain store crimes that have hurt their bottom lines," CNN reported. "Many have closed stores or made changes to merchandise and layouts." Notably, CNN did not indicate when this "wave" of store closures started nor indicate how it determined that more stores than usual are closing.


One thing that is missing from all the stories is data that would substantiate Target's contention that these stores closed due to theft. Target did not include any specifics on the level of theft at the closing stores or how that compares to stores that will remain open. Popular Information contacted Target for that information but did not receive a response.
Popular Information analyzed publicly available crime data for the stores Target is closing in New York and San Francisco. This data reveals that stores that are being closed have lower levels of theft than nearby stores that have remained open. An analysis of the stores Target is shuttering in the Seattle area follows a similar pattern. This data suggests that factors other than crime are driving Target's decisions.


Target says it's closing 9 stores due to theft. The crime data tells a different story.

 

This is what I was referring to in terms of the atmosphere that is being created by this falsehood

 

Not sure it’s all bs. More and more of their stores are going to locking merchandise (below). That’s expensive to implement, requires more manpower to maintain, results in lost business and customers hate it since so many of them like to browse. That’s a BIG change. imo it’s a last desperate attempt for a store to stay open when facing massive theft.

 

Possibly. But I am trying to identify a delta of recent vintage that caused corporate to close a specific store. I am not doubting there is shoplifting and related expenses. The question is whether it justified a 9/26/23 press release from Target - Target Closes Select Stores to Prioritize Team Member and Guest Safety
which stated:

With that said, we have made the difficult decision to close nine Target stores across four states, effective Oct. 21.

In this case, we cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance.

Read the rest of the release - it is all about "Our Efforts to Combat Theft and Organized Retail Crime. We will continue to combat theft and organized retail crime by making significant investments to keep our stores safe."

It says it has been trying to do so since 2021 but cannot keep these stores open because of the losses from "theft and organized retail crime". They do say if you read closely that is a contributing factor, suggesting others, but no others are listed in the Press release, which goes on about crime at length.

But the publicly available data doesn't support that connection, and they won't share any data upon request. Shrinkage from theft actually does not appear to be to be increasing - actually going down a bit.


So that is why confidently called them liars. They issued a large press release going on at length about a single factor responsible for the decision to close specific stores, citing no other factors, a conclusion that is not supported by the publicly available data and is inconsistent with their other published data, and for which they won't release anything specific to support their claims.

 

I was about to post the same thing. Total BS. Same thing Walgreens pulled and then admitted it was lying. You get far less negative PR when you're cutting jobs due to your own failures if you blame "crime" for it (which is really just blaming the community).

 

Seem Target might be using "organized retail theft" as a sort of cover for what might be more of a pure business calculation. What caught my eye was that the stores were under-performing, and that they were all relatively new locations. So perhaps it's more that Target overshot on growth where even "normal" shrinkage made them less sustainable.

OTOH, it's quite possibly, even likely that larceny is part of the equation. Given the analysis by popular information, I'm thinking that maybe it's employee theft and other shrinkage rather than organized retail theft. But no retail corporation wants to pound the employee theft drum all that hard.

 

Cool so they make bond and then either plead out of go to jail.
Eventually perhaps they stop.

 

More and more things in home depot are under lock and key. My MiL works at one and the stories she shares abiut people just running out with shopping carts of high ticket items would shock you.

 

See post #21.

 

TY.
Posted before I got there…

 

PM me if you can. I tried pm'ing you but got a message saying I couldn't.

 

They do stop eventually, well most anyway. Crime is not so figuratively, a young male activity. FWIW, the predominant outcome for larceny is no arrest.

 

Done, check your PMs.

 

Donald Trump solves retail theft!

Trump calls for shoplifters to be shot to save the nation

We will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft. Very simply: If you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store,” the 77-year-old said.

“Shot!” Trump added for emphasis.

“The word that they shoot you will get out within minutes and our nation, in one day, will be an entirely different place. There must be retribution for theft and destruction and the ruination of our country,” he added.

Trump, who has also proposed shooting migrants to prevent them from crossing the US-Mexico border, was cheered for delivering his tough-on-crime message about also opening fire on shoplifters.

 

Gratuitously stupid trash talk from a trash heap.

 

Yep. All that PR campaign by retailers which is basically false certainly creates a mood. It's hard to know whether they are responding to the mood or creating it, to be fair. But they certainly don't help

 

Peter and Michael with a typical deconstruction of the propaganda by Retail industry group describing nonexistent phenomenon as a lobbying effort. 31 minute teaser but tons of information

‎If Books Could Kill: The "Organized Retail Crime" Panic [TEASER] on Apple Podcasts

 

Will have to listen to it later, but I'll say this, the phenomenon is probably not non-existent, but definitely overblown.