The New York City Police Department in the Bronx has quietly begun working more closely with small businesses to combat the shoplifting epidemic, and local supermarket owners say early signs look promising.
Last month, police officers at the 46th Precinct in the Bronx began handing out personal phone numbers to local business owners in a throwback strategy. This is in stark contrast to past years, when store owners complained they gave up calling 911 because they didn’t have a phone number. of response.
At the same time, New York City Police Department detectives have launched a new WhatsApp chat group where retailers can upload real-time photos and videos of shoplifters stealing merchandise, store owners said.
The pilot has only been in operation for a few weeks, but Bronx business owners say the ability to have direct contact with police has already resulted in arrests.
“One of my co-workers caught a guy shoplifting, and instead of calling 911, he called the crime prevention team and they were on the scene in five minutes,” he said, in addition to other stores in the Big Apple. said Eddie Vargas, a grocer who operates Pioneer Supermarket in the Bronx.
Carlos Corrado, who owns two Fine Fare stores in the Bronx and Harlem, said WhatsApp chats are especially useful for the NYPD’s crime prevention team to keep track of repeat offenders.
“The objective is to aggregate these crimes [so we know] “When someone crosses the threshold for a misdemeanor,” Corrado said, adding, “We’ve seen the quickest response we’ve ever seen.”
The month-old effort in the Bronx comes as the number of robberies citywide increases by 5% in the first three weeks of 2024, according to NYPD data. Meanwhile, the City Council last week overrode Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of the controversial How Many Stops Act. The bill would require documentation from anyone who questions an NYPD officer, which critics say would make it more difficult for officers to do their jobs.
The 46th Precinct, which covers the Fordham and Morris Heights neighborhoods, did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said the public should call 911 to report crimes.
“NYPD employees, including those designated as crime prevention officers, regularly provide business cards to local residents and business owners, strengthening our relationships with the community,” an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement. “I am doing so,” he said.
“While the business cards provide a direct line to officers, the public is reminded to call 911 in the event of an emergency situation, such as a crime in progress,” a New York City Police Department spokesperson said. I am doing it,” he added.
The NYPD did not specifically respond to The Post’s questions about the WhatsApp initiative.
The fledgling Bronx program began with an accidental misstep on Dec. 30 that ended with the arrest of a supermarket employee for assaulting a suspected shoplifter. The store owners reportedly reported the incident to the 46th Precinct Police due to the chaotic incident.
“We were victims and now we are being treated as criminals,” one local supermarket owner said after the arrests.
In response, local retailers went to the 46th Precinct office on January 5th to vent their grievances to NYPD Lt. Jeremy Schubrin and his staff for more than an hour, according to one store owner who attended. Ta.
Shubrin, the 46th Precinct commander, “understood our frustration after calling 911 and not getting any results and the system not accounting for it.” [retail crime] Carlos Collado, a supermarket owner who attended the meeting, said:
Buoyed by early success, some local retailers say they are already moving ahead with the new strategy in the city’s broader effort to combat out-of-control shoplifting.
“We are going to every constituency in the city to make them aware of this program,” said the year-old political coalition Collective Action to Save Stores (CAPS). ) member Vargas said.
CAPS previously called on lawmakers to address the fact that thieves are typically not prosecuted or arrested if they steal less than $1,000 worth of merchandise. The group is calling for serial shoplifters who cumulatively steal more than that amount to be charged with felonies instead of misdemeanors.
Many retailers say they have stopped calling police except in violent incidents and are instead investing in security guards and anti-theft technology, such as controversial facial recognition software.
“Calling 911 doesn’t always work,” said Nelson Eusebio, president of the National Supermarket Association, who attended the meeting. “We need more hands-on activities in our district.”
Recently, the New York City Police Department announced that it had started encouraging retailers to report crimes, and that the number of crimes reported in stores increased by 40% last year as a result of its efforts.
Michael Lipetri, head of the Office of Crime Control and Strategy, also warned of the NYPD’s efforts to “identify corridors with very high concentrations of shoplifting” and “saturate” those areas with “foot patrols.” uttered.
“While our response rate is the highest ever, I want to tell you that there is much work to be done to continue to curb shoplifting in New York City,” LiPetri added.
The Dec. 30 incident that sparked the Bronx Initiative stemmed from an altercation between a store manager and a known shoplifter at the Pioneer Supermarket on Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights, said Vargas, the store owner.
“He was eating dinner outside the store and threw a spare rib at my manager, who threw it back at him,” Vargas said of the shoplifting suspect.
An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement that the manager was arrested after he “pushed the victim and struck him in the head, causing minor injuries.”
However, Vargas claimed there was no evidence that the manager hit the shoplifting suspect and that he called the police.
Vargas said the charges were dropped because the shoplifting suspect did not show up to the charges.
