Nationwide crime surveys show shoplifting has surged across the country so far this year, even as many serious crimes, such as murder, have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Shoplifting rates increased by an average of 24% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to an interim crime report released on Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ).
The study looked at crime statistics in 23 cities across the United States and found that shoplifting has been steadily increasing since the United States began emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic around 2022.
Rates initially fell by about 15% from 2019 to 2020, continued to fall in 2021, and then began to rise through 2023, but still remain about 10% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
But shoplifting rates increased 24% by 2024 and are now about 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the CCJ’s findings.
Shoplifting has been in the spotlight in recent years as shocking videos have gone viral showing gangs of hooligans taking over stores and making off with armfuls of merchandise at once in daring “robberies.” Other videos show thieves brazenly snatching items multiple times.
The problem is so widespread across the country that pharmacies and big box stores have begun to block off aisles with barriers to prevent theft, much to the frustration of honest customers.
Ernesto Lopez, a senior researcher at CCJ who helped prepare the report, said increased attention to the issue could also be contributing to the spike by leading stores to report more shoplifting cases.
Despite the large increase in shoplifting, many crime categories in the 39 cities assessed by CCJ have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels after increasing during the pandemic, and homicides have declined significantly.
The 29 cities examined in the report saw a notable spike in homicides during the pandemic, with homicides increasing by 30% in one year in 2020, the largest increase on record, and continuing to soar in 2021.
The murder rate began to decline by 2022.
However, as of July 2024, the murder rate was down about 13% compared to the same period last year and 2% lower than the same period in 2019.
CCJ’s research found that not all cities have seen a decline in homicides, and some continue to see alarming increases.
For example, in Buffalo, homicides are up 26% in 2024 compared to the previous year and up 6% from 2019. In Syracuse, homicides are up 18% in 2024 compared to the previous year and up 15% from 2019.
Despite generally favorable crime numbers nationwide, a late 2023 Gallup poll found that Americans’ fears for their personal safety have reached a 30-year high, with 40% reporting they are afraid to walk home alone at night.
Lopez suggested the disconnect between the CCJ findings on falling crime rates and Americans’ perceptions of safety could be driven by long memories of the pandemic, which he called a “massive disruption of social life.”
“People remember the news, they remember the reports, they remember the protests over the summer. There’s been a lot going on and a lot of turmoil I think is still fresh in people’s minds,” he said.
