Retail Crime – A Perfect Storm

Authors

  • Donald Meyerhoff

Keywords:

organised retail crime, police reform, COVID-19

Abstract

In recent years there has been a noticeable increase in crime and theft aimed at retail establishments. Often these events involve organised groups that systematically steal and sell in-demand items. More recently, there has also been an increase in crowd or mob-based looting events, presenting merchants with overwhelming circumstances outside of their ability to control. This study examines various influences that contribute to this dilemma. Factors commonly believed to contribute to theft and looting that are discussed include adjustments made in criminal charging and prosecution of retail thefts, current public events focusing on police violence, prosecutorial reforms, and the impact of COVID-19 on law enforcement responses.

Author Biography

  • Donald Meyerhoff

    Don Meyerhoff is a national-level branch chief with a federal agency, responsible for the protection of facilities, employees and high value critical assets. Dr. Meyerhoff has 30 years of law enforcement and security management experience. He is also an adjunct professor with the School of Security and Global Studies, American Military University. He is a Certified Protection Professional, Professional Certified Investigator and Physical Security Professional with ASIS International, a Certified Security Project Manager with the Security Industry Association, and Security+ with CompTia.

References

Downloads

Published

2023-02-04

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Research Articles

License

Authors retain copyright in their articles and grant SALUS the right of first publication. The work is simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and the journal, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.

How to Cite

Retail Crime – A Perfect Storm. (2023). Salus Journal, 10(2), 1-16. https://journals.csu.domains/index.php/salusjournal/article/view/142