"$35M a day is lost to shoplifting:" Two recent cases illustrate why retail theft must be taken seriously

MILWAUKEE -- Murders, gun violence and other violent crimes may be overshadowing attention and effort against another crime -- one of the most common in the country. Law enforcement officials, store leaders and experts often have a difficult time dealing with retail theft/shoplifting -- a crime that's pervasive can lead to further violent crime.

There was a recent incident in Brown Deer in which a shoplifter fled the scene in a vehicle and soon ran a red light -- smashing into an innocent victim's car, which then burst into flames.

Retail theft suspect crashes into another vehicle

Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt -- but this is one example of what the crime of retail theft can lead to.

"$35 million a day is lost to shoplifting," Stan Stoykovic, professor at UW-Milwaukee said.

Stan Stoykovic, professor at UW-Milwaukee

Stoykovic has studied retail theft, and says two-thirds of the crime in this country involves drunk driving and shoplifting.

So is retail theft something law enforcement officials should pay more attention to?

"Businesses want you to pay attention," Stoykovic said.

Last week, there was an incident involving retail theft at the Shops of Grand Avenue in downtown Milwaukee.

J Bees at Shops of Grand Avenue

Two young suspects are accused of taking $40,000 worth of clothing from the J Bees store -- and the crime was caught on surveillance video.

For 15 minutes, the store's owners say the teens could be seen pillaging the store -- taking high-end, designer jeans, shirts and hats.

The store's owners say around noon, police arrived and began looking for fingerprints when a clerk noticed some familiar faces outside the store's entrance. Two of the suspects were outside a nearby store.

J Bees at Shops of Grand Avenue

And that's not all. They were wearing clothing stolen from the store. The store's owners say the tags were still attached.

The two suspects taken into custody are just 14 and 16 years old, according to the store's owners.

"While some think of it as a minor crime, and it is, the facts of the matter is it's pervasive and it cuts across all age groups, all socioeconomic statuses, across gender lines," Stoykovic said.

Stoykovic says less than 12% of shoplifters are caught, and just 50% of those arrested are prosecuted.

"The sheer volume is so huge it's something we have to pay attention to," Stoykovic said.

When retail theft occurs, good security guards can get a license plate number, a description, and then call police.

"Businesses have had horror stories trying to deal with shoplifters -- confronting them, fighting with them, causing injury. It's not worth the cost of the item being stolen typically. Those are issues businesses have to think about," Stoykovic said.

And for those who think retail theft is a victimless crime -- it's not.

Stoykovic says it's a primary reason many businesses go out of business and the cost of the loss to the stores are passed onto us as customers.

Stoykovic says aside from shoplifting rings -- which involve criminal operations, many shoplifters don't plan their crimes. They simply see an opportunity to get away with something, and take it.

Car fire near Sherman and Teutonia