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Duane Read and Rite Aid stores near me are always getting jacked. Some guy walked in just yesterday evening while was there and walked out with an entire shelf of stuff.
So ,this is news? People have been shoplifting for years, so what are they talking about? Before it was any kind of business could be hit,and still is.
The only difference is that there are so many drug stores popped up ,like a freaking Starbucks.. Dollar general is next in line.
NYPD is using this as an angle for something else. Perhaps they want cameras in the store to go right to a monitoring center, or the local precient.
Just an excuse to get a better look at what people are doing, before they even do it! Does police state sound familiar?
So ,this is news? People have been shoplifting for years, so what are they talking about? Before it was any kind of business could be hit,and still is.
The only difference is that there are so many drug stores popped up ,like a freaking Starbucks.. Dollar general is next in line.
NYPD is using this as an angle for something else. Perhaps they want cameras in the store to go right to a monitoring center, or the local precient.
Just an excuse to get a better look at what people are doing, before they even do it! Does police state sound familiar?
Read linked articles; yes NYPD does have an angle. At least one area (UWS) wants DR to have armed guards.
That being said, yes people have been shoplifting for years; but some of these Duane Reade, Rite Aide, Walgreen's and so forth are on an entire other level.
As have frequently mentioned the DR and Rite Aide stores in my area are jacked nearly on an average daily basis. A bottle of Tide here, ten packages of condoms there, entire shelves of soap/toiletries....
So ,this is news? People have been shoplifting for years, so what are they talking about? Before it was any kind of business could be hit,and still is.
The only difference is that there are so many drug stores popped up ,like a freaking Starbucks.. Dollar general is next in line.
NYPD is using this as an angle for something else. Perhaps they want cameras in the store to go right to a monitoring center, or the local precient.
Just an excuse to get a better look at what people are doing, before they even do it! Does police state sound familiar?
Stopping people from stealing does not equate to a police state, nor does basic surveillance. The eventual reality of unchecked theft is a loss of stores altogether and with it the jobs that might I add predominantly employ low-income NYers of color. Rich UWSers can simply order online if the Duane Reade closes. The people who will be most hurt are the people who depend on retail chains for jobs.
Capt. Timothy Malin, the 20th Precinct’s new commanding officer, is taking aim at Duane Reade for what he considers a lax attitude to crime prevention.
By not investing in private security guards for the precinct’s eight stores, he says, the company is drawing in repeat offenders from other neighborhoods who use these locations as their “personal shopping malls” and may commit other crimes of opportunity while visiting the Upper West Side.
“The vast majority of the larcenies (thefts) are coming from one place: Duane Reade,” he told residents at Monday evening’s monthly Community Council meeting.
So far in 2018 there have been 180 reported larcenies from area Duane Reade stores, up 35% over last year. Duane Reade makes up 42% of the precinct’s total reported petit larcenies (stolen goods under $1000); multiple grand larcenies have also been reported. NYPD has made 76 larceny arrests in the stores this year; 97% of those arrested live outside of the precinct.
Quote:
Capt. Malin said he met with Walgreens [Duane Reade’s owners] corporate security managers last week, noting that the precinct’s previous commander held a similar meeting back in January. He found the reps to be sympathetic, but not racing to ameliorate the situation. “They approach store security from a strict dollars and cents point of view,” he said. “They told me they expect to lose $7 million of merchandise in Manhattan every year, and they just write it off. They expect one in three lipsticks to be stolen. They call 911 to file a police report so as to make an insurance claim.”
Walgreens did not respond to WSR’s requests for comment.
Money matters to Walgreens, Malin says, but it should also matter to area residents.
“Taxpayer dollars right now are essentially subsidizing private security at Duane Reade,” he said. To attempt to stem the wave of thefts, 20th Precinct officers have made over 822 “directed patrols” at area stores wherein uniformed cops stop by and walk the aisles. Those are “822 times this year when our officers could have been engaged with something else, a different quality of life issue our residents may have.”
Capt. Malin urged residents to contact Walgreens and demand that the company take action. “We want the same preventative measures that the Bronx and other parts of Manhattan are getting…visible, well-run security in their UWS stores,” he said. “They can’t just be reactive. They need to be proactive for the safety of the community.”
In the blog, there is also the slide presentation that the captain presented at the community meeting. In addition, the captain provided more detail in the comments section including how CVS has far fewer larcenies likely due to more sophisticated technologies in its security measures.
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