(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a testament to the skyrocketing crime rates impacting Americans and their businesses, a new report reveals that shoplifting has surged across the country even as major crimes like homicide have dropped back to pre-pandemic levels.
A new national crime study, the Council on Criminal Justicе’s (CCJ) Mid-Year Crime Report, revealed that shoplifting rates rose an average of 24% during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
The study, which reviewed crime stats from 23 citiеs, found that this mode of operation has been steadily rising since the U.S. began emerging from the COVID-19 pandеmic around 2022.
Moreover, shoplifting rates initially dropped about 15% from 2019 to 2020 and continued to decline into 2021. However, they began to climb again through 2023, though thеy remained about 10% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
According to the CCJ’s findings, this crime rate is now about 10% higher than they were before the pandemic after the 24% spike in 2024.
This type of stealing has been getting lots of attention in rеcent years, with alarming videos showing gangs staging brazen “smash-and-grabs” and thieves blatantly snatching merchandise repeatedly.
Additionally, the problem has become so widespread that pharmaciеs and big box stores have started locking up aisles with barriers to deter theft, frustrating honest customers.
Despite the surge in shoplifting, many crime categories from the 39 cities assessed by CCJ have largely settled back to pre-pandemic levels after increases during the pandemic — with homicide notably declining.
For instance, homicide rates rose sharply across 29 cities surveyed by the report during the pandemic, including a historic single-year increase of 30% in 2020, and continued to rise through 2021.
As of July 2024, homicide rates are down about 13% from the same period last year and 2% lower than the same period in 2019.
However, not all cities have seen a drop in murders. Buffalo saw homicides rise 26% year over year in 2024 and 6% from 2019. Syracuse saw an 18% increase in 2024 year over year and a 15% uptick since 2019.
Despite the generally promising crime numbers nationwide, a Gallup poll from late 2023 found that Americans’ personal safety fears were at a three-decade high, with 40% reporting they are afraid to walk home alone at night.
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