[New York Diary] Trained Dogs Deployed in Stores... A Drastic Measure for a 'Shoplifter's Paradise'

Shoplifting Crisis in New York City
K-9 Units Deployed as Retailers Struggle Against Soaring Theft

"Stop shoplifting."

One of the major concerns for retailers in the United States since the pandemic is the rapidly increasing problem of in-store theft. New York City, long nicknamed Gotham City, is no exception. Since last year, more and more drugstores throughout Manhattan have been locking their display counters with padlocks. At the famous drugstore Walgreens, not only popular vitamin products and high-priced items that are easy to resell but even refrigerators and freezers storing beer and ice cream have started to be secured with lock chains. Now, customers must call an employee even to buy a single ice cream.

Despite these measures, shoplifting has not stopped, and now some stores in Midtown Manhattan have even introduced trained dogs. Recently, at the CVS drugstore located on 34th Street, K-9 trained dogs can be easily seen around the store entrance. K-9 is a term used in the U.S. to refer to police dogs, military dogs, and other trained dogs. These dogs were specially hired to prevent the rampant shoplifting in the area. It is a kind of security service where three trained dogs and their handlers work in shifts.

Warning Notice Posted at the Entrance of the Drugstore

The service reportedly started with the support of the 34th Street Partnership, a private management company overseeing areas including Macy’s Herald Square and Penn Station. The role of the K-9 trained dogs is not to chase or arrest shoplifters. Instead, they serve to deter and warn potential shoplifting suspects in advance. Kevin Ward, a former NYPD officer and vice president of security at the 34th Street Partnership, told local media, "We are already seeing results," adding, "There have been several shoplifters who left the store immediately after seeing the trained dogs or came out without stealing anything." Fox Business reported that "New York City businesses plagued by shoplifting are now seeking help from man’s best friend," and that the K-9 units introduced in Midtown Manhattan have prevented at least 25 thefts.

This indicates how serious the shoplifting problem has become in New York over the past few years. According to the NYPD, the number of reported shoplifting incidents in New York City last year was 63,699, an increase of more than 20,000 compared to the previous year. This is a 275% increase compared to the mid-2000s. The store most affected is the Target located on Greenwich Street in Manhattan, which reported 646 thefts last year alone. Three Duane Reade stores located on Broadway and other areas reported over 1,000 thefts in total. In southern Midtown, where the K-9 dogs were introduced, shoplifting reports have increased by nearly 60% since 2021. Thefts involving knives and violence in retail stores have more than doubled. The New York Post reported that "New York has become a ‘shoplifter’s paradise’." According to the National Retail Federation, losses due to theft and other causes in U.S. retail stores in 2021 alone amounted to a staggering $94.5 billion (approximately 124 trillion KRW).

A K-9 training dog is waiting in front of the CVS store located on 34th Street in Manhattan, New York, to prevent petty theft.

An employee working at a Nike store in Manhattan said, "Several times a week, I see someone trying to steal merchandise," shaking their head, "They mostly attempt it when it’s crowded." Sometimes employees intervene, but even that is not easy. There is always the risk of being injured by a knife or other weapon. A Korean-American who ran a deli in Queens for a long time but closed the business said bitterly with a smile, "There’s no other way but to just let them take it." Even if the police are called, the best outcome is usually just getting the stolen items back, and sometimes this leads to various forms of retaliation. It is difficult to arrest shoplifters for petty theft.

Inside the Walgreens drugstore located on Broadway in Manhattan, New York. Even if you purchase just one can of beer, you must call an employee to unlock the plastic door with a key and take it out.

Locally, there are growing criticisms that laws classifying thefts under $1,000 as misdemeanors are encouraging these crimes. Media reports sometimes reveal stolen goods being openly resold. Walgreens pointed out the seriousness of the theft problem, calling it "one of the biggest challenges the industry is currently facing." The coalition representing over 4,000 stores, ‘Collective Action for Store Protection,’ warned that "retail theft in New York is at a crisis level."

What is the New York City government doing, having previously declared a war on crime? In December last year, Mayor Eric Adams held a separate meeting to brainstorm ways to address the surge in retail theft. At the meeting, Mayor Adams promised, "We will work to find practical and lasting solutions." However, he left the meeting in less than 20 minutes. The bitter smile of the Korean-American business owner who said, "There’s no other way but to just let them take it," comes to mind once again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.