Letter to Walgreens offered sensible tips to curtail alcohol theft

By Josh Brown

APD works with businesses across the city – from small mom-and-pop stores to large national chain retailers that make billions of dollars a year. The vast majority of those business owners and managers are great partners and we help each other to combat crime.

Unfortunately, we run into roadblocks with some businesses. Most recently, that has been the case as I personally have tried to work with the leadership of Walgreens to address the specific issue of alcohol theft at some of their stores in Albuquerque. Thieves are targeting the liquor departments at Walgreens because they see an easy opportunity to steal alcohol without getting caught. We are trying to work with Walgreens to make alcohol theft more difficult and less likely to lead to violence against employees. Theft of alcohol is especially dangerous because it leads to other crimes.

The field officers I oversee are responding to these incidents every day. One frustrated officer recently asked the manager at an Albuquerque Walgreens store why they don’t have security since they are targeted for alcohol theft so often. Police responded four times that weekend to that one store. The manager said the company has decided to reduce security and that store is not on the list for a security guard. The manager threw up her arms in frustration.

We will continue to respond to crimes reported at these stores, but the suggestion that a quicker police response or using sworn officers as security is not realistic or effective. We need more proactive measures to make an impact on theft. We continue to work on APD’s role to be more proactive, just as most businesses are adapting to the criminal activity.

Contrary to the Journal’s editorial on Aug. 23, APD has been working with businesses to coordinate anti-crime plans, such as Operation Sticky Fingers. APD recovered $15,000 in merchandise and arrested 45 people during that operation earlier this summer, which placed officers in areas where retail crime is happening at peak times. We built on that success by adding Proactive Response Teams to the operation in July. Since then, 83 people were arrested with new charges of shoplifting or drug offenses on retail properties. Another 18 people were summoned with new shoplifting charges, and 30 people were arrested for only having warrants.

During that same time period, detectives with APD’s Organized Crime Unit closed 28 different cases with arrest warrants for subjects.

APD also supported legislation under Mayor Tim Keller’s Metro Crime Initiative that resulted in a stronger law that allows us to target repeat shoplifters with felonies, instead of misdemeanors.

We also partnered with the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association, ARAPA, the Attorney General’s Office and members of the retail community on additional strategies to deter crime in key areas, as well as crime on city buses and at bus stops. We created a new transit safety division focused on making buses and stops safer. New cameras have been added and operations targeting retail crime will continue.

APD Chief Harold Medina recently sent a letter to Walgreens with common sense recommendations to address the theft of alcohol at some of its stores. One suggestion is to modify the stores’ layout to so patrons could place their order and an employee would fulfill the order, limiting access to Walgreens’ employees only. Another consideration is to limit the time in which alcohol sales occur, which would deter shoplifters from entering the store if they know alcohol is not being sold. Walgreens should also consider hiring Level 3 security guards for key locations. This would be particularly important to deter underage individuals from attempting to steal alcohol.

To the Journal’s credit, your reporters have covered many of our initiatives to combat retail crime. Unfortunately, you chose to ignore the efforts of our officers and misrepresent our efforts to work with Walgreens on solutions. We aren’t blaming anyone, and we aren’t forcing Walgreens to do anything. We are recommending possible solutions that benefit the entire community.