Shoplifting on the rise

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Story Published: Dec 4, 2008 at 6:13 PM MST

Story Updated: Dec 18, 2008 at 3:02 PM MST

By Anthony Congi

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IDAHO FALLS - The holiday shopping season is here, but with that, comes more crimes like shoplifting. Stores in the Idaho Falls area are no exception.

"People are used to living the lifestyle that they live. Some will do something to maintain that lifestyle, others will just hit rock bottom where they feel they have no other option," says Captain Ken Brown of the Idaho Falls Police Department.

When the economy is down, crime is up. During the holidays, shoplifting in particular is usually higher, but this year, police are seeing it even more.

"People still want to satisfy their loved ones and unfortunately there are the factor of people that will go out there and shoplift or steal to still supply the good that they feel that their kids or their friends need," says Brown.

Shoplifting is a crime of opportunity, so stores are always and the lookout for possible thefts.

Big and small items, expensive or not, anything could potentially be a target of the five finger discount.

Electronic stores like Best Buy are often targets because of the demands of the items in the store, but are constantly monitored.

"Businesses these days are high tech. They've got camera systems all throughout the store. Employees have ear pieces. They have cameras that can pan, tilt so they can look down an aisle, look at various places," says Brown.

Even though they're not completely immune to shoplifting, stores like Best Buy are wired from wall to wall with high tech security cameras. So literally, customers can be seen from anywhere.

"In those particular places, the success of catching them is pretty high," says Brown.

Smaller stores in the downtown area are a bit easier to manage because most of the time workers can see the entire store from one location.

Police have zero tolerance for shoplifters, so when they're caught, they will be prosecuted.

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