NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2008
Tough Economy Fuels Crime, Shoplifting
CBS Evening News: From Burglaries To Package Thefts, Tough Times Spark Boom In Larceny
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Play CBS Video Video The Economy's Impact On Crime The struggling U.S. economy is having a major impact on many Americans, forcing them to take desperate and illegal actions including shoplifting. Randall Pinkston reports.
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In Northern California, police caught a delivery package-snatcher on tape. (CBS)
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Simms White was on the lookout for a Grinch who seemed determined to steal his Christmas by setting out a camera and catching her on tape. (CBS)
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Early bird 'Black Friday' shoppers cram the aisles at the Target store in Aurora, Ohio. But this season, as buying seems to be lagging slightly, shoplifting is on the rise. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
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Interactive Crime Beat Statistics and specifics on crime in America.
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Interactive FBI Crime Statistics Explore the latest information on U.S. crime, from acts of violence to property damage.
"She just took advantage of the situation. She saw a box on the porch and decided she would pick it up," White said.
And it's not just snatching presents from porches. There are car thefts and house burglaries -- and while law enforcement officials know that holiday crime is as common as Christmas trees, this year's economic downturn appears to be driving the numbers way up.
In Northern California, police caught another package-snatcher on tape. And this year almost 50 percent of police agencies across the country report an increase in burglaries this year. More than 40 percent say they've seen an increase in thefts.
In Fairlawn, N.J., Police Chief Erik Rose's officers helped the county prosecutor haul in four people accused of burglarizing 11 homes in northern New Jersey's wealthiest county.
He says the season and the economy will help keep police busy.
"There are people that may have jobs and when they have jobs aren't predisposed towards crime. But when they don't have jobs -- nothing justifies crime, but they may decide that's an alternative," Rose said.
For retailers, it means more shoplifters hurting the bottom line.
"Now we are seeing a rocket trajectory. And its increasing, not just in Main Street or Wall Street, it's increasing across America," said Paul Jones of the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
Shoplifting is up between 10 percent and 20 percent. In fact, one in 11 Americans shoplift, costing stores $35 million a day.
In Staten Island, N.Y., one mall is turning to a novel counter-measure -- pictures of frequent shoplifters posted on video screens for everyone to see.
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Add a Comment See all 32 Comments
- No justification for anyone to take what does not belong to them. But after what we''ve seen the banking industry and stock sellers do this past year, one can understand why dumb folks can internally justify their stealing. If the banks got away with it, why can''t I, they say to themselves.
Ethics in business has turned to the dark side, led by the actual actions of Cheney and his team (including his ward, Bush, Jr.). They set the example that other stupid people will be using to justify their wrongdoings.
Thank God they are almost gone. Hey - steal from me and receive LEAD for Christmas in the shape of a 45. - Reply to this comment
- Man I really feel sorry for the rich victims. I mean Christmas isn''t about sharing with your neighboor, rather it is about hording goods. I''m expecting a soviet style economic meltdown in 2009 for the US.I am sure that will bring out the best in everyone.
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- I was in the Grocery store the other day & I have cut back on things I buy & treats and other little stuff thats nice to have but I can do without.
A lady got busted for stealing food in her big purse she had. It was pretty sad because I could tell the lady was hungry and so were some people at home. She only had frozen meat in her purse.
Its sad that people at AIG are still getting bonus checks and other people have to shop lift food at christmas time. - Reply to this comment
- They should all face the firing squad as traitors.
Posted by notfooled at 04:44 AM : Dec 24, 2008 ************** Bring on your evidence. Mr. Kucinich would love to have any sort of evidence to back up his allegations. Any at all would do, Idiot. - Reply to this comment
- Lies, lies and more lies.
According to the official story: The plane that hit the pentagon vaporized on impact.
According to the official story: They identified every one of the hijackers that piloted the plane into the pentagon by retrieving their passports out of the debris.
Har de har har har.
Liars and murderers.
They can''t find the engines from a 757 but they found the passports ????
Liars and murderers. - Reply to this comment
- "What you and so many other Bush blamers/bashers are forgetting is how high the death toll would be if we did''nt send in the troops to fight terrorism.
Posted by jankebenz "
What you and the rest of the blind sheeple fail to realize is that there wouldn''t be any dead folks over this at all if the Bush/Cheney crime syndicate hadn''t blown up the World Trade Center and blamed it on terrorists so they could have their war for profit.
At latest count they''ve cost America about a trillion dollars and 5,000 US soldiers, not to mention a million dead humans in the middle east.
Spose that many humans would be dead if liar Bush the Butcher of Baghdad and cronies hadn''t decided all those human lives were worth the profit?
Im not a Bush basher - Im a murderer hater.
What a tragedy to inflict upon our country.
They should all face the firing squad as traitors. - Reply to this comment
- "What you and so many other Bush blamers/bashers are forgetting is how high the death toll would be if we did''''nt send in the troops to fight terrorism.
Posted by jankebenz "
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Did anybody lose a puppy?
Dum-de-dumb, dumb - Reply to this comment
- "From Burglaries To Package Thefts, Tough Times Spark Boom In Larceny "
Huh? Where have you been? This has been going on, on Wallstreet for the past decade!
And when times "get tough" for Wallstreet, they steal from the taxpayer!
Hooray for privatizing the profits and socializing the losses! - Reply to this comment
- Brace yourselves. I hate to say it, but it will probably get worse as the economy gets worse and people get desperate. Thanks Bush, merry Christmas!
- Reply to this comment
- A little Scripture Reading for the Liar-in-Chief and all his apologists:
Proverbs 6:12-19
[16]There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: [17]haughty eyes (the DECIDER), a lying tongue (935 LIES), and hands that shed innocent blood (4200 DEAD AMERICANS), [18]a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, [19]a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
935 Lies.
4200 Dead Americans
$3 trillion squandered!
George W Bush is an abomination to the Lord!
Son of Satan.
Damned for all time!! - Reply to this comment
- Gee you''re right on track there robertzack....NOT...go post your trash somewhere else.
- Reply to this comment
- If we station our troops along the mexican border.. and in all international airports.. how then would the terrorists attack us??? Didn''t the republicans say in the 60s that if we didn''t fight the communists in Asia... that they would come over here??? It has been over 40 years... and I the only communists I see is Bush wanting to regulate the mortgage companies and give them billions of taxpayer dollars...
- Reply to this comment
- What you and so many other Bush blamers/bashers are forgetting is how high the death toll would be if we did''''nt send in the troops to fight terrorism.
Posted by jankebenz at 11:37 PM : Dec 23, 2008
*** Our death toll would be even less if we brought the troops home and hadn''t sent them in the first place... there was no terrorists in Iraq until AFTER we invaded! But you are blinded by corporate americans interests... and haliburton profits! - Reply to this comment
- With presidents like George W Bush, who needs terrorists to harm Americans!
The score so far:
Bin Laden - 3000 Dead Americans.
George W Bush - 4200 Dead Americans and counting!
Bush wins hands down!!
Heckuva job!
Mission Accomplished!
Posted by jerr11 at 10:23 PM : Dec 23, 2008
What you and so many other Bush blamers/bashers are forgetting is how high the death toll would be if we did''nt send in the troops to fight terrorism. - Reply to this comment
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Well it was no landslide that''''s for sure, just seven percentage points in actual voting. Of course, you knew the, right?
Posted by renrivers at 09:33 PM : Dec 23, 2008
*** Shut up about the Obama only won by 7 percentage points... well... Bush only beat Kerry by 2 percentage points... so even more people were disappointed when amnesty Jorge Bush won... When will you republicans stop nominating candidates that want to give over 20 million illegal hispanics amnesty??? Besides.. the corrupt 45 percent of americans had their president the last 8 years.. time for us 55 percent of the good people in this country to have our president now! - Reply to this comment
- The world is upside down. If this is how teenagers act, it explains why Congress is robbing us blind - and THE MAJORITY OF THE SHEEPLE RE-ELECTED THEM.
Posted by txgrouch2008 at 10:59 PM : Dec 23, 2008
*** if the republicans put up better candidates than amnesty Juan mccain and jorge bush.... maybe then we would let the corporate republicans have a president again.... - Reply to this comment
- With presidents like George W Bush, who needs terrorists to harm Americans!
The score so far:
Bin Laden - 3000 Dead Americans.
George W Bush - 4200 Dead Americans and counting!
Bush wins hands down!!
Heckuva job!
Mission Accomplished! - Reply to this comment
- When I was a kid (14 yrs old) I loved the rush of shoplifting... then I got CAUGHT. My mother beat me(1984) in front of other adults, and I mean beat,ragingly. She was sharing her disgrace with me and believe me I felt the disgrace way more than the physical pain. Everytime I walk into a store I feel totally at ease knowing that disgrace won''t happen. Punishment for crime must be more severe than today''s nonsense.
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- You could say the goverment is also guilty of shoplifting 700 billion dollars from taxpayers. Any President who pardons 19 convicted criminals before leaving office and sends over 4,000 Americans to die must be a criminal himself and is guilty of alot more than just shoplifting!
- Reply to this comment
- shoplifting and crime, just 2 more earmarks of the george w bush / republican trickle down prosperity philosophy. each time a pass by a strip mall, with its bare store fronts, i think of just one more ''''republican success story''''. no wonder barack obama defeated george w bush III so soundly.
Posted by bigsk8fan
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Well it was no landslide that''s for sure, just seven percentage points in actual voting. Of course, you knew the, right? - Reply to this comment
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