This year, shoplifters take no holiday: November thefts up whopping 436%

Theft packets give police a leg up on catching up with suspected thieves. (Courtesy photo; Rochester Voice graphic)

ROCHESTER - Rochester has seen an explosion in shoplifting arrests this year culminating in November, a month that saw a 436 percent increase over last year.

It is a shocking increase, agreed Rochester Police Capt. Todd Pinkham, the department's pubic information officer.

From the start of 2020 through November the city saw 259 such arrests, compared to 189 for the same time period in 2019. That's a 37 percent increase.

And while November 2019 saw just 11 shoplifting arrests in the city, last month 59 such arrests occurred.

The overwhelming majority of arrests occur at Walmart, which has a very robust asset protection program, Pinkham said.

"What they're doing is a credit to them, but I can't comment on how they're doing it, and I doubt they will either," Pinkham added.

One thing that they do utilize more than any other store is theft packets, which comprise surveillance footage of suspected shoplifting incidents along with other data that they send to Rochester Police. The screen captures and other info is often posted onto the Rochester Police Facebook page, where the public can go and offer tips on whom the individual or individuals might be.

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic when suspects are wearing masks, the theft packets have proved effective in holding shoplifters accountable.

While shoplifting is normally a misdemeanor, if a person arrested has two previous shoplifting convictions, they can face felony charges that can result in up to three and a half to seven years in state prison.

The Rochester Voice attempted several calls to Walmart's asset protection team but none were available for comment on this story.