Encore: What's Behind NYC's Shoplifting Spike?

No doubt you’ve noticed that almost every item at your local pharmacy seems to be locked behind plastic cases these days. The reason is due to the sharp increase in shoplifting we’ve experienced in New York City over the past three years. According to the NYPD, there has been a 66 percent increase in reports of retail-theft here since 2019, costing stores hundreds of millions of dollars a year. What you may not be aware of, though, is that a majority of these incidents of shoplifting are often part of a larger, organized crime ring, in which people known as “boosters” steal items from stores and sell them to others, known as “fences.” Joining us to take us to explain the reasons for this shoplifting surge are: James D. Walsh, staff writer at New York Magazine who wrote the piece “Fort Walgreens”; Dennis Guevares, who engaged in boosting and is currently a peer counselor in training; and Thalia Karny, attorney representing Mr. Guevares.