Cops Used the Shoplifting Panic to Buy Tons of New Equipment

The “crime panic” was a myth. But an analysis by The Appeal shows the narrative helped local police buy facial recognition software, drones, license plate readers, social media surveillance tech, and more. “Retail theft has dominated headlines, earnings calls, and political rhetoric for the last few years. Television news shows loop seemingly endless clips of people shoplifting. CEO’s claimed that retail theft was constant in different stores, including Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and others, costing millions. The Department of Homeland Security warned that a surge of coordinated shoplifting—allegedly by groups selling the goods for cash or to fund other criminal acts—was the newest public safety threat. Police then capitalized on the panic they helped gin up—around the country, and departments blanketed the press with statements claiming they somehow lacked the resources to stop or solve the problem. According to a new analysis by The Appeal, the tactic paid off. California, Oregon, Illinois, and other states are now doling out money to police departments for retail theft investigations. California said it would give police over $242 million between 2023 to 2027. Illinois has awarded almost $15,000,000 over the past three years. And Oregon has allocated $5 million. Grant requests from California reviewed by The Appeal reveal the police intend to build out a mass surveillance network to catch shoplifters.The proposed dragnet includes automatic license plate readers, facial recognition software, real-time crime centers, and ample overtime funding for cops. Police are sharing access to their tech and data collected with each other, deepening the surveillance across their state. They’re also collaborating with retailers, integrating themselves into stores, and furthering the reach of police surveillance in private spaces. The grants also reveal other technology and resources departments say they need that far exceed the needs of catching shoplifters…”