Det. Bob Jones speaks to attendees of the township Retail Partnership on April 25.
Township council members, police, Public Safety Director Sean Dalton and local store owners recently came together for a meeting of the Retail Partnership to discuss how to combat store theft and shoplifting.
According to a Forbes survey, 90% of small businesses nationwide have experienced theft at their stores.
“We decided to meet with local retailers to get ahead of it (the issue),” said Mayor Paul Medany, who was at the meeting. “They talk about what they’re doing to stop it and we talked about what we’re doing to stop it. It was good to talk to everyone.”
According to Medany, about a dozen representatives from both small businesses at Deptford Mall and major retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot joined the meeting, as did Police Chief Joe Smith and Sgt. Bob Jones, a detective.
While the specifics of the township’s plans to combat theft were not discussed – so as not to tip off thieves – Medany did note that there is a police task force working on the problem.
“This is serious,” the mayor said. “It is not a victimless crime. This is a problem for everybody, even the small businesses. There are these major (theft) rings going around and we want people to know we are doing something about them.”
The township also has an ordinance in effect that requires businesses with a parking capacity of 25 cars or more to have a security camera registered online at the township’s website.
“If you can, go out and get a picture of the (license) tag or of the vehicle,” advised Jones of a potential theft suspect’s vehicle. “It’s not just gonna help us solve cases, it’s gonna help all kinds of towns solve cases.”
According to Medany, meetings on retail theft are planned throughout the year, though the date of the next session has yet to be determined. Anyone interested in combating retail theft can email DTPD_RT_Working_Group@deptford-nj.org to join a related group.
“If you come here to Deptford and do bad things, you’re gonna get caught,” Medany warned. “We’re watching you and will punish you under the full extent of the law.”
