GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Local law enforcement joined forces with representatives from area retail stores Wednesday, looking for solutions to reduce retail theft in the city.
The Holiday Safety and Theft Prevention Summit took place at the Green Bay Police Department.
Chief Andrew Smith hopes this collaboration will ultimately reduce crime.
“We’ve invited retail managers and retail loss prevention officers to get together and talk about what we can do as a city and as a group to make sure we have a safe and theft-free holiday season.”
Representatives from Festival Foods, Walgreens, Kohl’s, and Walmart were on hand for the event with Smith reiterating how important the partnership between law enforcement and local retailers is to ensure a safe and secure shopping experience.
The Chief says they want to keep thieves at bay, not only inside stores but outside too.
“We want to make sure we are doing what we can to protect people from having their cars broken into, from having items stolen from the porch of their house, from basically having your holiday season ruined by someone being a thief,” said Smith.
In recent months the police department has cracked down harder on theft criminals in the city. Thieves don’t just get a citation anymore and then sent on their way. Perpetrators will be brought to the station and process; that includes being handcuffed, fingerprinted, and photographed before being let go.
“And honestly the stuff they’re stealing, it’s not baby formula, it’s not medications, it’s make-up and it’s toys and it’s electronics,” Smith said.
Law enforcement officials want criminals to know that they are series about ending the number one crime problem in the city, retail theft.
Smith says by eliminating retail theft, it would reduce crime by 22 percent in Green Bay.
Be sure to watch the latest episode of “Green Bay Crime” to further understand the problem of retail theft in the city.
