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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Chattanooga is at the top of the list of major U.S. cities with a major problem – shoplifting.
According to a mid-year report from the Council of Criminal Justice, released in July 2024, Chattanooga has the highest rate of incidents of shoplifting per capita in the country.
The report shows that Chattanooga reported 89.8 incidents of shoplifting per 100,000 people between 2018 and 2024.
While some local business owners say they are not aware of any shoplifting incidents in their stores, others say they have been forced to implement additional security measures as a result.
In many cases, these measures include keeping merchandise locked up until customers are ready to make a purchase, making things inconvenient for both store employees and honest customers.
Hamilton Place Mall told NewsChannel 9 that each individual retailer “implements and maintains its own security policy and procedures in its store.” They also said they “encourage them to work closely with law enforcement.”
The Council of Criminal Justice also reported that the shoplifting rate was up across the country during the first half of 2024, coming in about 24% higher than the rate in the first half of 2023.
