CVS partners with AGs to curb retail crime: Thieves 'not being prosecuted, and they need to be'

CVS recently announced that it is partnering with law enforcement agencies and attorneys general to curb surging organized retail crime, Fox Business reported.

On Wednesday, CVS CEO Karen Lynch told "CBS Evening News" that the chain pharmacy store is doing all it can to crack down on shoplifting, stating that thieves have been "ripping through the entire counter."

Lynch stated that a lot of items in the store are locked up because burglaries have been a problem for the retailer. In 2022, American retailers lost approximately $112.1 billion to shoplifters, according to a National Retail Security survey.

"Organized retail theft is a big problem," she added. "They're coming in; they're clearing shelves off, and then reselling [the items]. What I'm most concerned about is the safety of our colleagues and the safety of our customers."

Over the last couple of years, the retailer has rolled out additional safety measures, Lynch noted.

"We're working very closely with law enforcement and with attorneys general because they're not being prosecuted, and they need to be," she continued. "I actually had a video the other day where it was late at night and a car went through our front door."

Lynch explained that the video showed a vehicle driving through the front door of one of the pharmacy locations. Six males then jumped out of the car and "ransacked the entire CVS."

A CVS spokesperson referred to the retailer as a "national leader in the fight against [organized retail crime]," Fox Business reported.

"We partner with federal, state, and local law enforcement — as well as with other retailers — to identify and dismantle these criminal operations," the CVS representative said, noting that the retailer has already successfully dismantled dozens of large criminal organizations.

CVS stated that it supports the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, a new bipartisan bill that would enhance coordination between law enforcement agencies. If passed by lawmakers, the measure would create a federal Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center.

David Johnston, the National Retail Foundation vice president, told Fox Business, "We have to take a really good look at what got us here. And there are a lot of things that got us to this point, some of them inclusive of individual states making changes to how they react to shoplifting."

Johnston called for "appropriate consequences" for individuals caught stealing from retail establishments.

In January, a CVS location in Washington, D.C., announced that it would close its doors, likely due to the area's retail theft problem, despite staffing armed security guards. A CVS spokesperson told WTOP that the retailer is working with law enforcement agencies to "identify and dismantle several major shoplifting rings."

CVS revealed plans in 2021 to close 900 store locations over a three-year period, citing "local market dynamics, population shifts, and a community's store density." The closure represents almost 10% of all its locations in the United States.

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