Dover Police are reporting a 19 percent decline in shoplifting complaints since the launch of the Shoplifter Notification Program in August.
The program which posts mug shots of persons arrested for shoplifting on a weekly basis on the department website and social media outlets, helped to cut shoplifting incidents during the four-month trial period.
The reduction in shoplifting incidents during the trial period also led to a 12 percent drop for the entire calendar year compared to 2013 numbers and bringing the total number of shoplifting cases below 1,000 for the first time since 2010. The success of the program was first reported by Delaware Free News.
Police reported that the “majority of shoplifting cases are committed by repeat offenders and the department’s goal is that by releasing the information, store employees will be better informed when monitoring their stores and inventory, and that suspects will think twice before stealing merchandise in fear that their name and photo will be shared with the public.”
The method has shown to be successful based on the end of year numbers for 2014 and has also led to arrests in unsolved crimes, including unsolved shoplifting cases and the identification of suspects in various other cases.
Dover has seen 3,290 shoplifting cases reported to the police in the last three years, with 1,101 coming in 2013. Some studies have shown that shoplifters are only caught one in 48 times.
Police reported feedback from merchants and the public in the City of Dover has largely been positive and the results can be directly tied to the notification program, police reported.
