JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Shoplifting cases at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Army and Air Force Exchange Service retail facilities declined last year from 2010, but a spike in this year's first quarter has prompted base security officials to step up prevention measures.
Statistics compiled by the 902nd Security Forces Squadron show 16 shoplifters were apprehended, most of them at the Randolph Base Exchange, from January to March this year, compared with seven in the first quarter of 2011.
"There were more shoplifters apprehended in 2010 than in 2011, but this past quarter we've already had 16 incidents," Senior Airman Celina Reyes, 902nd SFS police services, said. "That's the main crime we have at Randolph."
Reyes said fliers that emphasize the base's shoplifting crime rate are one of the prevention efforts that will be taken. She said they will be distributed in housing areas, at the youth center and at AAFES stores.
Other prevention measures include more frequent "D-runs," or directed walking patrols, by 902nd SFS personnel, and new signage to deter shoplifters.
Reyes said she was surprised so many shoplifting cases were recorded in the first quarter.
"We usually have more incidents during the summer," she said.
Last year, 46 shoplifters were apprehended at JBSA-Randolph; the quarter with the greatest number of cases was the third, July-September, with 15 apprehensions. Fourteen shoplifters were caught in the final quarter.
Security personnel cannot pinpoint a reason for the increase in the first quarter of 2012.
"We looked at the demographics," Master Sgt. R.J. Orwig, 902nd SFS law enforcement operations, said. "There's no rhyme or reason to it, but it's becoming an epidemic."
Reyes said most shoplifters at JBSA-Randolph are 16 to 21 years old and are divided nearly equally between both genders. Males predominantly target electronics, especially video games, while females prefer cosmetics, jewelry and clothing.
She said most of them do not live on base; they're the dependents of retirees. Statistics indicated 12 of the 16 shoplifters apprehended in the first quarter live off base.
Most shoplifters are caught by BX loss prevention personnel, who see them on camera and can detain them once they pass the cash registers and exit the facility, Reyes said.
"We'll then get called by loss prevention," she said. "We'll review the tape, read the suspect his rights and conduct a search." Video evidence provides law enforcement officers with probable cause.
Suspects are taken to the 902nd SFS headquarters for processing. If found guilty in court, they face a minimum fine of $250 and must pay AAFES a restocking fee. In addition, shoplifters who live on base are banned from AAFES facilities for up to a year; those without a Department of Defense affiliation are banned from all of the JBSA installations for two years, while those with a DoD affiliation are banned for one year.