Armed guards at Albuquerque retailers to ensure safety
Albuquerque NM July 16 2023
Shoplifters could be faced with tougher penalties. New legislation passed at the 2023 legislation session will crack down on shoplifters. The value of stolen merchandise will be consolidated. As a result, repeated shoplifters will be charged with felonies instead of misdemeanors.
With retail crime on the rise in Albuquerque, shoppers are often met with armed guards at retailers to ensure the safety of the community. While it has become an unusual sight for some, International Protection Services (IPS) said it’s needed.
“Criminals have become so brazen, because of the lack of policing, the lack of laws in place to basically prosecute them. It seems like things are possibly getting better with some new legislation that’s come into place, but that will take a while before that goes into place,” IPS CEO & Chairman of the Board Aaron Jones said.
“We’re also there to prevent active shooter type situations, violent armed robberies, anything that may cause any kind of concern to the shop or to the associates and anybody that’s in any of those places,” Jones added. “There is nothing more important than for families to be able to put food on their tables and clothes on their kids’ backs to do that. They need to be able to come into these stores and to be able to shop safely and not have to be worried about being gunned down.”
“The private sector is stepping in and filling the void that law enforcement is, unfortunately, unable to handle at the moment.”
According to Jones, times have changed.
“Historically, over the last 10 to 20 years, no way in heck would they have an armed guard in any kind of place, because they were too worried about liability. Now, they’re too worried about the liability of not having it there,” Jones said. “The vicarious liability of not being able to protect somebody and having a wrong death or a wrongful great bodily injury type situation. So, I appreciate that they’re realizing they’re allowing professional organizations like IPOs to come in and provide that.”
“They keep saying they’re going to crack down. They don’t,” Albuquerque resident Gayla said.
“I was at Lowe’s, like a month ago. Someone just ran out with a vacuum in the box, and nobody chased them. I guess you’re not supposed to do anything and just let them. Then, at Walgreens to just grab stuff, take off and everybody just has to watch,” Gayla said.
“I witnessed shoplifters at Dillard’s, too. This guy ran out in plain clothes and tackled some guy in the parking lot. My mom was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what was that?’ He was stealing clothes, but someone did chase him down anyway,” she said. “What’s sad is, you kind of get used to it. So, you change your life like you don’t realize that you’re doing things at certain times. So, you avoid this, and you avoid that. It’s frustrating.”
“That’s why I do everything early. I don’t go to the stores in the evening because I’m afraid. I’m always looking to see if someone’s following me in my car. I’m always checking to see if I’m being tailed, which is crazy. I shouldn’t have to do that,” Gayla added. “I want change. This would be such a great place to live. When you tell people you’re from New Mexico, they say, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful there, but you have to deal with the crime.'”
