Boston: After sharp spike in shoplifting arrests, city councilor calls for more enforcement

[DefiantMassRINO]

Why do bad things happen in Blue cities?  The predictable has happened ...

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/12/23/after-sharp-spike-in-shoplifting-arrests-city-councilor-calls-for-more-enforcement/
After sharp spike in shoplifting arrests, city councilor calls for more enforcement
In 2025, shoplifting arrests in Boston rose by 261% compared to the five-year average.

By Ross Cristantiello   
December 23, 2025 | 1:23 PM

This year, law enforcement officials in Boston put a greater emphasis on retail theft enforcement, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of shoplifting arrests. But as officials tout those year-end statistics, a City Council member is publicly calling for the police to step up enforcement efforts even more.

In 2025, shoplifting arrests were up 261% compared to the five-year average, officials said at a community meeting focused entirely on retail theft that was held at the beginning of December.  There was a 113% increase in overall retail theft arrests this year compared to last, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said at a press conference last week. ...

... (Councilor) Flynn said that the lightening of shoplifting penalties has “encouraged repeat offenders and sophisticated criminals.” He also called attention to policy changes the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office enacted under previous leadership in 2019, where prosecutors were directed not to prosecute certain nonviolent crimes like shoplifting. ...

[DB]

Arrests do little if the DA lets them off easy.