JSA: Jewelry crimes up 16.6 percent in 2008

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JSA: Jewelry crimes up 16.6 percent in 2008

March 16, 2009

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New York--The total number of jewelry industry crimes increased 16.6 percent last year, with total dollar losses of $103.5 million, according to the Jewelers' Security Alliance (JSA) 2008 Annual Crime Report.

The report, which breaks down the 1,505 crimes reported to the JSA for 2008 by state, lists California as experiencing the highest number of crime incidents, at 259 crimes, followed by Florida (156), Texas (125) and New York (87). There were 425 arrests of criminals involved in the 1,505 crimes, down slightly from 446 arrests in 2007, according to the report, released on Friday.

A decade ago, an average of 10 to 15 jewelers were killed each year during robberies. That number has steadily declined to the point where two jewelers were killed in the United States in 2008. According to the report, in addition to the two fatalities of industry people--a retail jeweler and a traveling jewelry salesperson--eight criminals were killed (five were shot and killed by jewelers and three by police), while one customer was also killed in 2008 during a robbery in Grand Haven, Mich.

Grab-and-run crimes reported one of the largest increases in any category, increasing 49 percent in 2008 to a total of 362 reported cases.

"The popular wisdom is that crime will rise when economic times are tough, however history has shown that the incidence of crime against the jewelry industry is more complicated than that," JSA President John Kennedy said in the release. "It is extraordinarily rare, for example, for someone who has lost their job or had their house foreclosed to commit an armed robbery of a jewelry store."

Almost all the major crimes against the jewelry industry, including armed robberies, safe burglaries and attacks on traveling salespersons, are committed by organized professional gangs that are not motivated by changes in the economy, Kennedy added.

"The number of these crimes fluctuates, but the totals over many years do not show a close correlation with economic conditions," he said in the release. "However, the lower dollar crimes against the industry, such as grab-and-runs, can more often be committed by amateurs, and the JSA is seeing a sharp increase in this type of crime."

In terms of dollar losses, the $103.5 million in losses included $60.6 million in on-premises losses and $42.9 million in off-premises losses, up from $57.6 million and $39.5 million, respectively, the previous year.

The largest burglary loss was $1.5 million, which happened after burglars cut a hole in the roof of a jewelry store in Attleboro, Mass., and made off with a 700-pound safe that contained jewelry and valuable New York Giant Super Bowl rings. Police made three arrests and recovered the rings and other property.

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