Investigation: Walmarts Abuse Local Police Force Resources

Zachary T. Sampson, Laura C. Morel, and Eli Murray summarize the results of an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times: "Law enforcement logged nearly 16,800 calls in one year to Walmarts in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties…" Do that math and that equals "two calls an hour, every hour, every day."

The problem with all those calls placed to the cops: it's costing taxpayer's money, at the expense of public safety in other parts of those communities, at a much higher rate than other retail centers.

When it comes to calling the cops, Walmart is such an outlier compared with its competitors that experts criticized the corporate giant for shifting too much of its security burden onto taxpayers. Several local law enforcement officers also emphasized that all the hours spent at Walmart cut into how often they can patrol other neighborhoods and prevent other crimes.

The article offers a feature-length examination of the Times analysis of thousands of records and dozens of interviews, investigating the impact on local policing of 53 Walmarts in the Tampa region. Tons of statistics and expert commentary on the findings are included.