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JEWELERS’ SECURITY ALLIANCE
2015 ANNUAL CRIME REPORT
Jewelers’ Security Alliance
6 East 45th Street
New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212-687-0328
Tel: 800-537-0067
Fax: 212-808-9168
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.jewelerssecurity.org
Stolen Jewelry: http://www.stolenjewelry.org
Prepared by: Scott F. Guginsky, John J. Kennedy and Ryan O. Ruddock
Published March 4, 2016
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CONTENTS:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, p. 2
PART ONE: COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES CRIME, p. 3
PART TWO: ON-PREMISES CRIME, p. 3
PART THREE: OFF-PREMISES CRIME, p. 11
Appendix A: DOLLAR LOSSES-INFLATION ADJUSTED - 15 YEAR CHART, p. 14
Appendix B: HOMICIDE CHART-JEWELERS KILLED-2000 TO 2015, p. 15
Appendix C: 2015 CRIMES AND ARRESTS BY STATE, p. 16
Appendix D: SITE OF ON-PREMISES CRIMES, p. 17
Appendix E: JSA SOURCES OF CASE INFORMATION, p. 18
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The total number of crimes* committed against U.S. jewelry firms reported to JSA
decreased from 1,381 in 2014 to 1,177 in 2015, a decrease of 14.7%.
2. The total dollar losses from crimes committed against U.S. jewelry firms decreased
from $77.8 million in 2014 to $69.3 million in 2015, a decrease of 10.9%.
3. Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there were
arrests of two major smash and grab robbery gangs in the first half of 2015. As a
result of these arrests, there were half as many smash and grab robberies in the second
half of 2015 (24) as in the first half of 2015 (48). For the full year 2015, smash and
grab robberies numbered 72 compared to 110 in 2014.
4. Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there was an
arrest of a major rooftop burglary gang. As a result of the arrest of this gang, the
number of burglaries in which the criminals entered from the roof decreased from 36
in 2014 to 19 in 2015, a decrease of 47.2%.
5. The number of jewelers killed in crimes against jewelry firms was two in 2015
compared to three in 2014, and the number of jewelers who were the victims of non-
fatal shots declined from 15 in 2014 to 3 in 2015, an 80% decline.
6. The long term decline in dollar losses from crimes against jewelry firms in the U.S.
has amounted to a 63.2% decline since 1998 in 2015 inflation adjusted dollars, and a
22.5% decline in the last five years.
*JSA Crime Definitions:
Robbery – Taking of property from a person by use of force or fear.
Burglary – Entering premises after closing with intent to commit a crime. Includes hiding in a jewelry
location, taking product and breaking out after closing
Theft – Taking of property without force or fear. Includes crimes such as check and credit card fraud,
distraction crimes, diamond switches, sneak thefts and shipping losses that present evidence of
criminal activity. The term “shoplifting” is too vague and not used to describe events in this report.
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Part One: COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES
LOSSES/EVENTS
1. DOLLAR LOSSES
CATEGORY 2015 Dollars 2014 Dollars 2013 Dollars
ON-PREMISES $54.5 mil $63.9 mil $56.3 mil
OFF-PREMISES $14.8 mil $13.9 mil $10.2 mil
Total: $69.3 mil $77.8 mil $66.5 mil
2. EVENTS CATEGORY 2015 Events 2014 Events 2013 Events
ON-PREMISES 1120 1323 1374
OFF-PREMISES 57 58 40
Total: 1177 1381 1414
From 2014 to 2015 dollar losses decreased by 10.9%, and the total number of
criminal events decreased by 14.7%.
Part Two: ON-PREMISES CRIME
This section provides statistical data regarding criminal activity that targets jewelry
locations as opposed to couriers, traveling salespersons, or retailers away from their
stores. For example, this section includes a robbery, burglary or theft committed at a
retail jewelry store, at the plant of a jewelry manufacturer or the office of a
wholesaler.
54.5
63.9
56.3
14.8 13.910.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2015 2014 2013
Do
llar
Loss
es
(Mill
ion
s)
Year
On/Off Premises Dollar Losses
On Premise Losses Off-Premise Losses
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1. TOTAL DOLLAR LOSSES - $54.5 MILLION Available data regarding all on-premises crime categories indicates a 14.7% decrease
in dollar losses, and a 15.3% decrease in criminal events in 2015 compared to 2014.
In 2015 the JSA received 1,120 on-premises crime reports compared to 1,323 reports
in 2014.
A. Dollar Losses/On-Premises Crime (in millions)
CATEGORY 2015 2014
Robbery $26.8 $34.0
Burglary $17.7 $18.7
Theft $10.0 $11.2
Total: $54.5 $63.9
B. Incident Percentage Breakdown/On-Premises Crimes
CATEGORY 2015 2014
Theft 56.5% 60.4%
Burglary 22.8% 18.4%
Robbery 20.6% 21.0%
2. ROBBERY – 38 STATES
A. Number of Robbery Events The number of robberies in 2015 decreased by 17.2% from 2014. There were 231
robberies reported to the JSA in 2015 compared to 279 in 2014. The number of
Smash and Grab robberies decreased from 110 in 2014 (20 with a gun) to 72 in 2015
(15 with a gun), which is a 34.5% decrease. In 2015 there were 57 arrests of suspects
in smash and grab cases compared to 56 arrests in 2014.
B. Robbery Dollar Losses
Robbery dollar losses decreased significantly, that is, by 21.8% compared to 2014.
Losses for 2015 were $ 26.8 million compared to $34.3 million for 2014.
C. Most Active State/Robbery – by percentage of total robberies 2015 2014
California 18.2% California 15.7%
Texas 11.3% Texas 14.6%
Florida 8.2% New York 9.0%
New York 6.5% Florida 6.1%
Note: Chart reflects the percentage of total number of on-premises robberies and
indicates that 44.2% of jewelry industry on-premises robberies were committed in
just four states. On-Premises robberies occurred in 38 States.
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D. Most Active Month/Robbery
Most Active: January (12.5% of total robbery events)
Least Active: November (5.1% of total robbery events)
Average Robberies per month: 19.2
E. Most Active Time of Day/Robbery In 2015 the greatest number of robberies occurred between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
The second most active time of the day for a robbery to occur was between 10:00
a.m. and 11:00 a.m. There was no 60 minute time period during a normal work day
when robberies did not occur.
F. Most Active Days of Week/Robbery As reported in previous years, robbery events occurred with similar frequency on
weekdays and with less frequency on weekends. Thursday was the most active day
during 2015. Sunday, when many jewelry firms are not open for business, was the
least likely day for a robbery to occur.
G. Percentage of Robbery Events With a Gun/Violence
Robbery events with violence: 2015 2014 2013
27.3% 21.9% 21%
Robbery events with a gun: 2015 2014 2013
59.3% 36.5% 65%
38 3739
45
29 29
14
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Nu
mb
er
of
Eve
nts
Days of the Week
Most Active Days of the Week - All Robberies
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There was a sharp increase in 2015 in the percentage of robberies in which robbers
displayed a gun, and an increase in violence during robberies.
H. Smash and Grab Robberies 2015
Smash and grab robbers struck mall locations most frequently, and malls had as many
smash and grab robberies as all the other types of locations combined.
Mainly due to the arrest of two major smash and grab robbery gangs in the first half
of 2015, there were only half as many smash and grab robberies in the second half of
2015 (24) as in the first half (48).
4
9
1
36
6
12
4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Dept. Store DowntonShop
FleaMarket
Mall StandAlone
StripCenter
Unknown
Eve
nts
Locations
Smash and Grab Locations 2015
11
98
78
54
6
3
7
0
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Eve
nts
Month
Smash and Grab Robberies by Month
7
Based on 59 Cases in which exact time of Smash & Grab was recorded.
3. HOMICIDE
A. Homicide Victim Categories VICTIM CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013
Retail Jeweler/Relative 2 3 5
Customer 0 0 0
Traveling Salesperson 0 0 1
Police Officer 0 0 0
Total 2 3 6
B. Near-Fatal Violent Incidents INCIDENTS 2015 2014 2013
Someone shot (not fatal) 3 15 12
Shots fired, no one hit 15 6 17
11
14 14
1112
7
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Eve
nts
Days
Smash and Grab Robberies by Day of the Week
5
11
2
6
2
4 4 43
2
13
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
10-11AM
11-12PM
12-1PM
1-2PM
2-3PM
3-4PM
4-5PM
5-6PM
6-7PM
7-8PM
8-9PM
9-10PM
Eve
nts
Time
Smash and Grab Robberies By Hour of the Day
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In 2015, three robbers were killed by jewelers during the commission of a robbery,
while in 2014, one robber was killed by a jeweler.
The number of shots fired in jewelry robberies when no one was hit more than
doubled in 2015, while the number of jewelers who were victims of non-fatal shots
declined 80% from 2014.
4. BURGLARY LOSSES - $17.7 million - 40 States
A. Dollar losses decreased. Losses were $18.7 million in 2014 compared
to $17.7 million in 2015, which is a 5.3% decrease in dollar losses. In 2015, 256
burglaries were reported to JSA compared to 244 in 2014, a 4.9% increase.
B. Safe Attacks. The frequency of safe attacks decreased by
14.2% in 2015 compared to 2014. In 2015, eighteen safe attacks occurred in 11 states
and represented 7% of the total number of burglaries against the jewelry industry.
Florida and California were the most active states for safe attacks and the average loss
for a burglary that involved a safe attack was $292K.
C. Three-Minute Burglaries (B3M) $3.9 Million Losses – 34 States
These occurrences are identified as “Three Minute Burglaries” because that is the
approximate time required to complete this crime. They are usually committed in the
middle of the night by smashing a glass front door or window of a retail
establishment, and then smashing display cases and stealing out-of-safe merchandise.
The B3M category represents approximately 48.4% of the total number of burglaries
experienced by the jewelry industry. Out of 256 burglaries reported in 2015, 124
were B3M compared to 157 in 2014, a decline of 21% Three-minute burglaries occur
only when jewelry is not secured and out of sight overnight. The average B3M in
2015 resulted in a loss of approximately $23K in jewelry, compared to $17K in 2014,
an increase of 35.3%. In addition B3Ms cause property damage, business interruption
and possible negative customer reaction.
D. (B3M) Three-Minute Burglary - Frequency by day and month -
DAY MONTH
Mon 16 Jan 9 Jul 10
Tue 21 Feb 13 Aug 14
Wed 20 Mar 10 Sep 10
Thu 22 Apr 18 Oct 8
Fri 18 May 13 Nov 4
Sat 12 Jun 13 Dec 2
Sun 15
Burglary (Not B3M) - Frequency by day and month -
DAY MONTH
Mon 12 Jan 5 Jul 10
Tue 20 Feb 6 Aug 12
Wed 21 Mar 7 Sep 26
Thu 21 Apr 10 Oct 17
Fri 19 May 5 Nov 11
Sat 23 Jun 7 Dec 16
Sun 16
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E. Most Frequent Points of Entry/All Burglaries
During high-tech burglaries that involve a safe or vault attack, entry is often gained
by cutting a hole in the roof or an adjacent unprotected wall, ceiling or floor after an
alarm system has been compromised in some manner.
ENTRY POINT 2015 2014 2013
Front Door 31% 27% 27%
Window 16% 19% 22%
Wall 7% 7% 4%
Roof 7% 14% 11%
Veh. Smash 3% 4% 4%
Security Gate 1% 1% 2%
Unknown/Other 35% 28% 30%
Note: In approximately 35% of the burglary reports received by the JSA, the point of
entry was not clearly defined, could not be confirmed, or occurred in a manner not
listed above.
F. Rooftop Burglaries: Entry through a roof.
JSA received reports of 19 rooftop burglaries from ten states in 2015 compared to 36
in 2014, a 47.2% decline. California was the most active state with five rooftop
burglaries. The majority of these burglaries resulted in large losses. Alarm systems,
often without line security, were compromised. In other cases when alarm signals
where sent, responding police units, unable to detect any obvious evidence of a break-
in during a cursory exterior inspection, and unable to conduct an internal search, left
the scene while the burglars were possibly inside, on the roof or nearby. In most of
the recent rooftop burglaries the suspects took merchandise left out in showcases
overnight.
G. Most Active States/ All Burglaries
STATE 2015 2014
California 12% 13%
New York 8% Not Listed
Florida 7% 12%
Texas 6% 7%
North Carolina 6% 7%
Georgia 5% 4%
Note: Chart reflects percentage of the total number of burglaries and indicates that
approximately 44% of the total number of burglaries in the United States occurred in
just six states.
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5. THEFT: $10 MILLION IN LOSSES (633 CRIMES) IN 2015 vs. $11.2
MILLION IN LOSSES (800 CRIMES) IN 2014.
A. Frequent Theft Methods CATEGORY EVENTS AVERAGE LOSS
Grab & Run 301 $7,156
Sneak Theft 94 $21,349
Distraction 70 $29,179
Credit Card & Payment
Fraud
64 $13,950
Switches 27 $10,001
Internal Theft 14 $36,754
Cut/Lift Glass 11 $13,339
Pick & Key 5 $6,800
Grab and run losses reported in 40 States.
In 2015, there were 301 grab and run crimes reported to the JSA, compared to 337 in
2014. Approximately 47% of all thefts reported to the JSA in 2015 were grab and run
events. Police arrested and charged 59 suspects in connection with grab and run
events in 2015, in which several suspects had committed multiple grab and runs.
A grab and run can result in a significant dollar loss, and one grab and run in TX
resulted in a loss of $59,000 in jewelry merchandise. Note: 17.2% of all grab and run
crimes reported to JSA resulted in arrests by law enforcement.
B. Theft - Grab and run -Frequency by Hour of the Day –
Based on 220 cases reported to JSA in 2015 in which the exact time of the loss was reported.
1 2
912 12
18 19
28
22 23 22
18
30
30 1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
8 - 9am
9 - 10am
10 -11am
11 -noon
12 - 1pm
1 - 2pm
2 - 3pm
3 - 4pm
4 - 5pm
5 - 6pm
6 - 7pm
7 - 8pm
8 - 9pm
9 - 10pm
10 -11pm
11 -12
night
Eve
nts
Time
Grab and run Thefts By Hour of the Day
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C. Theft - Grab and run - Frequency by day and month–
DAYS MONTH
Mon 48 Jan 31 Jul 22
Tue 65 Feb 18 Aug 27
Wed 32 Mar 16 Sep 30
Thu 43 Apr 23 Oct 28
Fri 42 May 19 Nov 30
Sat 39 Jun 38 Dec 19
Sun 32
PART THREE: OFF-PREMISES CRIMES
This section provides statistical data regarding criminal attacks occurring away from
the victim’s business base of operations. For example, attacks against traveling
jewelry salespersons, trunk and remount show operators, couriers, firms exhibiting at
jewelry shows, retailers attacked away from their place of business, including at
home, and other industry members traveling with jewelry.
1. OFF-PREMISES DOLLAR LOSSES - $14.8 MILLION – 16 States
Dollar losses increased 6.4% during 2015 and the number of criminal events
decreased by 1.7%. This report compared 57 cases from 2015 to 58 cases reported to
JSA in 2014. Off-Premise crimes were reported during all calendar months for 2015
with December the most prevalent month for off-premise crimes (8). In 2015, a total
of 42 crimes involved a traveling salesman which was 73% of all off-premise crimes
in 2015.
A. Off-Premises Dollar Losses By Crime Category
B. Percentage of Total Off-Premises Events By Crime Category
CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013
Robbery 82.5% 62.1% 70%
Theft 14.0% 34.5% 27.5%
Burglary 3.5% 3.4% 2.5%
CRIME CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013
Robbery $13.6 million $11.7 million $8.7 million
Theft $1.1 million $2.2 million $1.48 million
Burglary $108K $22K $55K
Total $14.8 million $13.9 million $10.2 million
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2. OFF-PREMISES ROBBERIES
A. Violence
There were 47 off-premises robberies in 2015, including traveling jewelry
salespersons, retailers and couriers, which is up 30.5% compared to 2014. In 33% of
all the off-premises crimes (19 out of 57) reported to JSA in 2015, a victim was
physically assaulted, usually in response to some level of resistance on the part of the
victim. A gun was displayed in 13 of the robberies and a knife was displayed during
10 incidents.
B. Trunk/Remount Shows
In 2015 the JSA received three reports regarding Trunk/Remount show losses.
3. OFF-PREMIESES THEFT - $1.1 MILLION IN LOSSES
There were eight off premises thefts in 2015. Seven out of the eight thefts were from
unattended vehicles. Unless special insurance riders have been purchased, this type of
loss is not generally covered by insurance.
A. Off-Premises Theft Dollar Losses 2015 2014 2013
$1.1 million $2.2 million $1.48 million
4. MOST FREQUENT CRIME SCENES
CRIME SCENE 2015 2014 2013
Parking lots 43% 16% 13%
Highways/Street 19% 21% 13%
Residence 7% 12% 18%
Show related 5% 14% 5%
Hotel/Motel 3% 5% 15%
Airports 3% 0% 3%
Restaurants 1% 2% 8%
Gas Stations 0% 5% 3%
In 2015 Parking Lots were the most common place of occurrence for off premises
attacks, at 43%, and highway/street was second, at 19%.
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5. SUSPECT PROFILE
In the great majority of off-premises losses reported to the JSA, in which suspect
descriptions were provided or arrests made, male and female Hispanic suspects were
indicated. Based on law enforcement reports, the majority of those arrested were
found to be from Colombia and residing in the U.S. illegally. Local and Federal law
enforcement agencies have confirmed the existence of organized criminal groups
identified as South American Theft/Robbery Gangs (SATG), that target the jewelry
industry. SATG are also operating in Canada and throughout the world, including at
major jewelry trade shows, and are involved in major criminal activities related to
organized retail theft and other non-jewelry related crime.
6. MOST ACTIVE STATES - 21 States (2015 - 15 States)
States with losses: CA, FL, IL, IN, MD, NY, VA GA, MI
CO, PA, TX, WA, ID, TN.
A. Most Active States for Off-Premises Losses
Percentages shown reflect the percentage of the total number of off-premises losses.
The information provided in this chart demonstrates that 72% of all off-premises
losses occurred in just four states during 2015.The increases in Texas and Florida
demonstrate that one or two active gangs operating in an area can greatly change the
percentages in any given year.
In 1999 the U.S. diamond, jewelry and watch industry experienced 323 off-premises
losses, overwhelmingly of traveling jewelry salespersons and trunk show personnel.
Since then there has been a steady decline in this category of crime. In 2015 JSA
received just 57 reports of such crimes. Important contributing factors regarding this
reduction are the dedicated interest by law enforcement, particularly the FBI in
cooperation with local law enforcement agencies; the greatly reduced number of
traveling jewelry salespeople on the road due to the changing methods of jewelry
distribution and sales; and the greater education and information sharing regarding
crime prevention.
STATES 2015 STATES 2014
1. Texas 28.1% 1. California 34.4%
2. Florida 21.1% 2. New York 10.3%
3. California 17.5% 3. Florida 6.9%
4. Illinois 5.3% 4. Nevada 6.9%
Total 72.0% Total 58.5%
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Appendix A
U.S. JEWELRY INDUSTRY CRIME LOSSES
1998 THROUGH 2015
LOSSES STATED IN 2015 INFLATION ADJUSTED DOLLARS
In 2015 inflation adjusted dollars, crime losses by jewelry firms in the U.S. have
decreased 63.2% between 1998 and 2015, from $188.23 million to $69.3 million.
YEAR LOSSES STATED IN 2015 DOLLARS
1998 $188.23 million
1999 $193.39 million
2000 $162.28 million
2001 $164.21 million
2002 $166.00 million
2003 $171.06 million
2004 $136.22 million
2005 $134.70 million
2006 $123.81 million
2007 $110.49 million
2008 $113.41 million
2009 $107.45 million
2010 $87.41 million
2011 $89.51 million
2012 $61.86 million
2013 $67.66 million
2014 $77.89 million
2015 $69.30 million
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Appendix B
JEWELRY INDUSTRY PERSONNEL KILLED
DURING ROBBERY EVENTS, 1995-2015.
1615
11
8
10
3
6
12
9
2
4
21
23
4
7
2
6
32
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
De
ath
s
Years
Jewelry Industry Personnel killed During Robbery Events
Year Deaths
1995 16
1996 15
1997 11
1998 8
1999 10
2000 3
2001 6
2002 12
2003 9
2004 2
2005 4
Year Deaths
2006 2
2007 1
2008 2
2009 3
2010 4
2011 7
2012 2
2013 6
2014 3
2015 2
Total 128
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Appendix C
COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES 2015 CRIMES AND ARRESTS BY STATE
All crime categories, robbery, burglary and theft, on-premises and off-premises, were
included in the preparation of this chart. “Arrests” refers to the number of persons
arrested during 2015.
California, the state with the most crimes in 2015, also has the most jewelry retail
locations, and has traditionally led the U.S. in jewelry crime.
No reports of jewelry crimes were reported to the JSA from the states of North
Dakota, Hawaii, Wyoming or from the District of Columbia.
The number of crimes in the six states with the most crimes (CA, FL, NC, KY, TX,
PA), which are also states that have the largest populations and the largest number of
jewelry stores, was 45.7% in 2015. These six states also had 48.1% of the arrests.
State AL AR AK AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI
Crimes 19 7 2 23 133 17 8 0 4 86 46 0
Arrests 4 4 0 2 74 11 8 0 0 20 10 0
State IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN
Crimes 1 2 33 10 11 17 12 39 25 2 19 26
Arrests 0 2 9 8 4 4 5 18 11 1 6 23
State MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH
Crimes 13 7 1 54 0 4 5 45 5 12 97 44
Arrests 5 1 1 24 0 2 3 9 3 4 46 17
State OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA
Crimes 23 25 52 4 42 1 21 116 3 7 19 25
Arrests 6 7 22 2 11 0 9 26 1 0 1 11
State WI WV WY
Crimes 5 5 0
Arrests 4 2 0
TOTAL 2015 CRIMES: 1,177 (Crimes in 2014 – 1,381)
TOTAL 2015 ARRESTS: 441 (Arrests in 2014 – 694)
17
Appendix D
Site of On–Premises Crimes 2015
Location Robbery Burglary Thefts
Mall 97 77 422
Strip Center 52 64 64
Downtown/ Center
City
43 33 71
Stand Alone 22 50 39
Flea Market 4 3 1
Antiques Store 2 4 1
Unknown 11 25 35
Malls and strip centers have far more crime losses than all the other types of sites
combined.
On-Premises Crimes Reported to JSA
Chains vs. Independent Jewelers
CRIME CATEGORY &
STORE TYPE
2015 2014
Burglary in
Multi Branch, Retail Chains
& Dept. Stores
21.3% 21.7%
Burglary in
Independent Jewelers
78.7% 78.3%
Robbery in
Multi Branch, Retail Chains
& Dept. Stores
39.3% 36.2%
Robbery in
Independent Jewelers
60.7% 63.8%
Theft in
Multi Branch, Retail Chains
& Dept. Stores
66.5% 59.6%
Theft in
Independent Jewelers
33.5% 40.4%
18
Appendix E
JSA Sources of Case Information
JSA Membership (over 20,000 retail, wholesale and manufacturing jewelry locations.)
Local jeweler crime prevention networks
JSA law enforcement information sharing network
Jewelry retail chains information sharing network
Non-member crime victims
Associate trades: alarms, safes, private security, etc.
Insurance companies, insurance brokers and adjusters
Media, trade publications and online sources.
The statistics provided in this report are based solely on case specific information
obtained by the JSA. Only information that in the opinion of the JSA is credible, and
can be verified in some way as to its accuracy, is used in the compilation of these
statistics. Extremely large and/or suspect dollar amounts may not be included in some
calculations to prevent skewing. The loss values reported should be considered
conservative, and may be greater than indicated. JSA seeks to use loss values at cost,
not retail value, and no values from past years are adjusted for inflation unless
specified.
It is not possible for the JSA to obtain information on every jewelry industry crime
which occurs in the United States for several reasons, not limited to the fact that many
go unreported, even to the police. However, the JSA database is the largest, most
complete and accurate in existence. It is the opinion of the JSA staff that information
pertaining to additional criminal events would not have a significant effect on the
dollars or percentages derived from existing information.