Police calls and arrests at one Shrewsbury retailer have dropped by more than half since the removal of self-checkout lanes that were plagued by shoplifting.
Shrewsbury Police Chief Lisa Vargas told city officials on Tuesday that year-to-year police calls to the Walmart Supercenter at 7437 Watson Road are down following the store’s closure of self-checkout lanes last year. Arrests likewise have plummeted.
Walmart removed self-checkout lanes at the Shrewsbury store in April 2024, per Vargas’ report to the board. Prior to the change, many people were bagging items at the self-checkouts and then not paying, Vargas explained.
Vargas presented to the board of aldermen data comparing the time periods of January through May this year and last year. In 2024, the Shrewsbury Police Department responded to 1,915 calls, 509 of which came from Walmart. A year later, police responded to 1,662 calls, with only 183 from Walmart — a significant decrease.
Custodial arrests, in which suspects are detained and booked, also were down, Vargas continued, with her department making 160 arrests from January through May 2024, 108 of which were at Walmart. In the same period this year, Shrewsbury police made just 55 arrests, 49 of which were at Walmart.
“That’s a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,” Vargas said, noting the resulting decrease in time and resource demands on her small department.
In Other News
In other news, Shrewsbury Fire Chief Chris Amenn told the board that a transition to new inventory and incident tracking software is proceeding smoothly, with one small catch. He is struggling to input two decades of old data into the new system lest it be lost. So, the chief is turning to computer-savvy local residents for help.
“There are a few questions that I am going to need some help on, so I am going to reach out to the community,” Amenn told the board, indicating he would make his appeal via social media.
The board on Tuesday also gave first reading to a bill that will increase the term of service on the city’s volunteer citizens finance committee from two to three years. Members will continue to serve staggered terms to facilitate filling seats as people rotate on and off the committee.
Finance Director Dustin Ziebold told the board he is working to provide leaders with monthly financial reports, as has been long requested by officials. The board also adopted a policy change Ziebold suggested regarding the reporting of fixed assets such as equipment and vehicles.
Finally, Mayor Mike Travaglini said that the city has received about a dozen applications for the currently unfilled position of city administrator. The city’s deadline to apply for the position is June 18.
