HD30 - Violent Crimes in Convenience Stores: Analysis of Crimes, Criminals and Costs

  • Published: 1993
  • Author: Department of Criminal Justice Services and Crime Prevention Center
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 149 (Regular Session, 1992)

Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution 149 (HJR 149) directed the Crime Prevention Center within the Department of Criminal Justice Services, with the cooperation of the Virginia State Crime Commission, to study the crimes, offenders and public costs associated with violent crimes in convenience stores, and "to recommend strategies to address enhanced safety and security for employees and patrons."

To achieve these tasks, a review of pertinent research, legislation and regulation was completed; a survey was sent to Virginia law enforcement agencies; local, state and national agencies were consulted; a focus group for interested criminal justice and security experts was conducted; and offender records were reviewed.

These activities produced the following findings and Recommendations:

MAJOR FINDINGS:

Correctional Costs:

• During 1991 there were 148 convictions for exclusively robbing a convenience store in Virginia;

• The 148 exclusive convenience store robbery convictions represented 17% of all 1991 convictions for robbery, while convenience store robbery accounted for only 8.4% of all robberies in Virginia;

• The median length of pre-trial confinement in jail for a convenience store robber was 105 days at a direct cost to the state of $3,150;

• It is estimated that this group of convenience store robbers spent a total of 12,600 days of pre-trial detention in jail which directly cost the state $378,000;

• The median sentence for a convicted convenience store robber was 10 years and it is estimated that each robber will serve 4-1/2 years in prison at a cost in 1991 dollars of $76,500 for the commitment;

• It is estimated that convenience store robbers convicted in 1991 will serve a total of 648 years in prison at a cost of $11 million dollars;

• Total correctional costs (jail, prison and parole) for convenience store robbers convicted in 1991 are expected to exceed $12 million dollars;

• It is estimated that the total number of offenders presently serving time in Virginia prisons for exclusively robbing a convenience store exceeds 500;

• This analysis suggests Virginia is spending between $12 million and $14 million per year for its correctional handling of offenders convicted of committing a violent crime in a convenience store; and

• A new cohort of convenience store robbers that is larger and more costly can be expected to be convicted every year if present trends continue.

Scope of Victimization:

• Robbery of convenience stores has risen 38% nationally and 51% in Virginia for the period 1985-1991;

• While over half of Virginia's localities reported no violent crimes in convenience stores for the years 1988 and 1989, 65 localities reported 1,020 violent crimes in their stores. The 1,020 crimes reported to a DCJS survey for the two-year period included:

* 6 Homicides
* 4 Abductions
* 6 Rapes
* 7 Other Sexual Assaults
* 12 Malicious Woundings
* 923 Robberies
* 62 Attempted Robberies

• For the period 1980-1988 in Virginia, 45 retail workers were murdered on the job compared to 17 law enforcement officers;

• Research indicates that one out of every 100 armed robberies will result in a homicide;

• Homicide rates established by the convenience store industry conservatively predict that Virginia will experience at least three homicides in its stores each year if levels of victimization remain the same;

• Evidence suggests there are two distinct groups of criminals victimizing convenience stores; robbers and sex offenders;

• Of the 1,020 crimes reported to DCJS:

* 69% occurred between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.;
* 88% took place while a lone clerk was on duty;
* 63% of the lone clerks were women;
* Physical force was inflicted on 129 clerks and customers;
* 27 people were shot, stabbed or sexually assaulted at the stores;

• 10 Virginia localities accounted for 65% of Virginia's convenience store robberies in 1991;

• Virginia and national studies have indicated approximately 20% of convenience stores experienced at least one violent crime during a two year period;

• Virginia and national studies have indicated 7% of convenience stores experienced multiple violent crimes during a two-year period;

• Prior robbery rate is the strongest predictor of future robbery rate; and

• The bulk of violent crimes in Virginia's convenience stores occurs at a small number of stores and is suffered by a disproportionately small number of Virginia's localities.

Indicators for Prevention Strategies:

• Research with convicted offenders suggests they employ identifiable preferences and dislikes related to security measures when selecting convenience stores as targets;

• Industry experience indicates store design and the introduction of security measures reduces rates of violent crime;

• Two clerks on duty during the third shift does seem to have an effect on reducing the robbery rate for stores that have experienced multiple robberies;

• When comparing stores with a history of being robbed, one-clerk stores were robbed at rates 1.77 to 3.6 times that of two-clerk stores during the third shift; and

• Two states have enacted statewide legislation or regulation, and several cities have adopted ordinances requiring security measures at convenience stores.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Good policy development is best achieved when there are complete, reliable and easily accessible data available. This study was severely hampered by the difficulty in centrally gathering data on a phenomenon as important and costly to taxpayers as violent crime at convenience stores.

Recommendation 1.

The implementation of the Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) system should be a high priority for state and local law enforcement agencies. Recognizing the vital importance of crime-incident data for crime analysis and policy development, the Virginia State Crime Commission should study the feasibility of accelerating the transition to IBR by state and local law enforcement agencies.

The findings in this study suggest the need for an intervention strategy tailored to the pattern of convenience store crime in Virginia. Such an intervention should focus on the demonstrated high risk of victimization experienced by some stores, incorporate security measures enumerated in prior research and legislative efforts, and provide a crime prevention approach available to the localities that are most affected by the problem, while not burdening all Virginia localities or the industry.

Recommendation 2.

The Crime Commission should continue its legislative support of crime prevention strategies that address the unique distribution of violent crimes in Virginia's convenience stores. Efforts should focus on maximizing the potential for protecting employees and customers, while not unduly burdening localities or the industry.