The New Jersey shoplifting lawyers at Proetta & Oliver are well versed at defending clients charged with shoplifting at Walmart in New Jersey. This is because not only is Walmart the largest U.S. retail store but it is probably the largest and most widespread retail/department store in New Jersey as well. Moreover, based on revenue cuts in the past, crimes at Walmart have increased drastically in recent years which hundreds of violent crimes such as kidnapping, aggravated assault and robbery incidents as well as hundreds of thousands of petty crimes such as shoplifting in Walmart stores nationwide. However, recently we have noticed a decrease in shoplifting arrests at Walmart stores in New Jersey. This is most likely due to the recent push to by Walmart to reduce crime that includes spot-checking receipts at exits, stationing employees at self-checkout areas, eye-level security cameras in high-theft areas, use of data analytics to detect credit fraud, and hiring off-duty police and loss prevention officers. Moreover, Walmart has implemented a program for most first-time offenders caught shoplifting in order for them to avoid traditional prosecution. This program is for people caught with merchandise below a certain monetary value and allows them to avoid arrest if they agree to go through a theft-prevention program. Notwithstanding, there are still dozens of Walmart shoplifters charged and prosecuted each year in New Jersey.
Walmart Shoplifting Arrests in New Jersey
Since the 1990’s Walmart has aggressively expanded into New Jersey and now vastly outnumbers other large department stores such as Sears, and Kmart. There are now dozens of Walmart and Walmart Supercenter locations throughout New Jersey with multiple stores in almost every county in New Jersey. Specifically, there are multiple Walmart stores in Middlesex County (Edison, East Brunswick, North Brunswick, Woodbridge, Piscataway and Old Bridge), Monmouth County (Neptune City, Howell, and Freehold), Hudson County (Bayonne, North Bergen, Kearny and Secaucus), Ocean County (Stafford, Lacey Township, Brick, Toms River, Little Egg Harbor), Somerset County (Watchung, Manville, and Branchburg), Morris County (Cedar Knolls, Boonton, Riverdale and Dover), Union County (Linden and Union Township), Mercer County (Hamilton, East Windsor, and West Windsor), Bergen County (Teterboro, Garfield, and Saddle Brook) and Hunterdon County (Flemington and Clinton). The above locations have seen a stark change in stricter security measures recently which has served to deter a large amount of the shoplifting crimes but there are still several defendants arrested for shoplifting at these Walmarts because the margin or chance of escaping undetected is now much lower. If you have been arrested at Walmart in New Jersey then it is important that you retain an experienced New Jersey shoplifting lawyer who can defend your rights and interests. To learn more about how we may be able to help you, contact our office at (732) 856-9959 to learn more during a free and confidential consultation.