States Note Pharmacy Robberies Increasing
Posted on September 25, 2010Any increase in the drug problem is likely to have far-reaching consequences. One of those consequences is the rise in the number of pharmacies that are burglarized throughout the world. As prescription drugs are becoming one of the biggest drug problems, pharmacies continue to be a target for addicts.
A recent Times Daily report focused on an Associated Press piece that cited crimes involving pharmacies are continuing to increase. In Ohio in 2007, there were 32 armed robberies involving pharmacies. That number jumped to 68 in 2008. In Oklahoma, the 2007 number was one, yet the number jumped to 12 in 2008 and 19 in 2009.
Crimes are also on the rise in Alabama pharmacies. According to Jim Henderson, Fultondale Police Officer and vice president of the Alabama Narcotic Officer’s Association, a pharmacy burglary in the spring found the burglars heading straight to the pain pills.
There are no official numbers on how many pharmacies are robbed each year throughout the nation as the federal government does not track such crimes. The federal government may want to re-think how they perceive this problem as it is now on the streets with prescription pain pills selling for as much as $60 a piece.
In Alabama, officers are starting to take more notice and will patrol the streets surrounding pharmacies. If a pharmacist has to work after hours, an officer will make himself available to walk out with him.
Even with extra precautions, the pharmacies are still targets. In one situation, a pharmacy was robbed twice in the same month by the same person. As long as these individuals can get away with it and the substance they need is simply behind the counter, these crimes are likely to continue.
