STEPHENVILLE, Texas — After several recent high-profile retail crimes, colloquially known as flash robberies, the Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice issued a brief report. IPAC reviewed a number of sources to gain a better understanding.  

Dr. Alex del Carmen, Associate Dean of the Tarleton State University College of Liberal and Fine Arts and the founder and director of IPAC, said that the increase of flash robberies on the national stage poses a threat to both public safety and the economy. 

“Our brief report takes a look at this troubling trend, its causes and some recommendations that could mitigate future flash robberies. Since the DFW Metroplex is among the top 10 areas directly affected by flash robberies, we felt compelled to offer some thoughtful reflection on the topic.”

Several significant findings emerged. 

• Social impact. Flash robberies are eroding the feeling of safety in public places. 
• Economic impact. The retail industry estimates that $94 billion in merchandise was lost in 2022 to retail theft. More than 80 percent of retailers surveyed reported a marked increase in organized retail crime. 
• Contributing factors. These include difficulty recruiting and retaining police officers, bad actors using social media to coordinate criminal activity, reduced criminal penalties, the lack of a central data collection point to track flash robberies, and the proliferation of masks, intended during the pandemic to slow disease transmission but now being used to conceal identities.  

The report suggests steps in four big areas to reduce future incidents.  

• Local government. Should work to attract quality police applicants and approve reasonable budgets to provide the resources to address these concerns.  
• Lawmakers. Legislation should specifically target flash robberies.  
• Prosecutors. District attorneys should build within their prosecutorial decision matrix appropriate calculus to address this unique threat.
• Data collection. A national database should be developed to identify and track the incidence of flash robberies, to help legislators, police and researchers gain a better understanding.   

The full report is available at https://web.tarleton.edu/ipac/.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.