zacksampson

The commitment to watchdog journalism at the Times is unwavering. Despite cutbacks, the paper still places a premium on getting high-value work done. This is a perfect example. Both Laura and I were given ample time away from our beats without shame. The philosophy is that if the story is good enough, we'll find a way.

Good questions. The sheer size of Walmart's customer base definitely matters. A company spokesman said that high foot traffic leads to more potential for crime. Experts said while that may be true, it does not absolve Walmart from the need to keep its house in order, so to speak. There's an expectation that they do as much as possible to prevent crime/disorder before calling police. As to demographics, there really wasn't any evidence of minorities being targeted. Not all PDs provided us with race or gender breakdowns, but for those that did, we saw a 50/50 split between men and women. Eli is pulling some more of that data now, hold tight!

TK is garble for "to come." Something about arrests that would be readable but that we had not yet come up with

Same thing in Amherst, NH. http://www.amherstnh.gov/police-department/pages/apd-field-office-walmart

We talked to the chief there. He said he thinks it has helped.

Diversion programs are another interesting effort. There is one being tested out locally called Turning Point Justice, mentioned briefly in the story. They often focus on shoplifting. Sometimes they're just on the judicial end, post-arrest. But there are other efforts and discussions building around diversion before an officer even makes a formal arrest.