Jewelry crime dropped in 2023 from the prior year’s all-time high but remains at “historically high levels,” Jewelers’ Security Alliance president John Kennedy told JCK following the release of JSA’s Annual Crime Report on Tuesday.
JSA reported 1,621 crimes against U.S. jewelry firms in 2023, down 27% from 2022’s 2,211, which was the highest number the group has ever recorded. Overall losses in 2023 amounted to $133.2 million, an increase of 2.9% from $129.4 million in 2022.
“Crime has settled down a bit, but not a huge amount,” Kennedy says. “It’s getting a little better, but the industry is still dangerous.”
Safety has become a huge concern in the industry, he says.
“I’ve never seen such fear by jewelers about crime. Jewelers are more concerned about crime now than they were when things were worse. That’s partly because there’s a lot more information out there. Local news is all crime, all the time.”
The number of grab-and-runs decreased substantially (37%) during 2023. JSA attributed the drop mostly to the end of widespread mask-wearing, which made it easier for thieves to hide their faces.
While overall crime was high, the number of jewelry-related homicides stayed low. In 2023, only one jeweler—Peter Damian Arguello of Wheat Ridge, Colo.—was killed during a robbery. (Homicides have not totaled more than two annually since 2017.)
A combination of factors has kept the homicide rate down, according to Kennedy.
“Criminals are more likely to get caught earlier in their career, and jewelers are a little smarter about not resisting [during robberies],” he says. “Because of severe gun laws, a lot of criminals are not as likely to take a gun with them. They know if they get caught with a gun, it will be much worse. Even the gangs that rob on-the-road salespeople are using knives, instead of guns. Consequently, not as many people get shot.”
Kennedy, who is retiring this year after heading JSA since 1992, adds that two main takeaways from the report are: “don’t resist”—your life is more important than any piece of jewelry—and always be aware.
“Keep your eyes open for being cased. If you think you are, tell us, tell the police, write it down, and save your surveillance footage,” he says.
Among the other notable stats in JSA’s 2023 report was an increase in off-premises crimes (ones that happen away from the store or office), to 100, from 65 in 2022.
The most common time of day for robberies, according to the report, was 5 to 6 p.m., followed by a tie between 1–2 p.m. and 2–3 p.m. There was no hour during a typical workday when robberies didn’t occur, the report said..
It also said that Tuesday and Wednesday were the most active days for robberies, and Saturday was the least likely day.
By month, the largest number of 2023 jewelry-business crimes occurred in July and December; April had the fewest.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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