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Police in Burbank are trying to reassure the public that shopping at the sprawling Burbank Empire Center is safe despite a dramatic rise in retail thefts.
According to data cited by myburbank.com, 62% of all retail theft reports in the city of Burbank in 2023 occurred at the Empire Center, which is home to more than a dozen major chain stores, including Costco, Target, Best Buy, Sephora, Lowe’s and Nordstrom Rack.
Retail theft reports more than doubled from 397 in 2022 to 866 in 2023.
Burbank 2023 Retail Theft Reports (Empire Center in bold):
Target – 349 Walmart – 177 Nordstrom Rack – 144 Macy’s – 111 Costco – 84 Target (Hollywood Way) – 63 Sephora – 26 Ulta – 24 Marshalls – 22 Ralphs (1100 San Fernando Blvd) – 22
The city’s police department, however, says that just because crime reports are up doesn’t necessarily mean thieves are getting away with it.
“What I want people to know is… a lot of those retail crimes we’re seeing, there’s an arrest that comes with that,” Capt. Adam Cornils told KTLA 5’s Kareen Wynter. “Most of the time, we’re seeing those reports because loss prevention is doing their job, and they’re contacting us, and we’re doing our job.”
Overall crime in Burbank declined by 1% from 2022 to 2023, while crime in the Empire Center increased by 27%, including retail theft, motor vehicle theft and burglaries.
“I want the public to know that regardless of what the numbers are, we’re going to keep doing our job to keep them safe,” said Cornils.
Police are asking Empire Center shoppers to be aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity.