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Kudos to the JSA!
March 29, 2007
In an industry where complaining can pass for the local language, we’re happy to report some very good news. The Jewelers Security Alliance just released its 2006 crime statistics, and it’s excellent news indeed: Jewelry crime is at stunning lows. Crimes against traveling salespeople—which at one point were scaring talented people out of our industry—have dropped to their lowest number since the 1990s.
JSA president John Kennedy—a fine gentleman—even points out there hasn't been one jewelry-related homicide in the last twelve months, which is both virtually unheard of and a reason to celebrate. The year he started at JSA, he notes, there were 37 jewelry-related homicides. Most of today’s crimes against jewelers are grab-and-runs and three-minute-burglaries. A bit of less-good news: grab-and-runs have, in fact, dramatically increased. But while no crime is good, if you’ve got to have any crime at all, non-violent crime sure beats stick-ups, robberies, and murders.
I remember an incident some years ago when a designer friend of mine was doing a trunk show at one of the jewelry stores in the King of Prussia mall. I went to the event, and he and I had plans to go grab a beer afterward. At the end of the evening, I offered to help him pack up his line. He said, “No, I want you to leave. I don’t want you walking out with me, because if someone jumps me, I don’t want them to hurt you, too.” I gave him directions to his hotel and agreed to meet him in the lobby after he’d had a chance to vault the line in the hotel’s safe-deposit box. It was a sobering reminder to me of the kind of danger traveling reps and designers face every day.
We at JCK would like to give Kennedy and his team a huge round of congratulations. None of this would have been possible without their hard work; they’ve done a great job in getting law enforcement interested in the jewelry industry (in a good way!), as well as encouraging information sharing.
We also extend hearty thanks and a big round of applause to all the retailers, suppliers, and traveling salespeople who help the JSA achieve its mission by being careful, vigilant, and always cognizant of the need for sound security practices.
Well done, guys! You should be proud. Let's hope the trend continues.
Posted by Hedda Schupak on March 29, 2007 | Comments (0)
