Wal-Mart representatives say they will meet with Lehigh Valley elected officials and police to iron out safety measures.
Wal-Mart officials plan to discuss the retailer's security procedures with Lehigh Valley elected officials and law enforcement in coming weeks, a spokeswoman for the retail giant said.
The move comes after the Colonial Regional police chief raised concerns his department is responding to too many of the retailer's calls. On Friday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey sent a letter to Wal-Mart CEO and President Doug McMillon stating change is needed in the retailer's internal security protocol.
From April 2015 to April 2016, Colonial Regional police officers responded to 296 calls at Wal-Mart alone. That's an average of at least one call a day for retail theft. Out of 555 total arrests in 2015, Police Chief Roy Seiple said 187 of those arrests were for retail theft.
Casey, D-Pa., said in the letter the significant volume of calls from Wal-Mart stores raises serious questions about whether the company's current security infrastructure effectively deters crime without overburdening local police departments, many of which already operate on stretched budgets.
Seiple said the calls have become draining to taxpayers and manpower, taking officers away from combating other crime.
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Erica Jones, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said representatives for the retailer want to meet with local officials and police in an effort to "make investments and deploy the right processes and procedures needed to meet our customer and associate expectations of a safe and enjoyable shopping experience."
Jones said the company already has invested in robust technology and crime prevention efforts while also working with law enforcement and security professionals in other areas.
She credited the store's "More at the Door" program in bolstering additional safety measures.
The pilot program launched in stores last year moved greeters to the front door and created a new position, "customer host," an employee who greets and is responsible for checking receipts when appropriate to deter shoplifting. The employees also make sure the store entrances are clean and safe, Jones said.
The program resulted in reducing police calls by 40 percent in a six-month span when employees in Arlington, Texas, began checking receipts, reported Kevin Kolbye, assistant chief of the Arlington Police Department.
The store brought back the "More at the Door" program earlier this month and plans to hire 9,000 people nationally for the new "customer host" position.
"No level of criminal activity is acceptable in our stores," Jones said.
Pohatcong Township also reported a dip in calls after passing two ordinances related to police presence at large corporations. One required operators of large shopping centers to hire a uniformed security officer to patrol the centers, starting one hour before opening until one hour after closing. The other charges businesses that call for police assistance more than 10 times a month or demand an officer respond to a shoplifting incident that doesn't result in an arrest.
Pohatcong Police Chief Jeffrey S. Greenemeir said calls are down with 140 incidents in 2015 compared with just 32 since January 2016.
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Jones, however, agrees more can be done to lessen calls in Lower Nazareth Township and other areas with high volume.
"We are confident in the work done so far," she said. "But we know we can do better, and we will."
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.