Lego Lockup: Thefts of the popular toy leads to price impact

DAYTON — It’s a problem that cost American businesses and their customers $1.5 billion last year.

News Center 7′s Mike Campbell went looking for answers to a phenomenon that the National Retail Federation says is out of control.

The NRF said any losses that chain stores especially suffer are passed on to customers every time.

Campbell’s investigation found that thieves are now going far beyond the usual targets of high-end electronics, expensive perfumes, and heavy-duty machinery.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

TRENDING STORIES:

Stores are now being forced to lock up items like medications and toothpaste, even popular toys such as Legos.

Campbell uncovered multiple thefts of Lego sets at retailers in Kettering, Sugarcreek Township, and Centerville.

One incident at the Kettering Meijer in May led to an officer trying to tase a man running from the store with grocery bags filled with stolen Legos. And investigators told Campbell it was not an isolated event.

Kettering Detective Sgt. Vincent Mason said, “Yeah, that’s correct. Just because some of the bigger sets are very expensive and they do bring a high-dollar value.”

Mason told News Center 7 that many of the thieves are bold with Lego thefts because “They’re pretty big at least the bigger dollar ones. People just walked out the front door with,”

According to Mason, his department’s investigators see stolen Legos on sale, online as thieves try to make a quick buck.

Kettering Police said thieves sell stolen Lego sets on Amazon and other sites, but they also sell them to pawn shops as well.

Officers are working with both groups to make it much tougher to re-sell without leaving lots of information to help police track down stolen goods and thieves.

We’ve learned that a Dayton-area Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, and Target stores have all been hit by Lego thieves.

The Dayton Brick Shop, a mom-and-pop Lego store in Kettering has also been targeted several times. The owner, Nick O’Donnell, told News Center 7 “We do purchase Legos from people, and we sell Lego.”

O’Donnell shared surveillance video of one thief who hit his store in May. A man using a ball cap and a medical mask to hide his identity walked in and to a large Lego set. He then walked back out of the store, damaging, and brushing aside an employee.

“We lost a $650 set. I don’t care about the set. I care about the safety of my customers and the kids who were here,” O’Donnell said.

He continued saying the constant stress of potential thefts is frustrating and disgusting. Many local police agencies have seen so many problems. They put the thieves on social media.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office showed surveillance photos of a man they called the Lego Bandit on Facebook and got help identifying him to make an arrest.

The National Retail Federation did its annual security survey and said retail theft is growing and becoming more violent.

The organization’s Vice President for Asset Protection, David Johnston, said “88% of our retailers reported shoplifters overall are somewhat or much more aggressive and violent compared to one year ago,”

Johnston helped conduct the survey and said the NRF found that overwhelming losses from theft are forcing stories to put more things under lock and key. Almost 30% of chain stores have closed locations due to thefts and 45% have reduced operating hours.

News Center 7 checked several local stores to see their responses to the rise in Lego thefts. The Butler County Kroger store that was targeted by the Lego Bandit hadn’t changed anything protection-wise.

However, News Center 7 saw several local Meijer and Target stores have begun to place anti-theft wrapping on high-dollar items. And Walmart stores are putting more merchandise behind glass and locked down.

But not everyone can do that. O’Donnell said, “That would be a huge expense for us,” He said he estimated it would cost $50,000 to retrofit his shelving and put stock under local and key at his store.

It’s not possible financially and not the message he wants to send. “We enjoy that customers come in, look around, relax, and have a nice experience,” O’Donnell said.

News Center 7′s Washington, D.C. Bureau learned that a number of lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are sponsoring a bill to fight organized retail crime.

The proposed law would create a Department of Homeland Security Center dedicated to coordinating efforts to stop retail crime.

So far, 32 states have passed laws to toughen organized retail crime. Federal law enforcement agencies estimated that retail crime drives up prices so much it forces the average American family to pay an extra $500 a year in costs.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]