Reported crimes at Kenwood Towne Centre rise during holiday shopping season
Criminal justice expert weighs in on shoplifting at brick-and-mortar stores
According to crime data stated in an msn.com article, the most reported crime at Kenwood Towne Centre is theft with 584 incidents since 2021; and the biggest spikes occur from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
“People don’t want to come to malls if they feel like they may be in danger, and so crime is an issue,” crime researcher Cory Haberman said in the article which was syndicated from a Fox 19 news segment.
Haberman, an associate professor of criminal justice, is the director of the Institute of Crime Science in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati.
While the segment points out that for various reasons many brick-and-mortar stores across the country have shuttered, the town centre has managed to stay afloat; and appears to be thriving this holiday season.
But it has not been without its retail theft woes.
In 2022, a group of robbers entered one of the luxury flagship stores and stole $100,000 in merchandise.
Although the segment states that the mall itself reports crime there as down, several theories apply to why retail crime has been trending up across the board, says Haberman.
One theory is the financial instability that occurred during the COVID–19 pandemic, he said.
Featured image by iStock photo/FreshSplash.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Mentors help shape the next generation of UC leaders
March 19, 2026
PeerLead connects incoming graduate students with experienced peers, fostering community, supporting student success and developing leadership skills across the University of Cincinnati.
Pediatric visits can encourage parents to quit smoking
March 18, 2026
Medscape turns to UC human services Professor Ashley Merianos for expert opinion about using pediatric visits to encourage parents to quit smoking.
Coding without code: How vibe coding rewrites the rules
March 17, 2026
Vibe coding allows beginners to build sophisticated web applications with zero coding skills. Discover how vibe coding can simplify workflows and drastically boost productivity.