One of the most important issues raised by citizen groups and local communities in the growing public debate about Wal-Mart is whether or not a relationship exists between Wal-Mart stores and crime. In the last few years, anecdotal news accounts of crimes at Wal-Mart stores or parking lots, coupled with statements made by law enforcement, have raised a public concern that Wal-Mart stores may be, as one court has described it, a “magnet for crime.” The following study, titled “Is Wal-Mart Safe?,” is the first nationally available study to evaluate this important issue.
