Hunt Valley Towne Centre has seen a double-digit increase in property crime this year, police data shows.

Crime statistics obtained by FOX45 through a public information request reveal an approximately 18.3% increase in reported property incidents when comparing Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 for the years 2023 and 2024.

There was a small bump in reported robbery, burglary, and theft in the 100 block of Shawan Road in Cockeysville, the location of the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. The outdoor mall’s highest reported crime, shoplifting, increased from 130 incidents in 2023 to 154 in 2024 during the same period.

Meanwhile, credit card and ATM fraud at the shopping center surged by 700%.

Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, told FOX45 that the trends in Hunt Valley illustrate a significant issue facing the future of retail.

“Theft steadily increases year over year nationally and throughout Maryland,” Locklair said. “We know this via individual member numbers they provide to us and a yearly study by the National Retail Federation.”

Baltimore County police spokesperson Joy Lepola-Stewart wrote in an email to FOX45 that the department is collaborating closely with the shopping center’s retail partners to foster a welcoming atmosphere.

“As the data shows, the calls for service to the department are often retail-related,” Lepola-Stewart said. “Often, the shoplifters will target the anchor stores.”

Locklair said her organization’s experience is that retail theft drives additional criminal activity to neighborhood commerce centers.

“Theft is an easy way to feed many other illicit crimes including but not limited to transnational crime, gang activity, as well as drug, human, and weapons trafficking,” Locklair said.

FOX45 spent several hours on Wednesday surveying the tenants at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre.

Nine retail workers stepped outside their stores to speak with FOX45. They did so without the authority to comment on behalf of their national box store brands.

Eight of the nine workers surveyed said they noticed an increase in unattended juveniles “window shopping” in the town center this year. Five of the workers interviewed by FOX45 said they worry that bad actors can easily access the outdoor mall via the light rail station, which ends its northern route next to the property.

All of the surveyed retail workers said there has been an increased police and private security presence at the Wegmans grocery store on the west side of the mall.

None of the corporate employers of the surveyed workers responded immediately on Wednesday to requests for comments about the increase in crime at the shopping center. Workers at Wegmans referred FOX45 to their corporate office, which also did not immediately return comment requests.

Lepola-Stewart said that the Baltimore County police are working with retailers to enhance security measures.

“Patrol conducts business checks which are increased during the holiday season,” Lepola-Stewart said. “In addition, the department offers security surveys to businesses.”

The Maryland Retailers Association reports that professional criminal rings are exploiting state laws that prevent the consolidation of aggregate theft crimes across jurisdictions. The association’s president said she is worried not much will change without the Maryland General Assembly fixing known criminal law loopholes.

“Professional thieves know that the felony theft threshold in Maryland sits at $1,500, higher than almost all surrounding states,” Locklair said. “Thieves merely have to cross a county line to commit additional theft over $1,500 and will not be charged with a felony.”

“Professional theft needs to be taken seriously, and stricter laws must be enacted,” Locklair added.

FOX45 could not immediately reach the Baltimore-based commercial owner of the Hunt Valley Towne Centre on Wednesday.

Have a news tip? Contact Gary Collins at gmcollins@sbgtv.com or on X at @realgarycollins.