Problem-Specific Guides Series

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

No. 73

Robbery of 

Pharmacies

Nancy La Vigne

and Julie Wartell

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police

Problem-Specific Guides Series

No. 73 

Robbery of Pharmacies

Nancy La Vigne and Julie Wartell

This project was supported by cooperative agreement #2011-CK-WX-K019 awarded by 

the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The 

opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent 

the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to 

specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement 

of the product by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references 

are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues. 

The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. 

Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS 

Office can vouch for their current validity.

Recommended citation:

LaVigne, Nancy, and Julie Wartell. 2015. Robbery of Pharmacies. Problem-Oriented Guides 

for Police, Problem-Specific Guide No. 73. Washington, DC: Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services.

© 2015 Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, Inc. The U.S. Department of Justice 

reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or 

otherwise use, and authorize others to use, this publication for Federal Government 

purposes. This publication may be freely distributed and used for noncommercial and 

educational purposes.

ISBN: 978-1-932582-29-1

Published 2015

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Contents

Contents

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Problem of Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What This Guide Does and Does Not Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

General Description of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Harms Caused by Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Factors Contributing to Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Misuse of Prescription Drugs and Opioid Use Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Other Illicit Crime and Drug Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Pharmacy Management Practices and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Understanding Your Local Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Asking the Right Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Offenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Locations/Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Current Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Capturing and Analyzing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

National Data Sources with State, Regional, and/or Local Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

State Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Local Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Measuring Your Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Process Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Outcome Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

General Considerations for an Effective Response Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Specific Responses to Reduce Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Increasing the Risk of Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Increasing the Effort Required to Commit Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Decreasing Susceptibility to Robberies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Responses with Limited Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Appendix: Summary of Responses to Pharmacy Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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Robbery of Pharmacies

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Problem-Specific Guides Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Response Guides Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Problem-Solving Tools Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Special Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Upcoming Problem-Oriented Guides for Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Center for Problem-Oriented Policing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
| 1 |

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series

The Problem-Specific Guides summarize knowledge about how police can reduce the 

harm caused by specific crime and disorder problems. They are guides to prevention and 

to improving the overall response to incidents, not to investigating offenses or handling 

specific incidents. Neither do they cover all of the technical details about how to implement 

specific responses. The guides are written for police—of whatever rank or assignment—

who must address the specific problem the guides cover. The guides will be most useful to 

officers who:

•	 Understand basic problem-oriented policing principles and methods. The 

guides are not primers in problem-oriented policing. They deal only briefly with the 

initial decision to focus on a particular problem, methods to analyze the problem, 

and means to assess the results of a problem-oriented policing project. They are 

designed to help police decide how best to analyze and address a problem they 

have already identified. (A companion series of Problem-Solving Tools guides has 

been produced to aid in various aspects of problem analysis and assessment.)

•	 Can look at a problem in depth. Depending on the complexity of the problem, 

you should be prepared to spend perhaps weeks, or even months, analyzing and 

responding to it. Carefully studying a problem before responding helps you 

design the right strategy, one that is most likely to work in your community. 

You should not blindly adopt the responses others have used; you must decide 

whether they are appropriate to your local situation. What is true in one place 

may not be true elsewhere; what works in one place may not work everywhere.

•	 Are willing to consider new ways of doing police business. The guides describe 

responses that other police departments have used or that researchers have tested. 

While not all of these responses will be appropriate to your particular problem, they 

should help give a broader view of the kinds of things you could do. You may think 

you cannot implement some of these responses in your jurisdiction, but perhaps you 

can. In many places, when police have discovered a more effective response, they 

have succeeded in having laws and policies changed, improving the response to the 

problem. (A companion series of Response Guides has been produced to help you 

understand how commonly-used police responses work on a variety of problems.) 
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Robbery of Pharmacies

•	 Understand the value and the limits of research knowledge. For some types 

of problems, a lot of useful research is available to the police; for other problems, 

little is available. Accordingly, some guides in this series summarize existing research 

whereas other guides illustrate the need for more research on that particular problem. 

Regardless, research has not provided definitive answers to all the questions you 

might have about the problem. The research may help get you started in designing 

your own responses, but it cannot tell you exactly what to do. This will depend 

greatly on the particular nature of your local problem. In the interest of keeping the 

guides readable, not every piece of relevant research has been cited, nor has every 

point been attributed to its sources. To have done so would have overwhelmed and 

distracted the reader. The references listed at the end of each guide are those drawn 

on most heavily; they are not a complete bibliography of research on the subject. 

•	 Are willing to work with others to find effective solutions to the problem. The 

police alone cannot implement many of the responses discussed in the guides. They 

must frequently implement them in partnership with other responsible private and 

public bodies including other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, 

private businesses, public utilities, community groups, and individual citizens. An 

effective problem-solver must know how to forge genuine partnerships with others 

and be prepared to invest considerable effort in making these partnerships work. 

Each guide identifies particular individuals or groups in the community with whom 

police might work to improve the overall response to that problem. Thorough 

analysis of problems often reveals that individuals and groups other than the police 

are in a stronger position to address problems and that police ought to shift some 

greater responsibility to them to do so. Response Guide No. 3, Shifting and Sharing 

Responsibility for Public Safety Problems, provides further discussion of this topic.

The COPS Office defines community policing as “a philosophy that promotes 

organizational strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problemsolving techniques, to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public 

safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.” These guides emphasize 

problem-solving and police-community partnerships in the context of addressing specific public 

safety problems. For the most part, the organizational strategies that can facilitate problemsolving and police-community partnerships vary considerably and discussion of them is 

beyond the scope of these guides.

These guides have drawn on research findings and police practices in the United States, 

the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. 

Even though laws, customs and police practices vary from country to country, it is apparent 
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About the Problem-Specific Guides Series

that the police everywhere experience common problems. In a world that is becoming 

increasingly interconnected, it is important that police be aware of research and successful 

practices beyond the borders of their own countries.

Each guide is informed by a thorough review of the research literature and reported police 

practice, and each guide is anonymously peer-reviewed by a line police officer, a police 

executive, and a researcher prior to publication. The review process is independently 

managed by the COPS Office, which solicits the reviews. 

For more information about problem-oriented policing, visit the Center for ProblemOriented Policing online at www.popcenter.org. This website offers free online access to:

•	 The Problem-Specific Guides series

•	 The companion Response Guides and Problem-Solving Tools series

•	 Special publications on crime analysis and on policing terrorism

•	 Instructional information about problem-oriented policing and related topics

•	 An interactive problem-oriented policing training exercise

•	 An interactive Problem Analysis Module

•	 Online access to important police research and practices

•	 Information about problem-oriented policing conferences and award programs
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Acknowledgments

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police are produced by the Center for Problem-Oriented 

Policing, whose officers are Michael S. Scott (Director), Ronald V. Clarke (Associate 

Director), and Graeme R. Newman (Associate Director). While each guide has a primary 

author, other project team members, COPS Office staff, and anonymous peer reviewers 

contributed to each guide by proposing text, recommending research, and offering 

suggestions on matters of format and style. 

The project team that developed the guide series comprised Herman Goldstein (University 

of Wisconsin Law School), Ronald V. Clarke (Rutgers University), John E. Eck (University 

of Cincinnati), Michael S. Scott (University of Wisconsin Law School), Rana Sampson 

(Police Consultant), and Deborah Lamm Weisel (North Carolina State University). 

Members of the San Diego; National City, California; and Savannah, Georgia police 

departments provided feedback on the guides’ format and style in the early stages of the 

project.

Kimberly Nath oversaw the project for the COPS Office. Phyllis Schultze conducted 

research for the guide at Rutgers University’s Criminal Justice Library. Nancy Leach 

coordinated the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing’s production process. Marian 

Haggard and Melissa Fox edited this guide.
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The Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

The Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

This guide begins by describing the problem of pharmacy robbery and reviewing factors 

that increase its risks. It then identifies a series of questions to help you analyze your local 

pharmacy robbery problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known 

about them from evaluative research and police practice.

For the purposes of this guide, pharmacy robbery, which falls under the broader heading 

of pharmaceutical diversion, is defined as the theft by force—or threat of use of force—

of prescription drugs for personal use or profit. This definition excludes theft, burglary, 

backdoor pharmacies,* and illegal importation or distribution of prescription drugs. The 

related issue of prescription drug diversion is covered in a companion Problem-Oriented 

Policing guide, Prescription Drug Fraud and Misuse. 

What This Guide Does and Does Not Cover

Pharmacy robbery is but one aspect of the larger set of problems related to the unlawful 

use of controlled substances and the substance use disorder that often accompanies it. This 

guide is limited to addressing the particular problem associated with pharmacy robbery. 

Related problems not directly addressed in this guide and requiring separate analyses 

include the following:

•	 Theft from pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors’ offices. Pharmacy workers 

and healthcare providers, both of whom have easy access to prescription 

drugs, sometimes steal them, as do patients and relatives of patients who may 

have access to drugs because of proximity and poor security procedures. 

•	 Burglary. Individuals obtain prescription drugs by burglarizing 

homes, doctors’ offices, and pharmacies.

•	 Medicaid fraud. Pharmacy workers sometimes commit Medicaid fraud, 

usually by substituting generic drugs for name brands, short-counting 

pills, or filling prescriptions without a refill and then overbilling Medicaid. 

They may also bill Medicaid for drugs they never dispensed.1

* “Backdoor pharmacies” are businesses not licensed or authorized to distribute pharmaceutical drugs.

•	 Over-the-counter (OTC) drug misuse. Those who purchase OTC drugs 

to achieve a high are typically youth seeking cough and cold medicines, 

sleep aids, antihistamines, and anti-nausea agents.2 It is not known to 

what extent the misuse of OTC drugs increases the risk for prescription 

drug-related crimes, such as fraud, theft, or pharmacy burglary. 
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Pharmacy robbery is related to the larger set of problems associated with misuse of 

prescription drugs and robbery of retail establishments. Related problems, some of which 

are covered by other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police, include the following:

•	 Robbery of convenience stores

•	 Prescription drug fraud and misuse

•	 Drug dealing in open-air drug markets

•	 Drug dealing in privately owned apartment complexes

•	 Marijuana growing operations

•	 Rave parties

•	 Clandestine methamphetamine labs

•	 Mobile drug dealing

•	 Drug-impaired driving

•	 Bank robbery

For the most up-to-date listing of current and future guides, see www.popcenter.org.

General Description of the Problem

Pharmacy robbery is a serious and growing problem. According to the U.S. Drug 

Enforcement Agency (DEA), robberies of pharmacies in the United States increased 82 

percent from 2006 to 2011.3 Overall, 3,535 pharmacies were robbed during that six-year 

period.4 The problem of pharmacy robbery is not unique to the United States: serious 

pharmacy robbery problems have been documented in England, Ireland, and Australia.5

While the problem is widespread internationally, it is also unique locally, with some 

regions and localities more susceptible to pharmacy robberies than others. In New York 

state, for example, pharmacy robberies increased from just 4 in 2006 to 30 in 2010.6 The 

common theme across international, national, and regional experiences with pharmacy 

robbery is that the volume of legally prescribed pain relievers has risen steadily. For 

example, opiate painkillers, arguably the most addictive of prescribed medicines, are also 

the most widely abused,7 and the distribution of these drugs has increased by over 600 

percent in recent years.*†

* The rate of prescription opioids distributed by drug companies, as measured by milligrams per person, increased from 98 

milligrams per person in 1997 to 698 milligrams per person in 2007 (CDC 2011).
| 7 |

Harms Caused by Pharmacy Robbery

Pharmacy robberies are acts of violence. As such, they pose a serious threat to employees 

and customers present at the scene, as well as to responding officers. As with any robbery, 

the violence associated with it can quickly turn lethal, as was the case on June 19, 2011, 

when four victims—a pharmacist, a clerk, and two customers—were shot and killed by two 

suspects in the course of the robbery of a Long Island, New York, pharmacy.8

Pharmacy robberies for the purpose of obtaining prescription drugs can cause untold harm, 

because the consumption and distribution of the drugs can progress into chronic substance use 

disorders and lead to further crime, overdoses, and even death. Indeed, deaths from overdoses 

of prescription drugs have risen dramatically in recent years.9 Pharmacy robberies also harm 

businesses, as some businesses have resorted to limiting the supply of heavily sought-after drugs 

such as oxycodone in order to prevent robberies.10 This restriction of medication that is critical 

for palliative care creates challenges for law-abiding citizens, who are unable to obtain legally 

prescribed medications to manage their chronic pain. As you contemplate how to approach 

the problem and impact of pharmacy robbery, you should carefully consider these types of 

harms and the contexts in which they may play a leading role in crime control and prevention 

role versus other contexts in which they may play a secondary, or referral, role. In the context 

of pharmacy robberies, secondary roles might include treatment providers to aid those who 

commit robberies because of their opioid use disorder. 

Factors Contributing to Pharmacy Robbery

Understanding the factors that contribute to pharmacy robbery will help you frame 

your own local analysis questions, determine good effectiveness measures, recognize key 

intervention points, and select appropriate responses.

Misuse of Prescription Drugs and Opioid Use Disorders

Prescription drug misuse is significant and rising rapidly, with some observing that it is the 

nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. In 2010, about one in four illicit-drug users reported 

that their initiation into illegal drug use began with prescription drugs.11 This amounts to 

2 million Americans over the age of 12 who illegally used pain relievers for the first time in 

2010 alone.12

The Problem of Pharmacy Robbery
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Overall, the most commonly misused prescription drugs fall within the class of controlled 

substances termed opioid pain relievers, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. The 

prescription drugs that police agencies most frequently report as commonly misused 

include Vicodin® (hydrocodone), OxyContin® (oxycodone), Lorcet®, Dilaudid®, Percocet®, 

Soma®, Darvocet®, and morphine. Many of these top the list of prescription drugs used 

nonmedically by youth and young adults, who tend to favor pain relievers such as codeine, 

methadone, Demerol® (meperidine), Percocet, Vicodin, and OxyContin. 

Many experts attribute the growth in prescription drug misuse and related crimes such as 

pharmacy robbery in part to the introduction in the mid-1990s of OxyContin, an oral, 

controlled-release form of oxycodone that acts for 12 hours. Oral oxycodone is a very 

effective pain reliever. However, when injected or snorted, users experience a rapid onset of 

euphoria. People who misuse opioids often obtain them through a legitimate prescription 

to treat pain or a medical condition. In this case misuse may constitute taking more than 

prescribed. 

Such misuse of prescription drugs can progress into an opioid use disorder, which in turn 

can lead to criminal acts such as thefts, burglaries, or robberies to obtain cash for the 

purchase of such drugs or to obtain drugs directly. Moreover, this disease drives demand, 

making pharmacy robbery and burglary a lucrative business for those intent on selling the 

stolen drugs on the black market. Estimates of the street price of oxycodone run as high as 

$80 per pill.13

Other Illicit Crime and Drug Use

While scant research exists on the relationship between other criminal acts that are not 

driven bysubstance use disorder or pharmacy robbery, a national survey has identified a 

link between prescription drug misuse and opioid use disorders (prescription drugs and 

heroin), with those who reported illegally using prescription drugs 19 times more likely to 

begin using heroin.14 Moreover, a study of male and female burglars demonstrates the link 

between various forms of burglary and both heroin and prescription drug misuse.15
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Pharmacy Management Practices and Design

While opioid use disorders and the profits sought from the illegal acquisition of 

prescription drugs may explain the impetus for pharmacy robberies, pharmacies themselves 

may create the conditions ripe for criminal opportunities. As other POP guides on 

convenience store and bank robberies indicate, not all retail establishments present equal 

opportunities for crime.*‡ Pharmacies that have sought-after drugs, such as opioids, for sale 

will be more desirable targets than those that do not. Likewise, the geographic location 

of the pharmacy, its management practices (hours of operation, number of pharmacists 

and cashiers on duty, and use of cash drop boxes), and its physical design may all 

contribute to victimization. 

* See Problem-Specific Guide No. 48, Bank Robbery, and Problem-Specific Guide No. 49, Robbery of Convenience Stores, for 

further information.

The Problem of Pharmacy Robbery
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Understanding Your Local Problem

The information provided in the previous section is only a generalized description of pharmacy 

robbery. You must combine the basic facts with a more specific understanding of your local 

problem. Analyzing the local problem carefully will help you design a more effective response 

strategy. 

Stakeholders

The following groups have an interest in the pharmacy robbery problem and ought to be 

considered for the contribution they might make to gathering information about the problem 

and responding to it:

•	 Law enforcement agencies are an excellent source of data on the problem of pharmacy 

robbery, and at the national level, the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control serves as a 

central source for national policy guidance, support, and the collection and sharing of 

intelligence regarding pharmaceutical diversion issues including pharmacy robberies.

•	 Healthcare and substance use disorder treatment providers can offer 

information on prescription drug trends and provide insight into 

current trends in opioid use disorders and treatment.

•	 Pharmacists in particular may have a wealth of insight—often not reported to police—

regarding criminal activity, methods of operation, and prescription drug trends.

•	 Parents and educators may have experience with youth with substance use 

disorders who have not yet come to police attention. Educators could also assist in 

distributing confidential questionnaires to measure the extent of the problem.

In addition to the above, other key stakeholders are drug-free community coalitions, 

pharmaceutical companies, and a variety of state and Federal Government agencies, such as 

pharmaceutical and medical licensing boards and public health agencies.

Asking the Right Questions

The following are some critical questions you should ask in analyzing your particular problem of 

pharmacy robbery, even if the answers are not always readily available. Your answers to these and 

other questions will help you choose the most appropriate set of responses later on.
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Understanding Your Local Problem

Incidents

•	 What is the nature of past pharmacy robbery incidents? Did they 

occur in the same part of town, the same retail chain, or involve similar 

modus operandi? What are the common patterns or differences by 

time of day, day of week, number of individuals involved, etc.?

•	 What environmental design features and business practices distinguish pharmacies 

that fall victim to robbery? Are they open late at night when few customers are likely 

to patronize them? Are they staffed with multiple pharmacists and cashiers during 

all business hours? Is the parking lot well lit? Are the windows free of obstructions? 

•	 What is the nature of the pharmaceutical shipment, intake, distribution, 

and disposal process, and how does it create vulnerabilities for robbery?

•	 How many police calls for service and cases involve some aspect 

of prescription drug diversion or misuse in addition to pharmacy 

robberies (as higher numbers may lead to more robberies)?

•	 What is the precise nature of these cases and calls for service? (Determining this 

might require some careful analysis of police reports, as the precise involvement 

of prescription drugs or information that the robbery was of a pharmacy may be 

revealed only in the report narrative of a wide range of call and case types.)

•	 What is the cost to the community—in both monetary and nonmonetary 

terms—to respond to the pharmacy robberies specifically and the 

problem of prescription fraud and misuse more generally?

Victims 

•	 Whom does pharmacy robbery directly victimize? Pharmacists, other employees, 

and customers (who are put in harm’s way and may suffer trauma following a 

robbery incident)? Pharmacies (that lose revenues through loss of business)? 

•	 What types of injuries and physical costs have been incurred by these victims?

•	 Whom does pharmacy robbery indirectly affect (the community at large, through 

fear of victimization; those who are legitimately prescribed painkillers, who may find 

them difficult to obtain when pharmacies restrict supplies to prevent robberies)? 
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Offenders

•	 What are their characteristics (e.g., age, gender, or profession)?

•	 Where do they live, go to school, or work? How do those locations 

correspond to pharmacy robbery locations (e.g., are pharmacies in 

some geographic areas more likely targets than others)?

•	 What is the pattern of offending? Are robberies intermittent/seasonal 

or regular? Is there a regular time span between acts (e.g., based on how 

long it takes to exhaust a supply of drugs)?

•	 What are the characteristics of those arrested for possession of the 

types of pharmaceuticals most often taken in robberies? 

•	 What are their motives? Do they have an opioid use disorder? Are they selling the * drugs on the black market? Both? (You can interview them to collect this information. §

Undercover investigations, buys, and surveillance can reveal more about their practices.)

* See Problem-Solving Tools Guide No. 3, Using Offender Interviews to Inform Police Problem Solving, for further information.

•	 Do they act alone or as part of a group? If the latter, do robberies appear to be 

organized crimes?

•	 Is there evidence of inside knowledge through pharmacy employees 

who may be knowingly or unknowingly facilitating robberies?

•	 What are their preferred tactics? Think about this in relation to 

their planning and entry, the robbery itself, and the escape.

Locations/Times

•	 Where do pharmacy robberies occur in your community and region? To detect 

patterns, you should conduct location analyses, which can help you determine 

which targets are most vulnerable. For example, robberies in specific areas may 

indicate where individuals committing pharmacy robberies live or work.

•	 In which specific locations do robberies most commonly occur? 

Are certain pharmacies less likely to experience them? Are certain 

types of pharmacies (e.g., independent stores versus chain stores) more 

susceptible to robbery based on location or business practices?

•	 Are robberies associated with the timing of incoming shipments of 

prescription drugs that will be distributed by the pharmacy?
| 13 |

•	 What are the physical characteristics of the pharmacies that have been robbed? Are 

they pharmacies within stores or stand-alone? Are they well-lit? What is the staffing 

and security?

•	 What specific types of prescription drugs are diverted in your community or region? 

(This can vary greatly from region to region and may shed light on demand 

reduction strategies.)

•	 When does pharmacy robbery occur? What times of day? What 

days of the week? Are pharmacy closing times (when few—if any—

customers are present) the most vulnerable times for robbery?

Current Responses

•	 Does your agency have policies and procedures specific to taking pharmacy 

robbery incident reports that collect the types of information highlighted above? 

If so, do you capture and analyze the data generated in those reports?

•	 Does your agency share intelligence on pharmacy robberies occurring 

across jurisdictional boundaries regarding modus operandi or trends in the 

types of drugs sought through robberies? This may be done via participation 

in local, state, or federal prescription drug diversion task forces.

•	 Does your agency currently work with pharmacists, healthcare 

professionals, the schools, or community organizations on 

prescription drug misuse prevention and education?

•	 What are the state and local laws relating to prescription 

drug diversion and enforcement?

Capturing and Analyzing Data

The details behind past incidents of pharmacy robberies are likely captured in crime 

incident reports and investigative records. But understanding the larger context of pharmacy 

robberies requires obtaining data on supply and demand of prescription drugs on both the 

legal and illegal markets. Several national data-collection efforts provide state- and regionallevel information on trends and patterns in substance use disorders, including misuse of 

prescription drugs. For example, the DEA’s Theft Database collects data on pharmacy thefts. 

Understanding Your Local Problem
| 14 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

However, participation in this database is voluntary; the resulting incomplete reporting 

limits the database’s utility. Understanding these patterns can help alert police to the 

emergence of new trends in commonly abused prescription drugs. They can also inform 

pharmacies on the types of drugs that are most sought after, guiding decisions on restricting 

the sales and availability of such drugs (and widely publicizing those restrictions) in order to 

prevent robberies. 

National Data Sources with State, Regional, and/or Local Data 

Sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Community Epidemiology 

Working Group (CEWG) was a consortium of more than 20 researchers from major 

metropolitan areas who met annually to report on local drug abuse patterns and trends. It 

was replaced in August 2014 with the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), 

which builds upon and expands the former program by broadening the network, including 

national perspectives and innovative identification and monitoring approaches, and 

reporting on new trends and issues that arise nationwide. Local police agencies can consult 

the group’s website at www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/national-drugearly-warning-system-ndews.

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program collected data through drug tests 

and self-reported drug use of adult male arrestees in 10 U.S. counties from 2007 through 

2011 and in 5 counties in 2012 and 2013; the program was discontinued in 2013. ADAM 

data were particularly useful to local police in identifying shifts in local trends in illicit drug 

use, including the nonmedical use of prescription drugs . Annual reports of ADAM data 

can be found on the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s website. In addition, some 

other metropolitan areas (e.g., San Diego County through the San Diego Association of 

Governments) are collecting their own ADAM-type data.

The Treatment Episode Data Set, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration (SAMHSA), reports admissions to specialty treatment facilities by 

state and primary abused substance, enabling local police to identify statewide trends over 

time. The data set’s website has a search engine enabling users to select data by year and state. 

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported data on drug-related emergency 

department (ED) visits and drug-related deaths reported by medical examiners (ME). The 

ED visit data was nationally representative and for a small number of selected metropolitan 

areas; the ME data was available for some states and selected metropolitan areas. The 

DAWN system was discontinued in 2011; currently SAMHSA is working with the 
| 15 |

Understanding Your Local Problem

National Center for Health Statistics to implement a new system for collecting drug-related 

data in EDs. Drug-involved death data, including those involving prescription medications 

are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality files. 

The Monitoring the Future (MTF) study and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 

(NSDUH) are both excellent sources for examining trends in substance use and related 

issues among youth and the general U.S. household population , respectively. The MTF 

collects data on drug use and related attitudes and behaviors among 8th, 10th, and 12th 

grade students; the survey is nationally representative and can provide estimates by region, 

but the sample cannot support state-level estimates. The NSDUH collects data on drug 

use, treatment need and receipt, initiation, and attitudes and beliefs on Americans 12 and 

older living in households and other group quarters. The data are nationally representative; 

estimates also are provided by state for many of the variables.

State Data Sources 

Most states have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs (referred to as PMP 

or PDMP). These programs are databases that provide information to health care providers 

on what prescriptions individuals are receiving. Law enforcement may be able to obtain the 

identified data to spot a trend; check with your state PDMP administrator. In most states, 

law enforcement must have a subpoena to obtain specific data. PMPs document all retail 

sales of certain prescription drugs. Depending upon the law in your state, police can analyze 

this data to identify unusual sales volumes by retailer, healthcare provider, and drug type. You 

may contact your state data collection entities to gain access to the data, which can illustrate 

the types of prescription drugs that are dispensed, the degree to which certain medical 

prescribers appear to be overprescribing, and other statewide patterns of potential misuse and 

diversion. This information is useful, as the demand for these drugs may soon be followed by 

increases in robberies to acquire it. Understanding the illicit demand for specific drugs can 

help police and pharmacists anticipate and prevent robberies to get those drugs.

Local Data Collection 

The sources mentioned previously are limited to data at the state or metropolitan area level, 

but they may not tell the local story. Police agencies tackling the problem of pharmacy 

robbery can create their own data collection tools in order to capture the true local context 

and underlying causes of the problem. The Reno (Nevada) Police Department, for example, 

conducted surveys of area pharmacists and doctors and also reviewed and revised the way 
| 16 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

the department coded reported incidents of prescription drug related crimes to enable the 

agency to isolate those cases from other drug-related crimes.16 Another source of local data 

may be the Coroner or Medical Examiner’s Office, which tracks overdoses.

A key question you should ask is to what degree can your agency effectively track the types 

of prescription drugs that are associated with robberies, burglaries, and other criminal 

acts? Is this information only available through a manual search and count? If so, it will 

be critical in the long term to create new sources of data rather than adjusting current 

reporting in order to be effective. Ultimately, agencies will need to stop building oneoff data collection methods and instead strive to develop an accurate and comprehensive 

database that can be shared across agencies and jurisdictions.

Measuring Your Effectiveness

The analyses referenced above will aid you in identifying appropriate responses to your 

pharmacy robbery problem (a description of possible responses appears later in this guide). 

Once a response (or series of responses) is implemented, it will be critical to measure 

its effectiveness. Measurement allows you to determine to what degree your efforts have 

succeeded and suggests how you might modify your responses if they are not producing the 

intended results. 

You should take measures of your problem before you implement responses to determine 

how serious the problem is and, after you implement them, to determine whether they have 

been effective. All measures should be taken in both the target area and the surrounding 

area. For more detailed guidance on measuring effectiveness, see Problem-Solving Tools 

Guide No. 1, Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide for Police Problem-Solvers

and Problem-Solving Tools Guide No. 10, Analyzing Crime Displacement and Diffusion. 

The following are potentially useful measures of the effectiveness of responses to pharmacy 

robbery. Process measures show the extent to which responses were properly implemented. 

Outcome measures show the extent to which the responses reduced the level or severity of 

the problem.
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Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

Process Measures

•	 Changes in arrest patterns for drug possession and sales in your and neighboring 

jurisdictions

•	 Changes in types of prescription drug diversion (e.g., if you prevent pharmacy 

robberies, would burglaries increase)

•	 Changes in locations of pharmacy robberies

•	 Changes in types of drugs obtained through robberies and other forms of prescription drug 

diversion

•	 Changes in the number of prescriptions filled for certain target drugs such as oxycodone

•	 Increased adoption by pharmacies of robbery-prevention good practices

Outcome Measures

•	 Reduced number of reported pharmacy robbery cases

•	 Reduced number and severity of injuries related to pharmacy robberies

•	 Reduced value/dollar loss related to pharmacy robberies

•	 Reduced number of arrests of possession of the types of pharmaceuticals typically taken 

in pharmacy robberies

It is important to remember that some of these measures may be misleading depending 

on the types of responses your department applies to the problem. For example, if your 

agency partners with pharmacies to institute better target-hardening measures to reduce 

robberies, and those robberies decline but other forms of diversion such as prescription-drug 

fraud increase, the harms associated with robbery may be reduced, but the larger problem 

of prescription-drug diversion remains. This underscores the importance of tackling the 

problem of pharmacy robbery within the larger context of prescription drug diversion and 

misuse. But regardless, reducing pharmacy robberies is a notable end goal in and of itself, as 

these crimes pose substantial danger to employees, customers, and responding officers.
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy 

Robbery

Your analysis of your local problem should give you a better understanding of the factors 

contributing to it. Once you have analyzed your local problem and established a baseline for 

measuring effectiveness, you should consider possible responses to address the problem. 

The following response strategies provide a foundation of ideas for addressing your 

particular problem. These strategies are drawn from a variety of research studies and police 

reports. Several of these strategies may apply to your community’s problem. 

It is critical that you tailor responses to local circumstances and that you can justify 

each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an effective strategy will involve 

implementing several different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are seldom 

effective in reducing or solving the problem. 

Do not limit yourself to considering what police can do: carefully consider whether others 

in your community share responsibility for the problem and can help police better respond 

to it. The responsibility of responding, in some cases, may need to be shifted toward 

those who have the capacity to implement more effective responses. For more detailed 

information on shifting and sharing responsibility, see Response Guide No. 3, Shifting and 

Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety Problems.

For further information on managing the implementation of response strategies, see 

Problem-Solving Tools Guide No. 7, Implementing Responses to Problems.

General Considerations for an Effective Response Strategy

While a great deal of research has focused on what works to prevent and reduce comparable 

crimes such as robberies of convenience stores, violence against small businesses, and 

prescription drug abuse, there have been no studies evaluating methods to prevent and 

reduce robberies of pharmacies specifically. This crime problem differentiates itself from 

otherwise comparable crimes because pharmacy robberies usually target drugs, not money.
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Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

In addition, police play a limited role in changing the fact that some people misuse 

prescription drugs, which may progress to an opioid use disorder and potentially be the 

cause of a large number of pharmacy robberies. Similar to prescription fraud, police must 

work with other stakeholders— in both the public and private sectors—to reduce and 

prevent pharmacy robberies. The stakeholders described in the previous section are among 

the most critical in controlling pharmacy robbery. Several jurisdictions, at both the state 

and federal level, have created task forces to respond to the problem of pharmacy robberies. 

Coordination and collaboration across agencies and stakeholders is vital.

A number of local, state, and federal efforts to discuss the problem of pharmacy robbery, 

create guidelines, and educate potential victims have emerged since the problem escalated 

a few years ago. These are described in the responses below. Many of these actions 

and guidelines include excellent ideas, but very little documentation exists on their 

implementation and effectiveness.

Specific Responses to Reduce Pharmacy Robbery

Increasing the Risk of Detection 

1. Informing pharmacy employees about robbery trends. Some data exist for pharmacy 

robberies nationwide, and some may exist for the local jurisdiction. You should analyze 

these data, add your experiential knowledge, and educate pharmacies about the trends 

and patterns—such as likely days and times for robbery, suspect profiles, and types 

and locations of pharmacies and drugs that are being targeted. With this knowledge, 

pharmacy staff can at a minimum be more alert or, if possible, increase staffing during 

higher risk days and times or maybe even modify procedures for handling the higher 

risk drugs.
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Robbery of Pharmacies

2. Providing prevention guidance to pharmacy employees. The more employees who are 

aware of how to identify suspicious customers and behaviors, how security systems 

work, and appropriate procedures during a robbery, the greater the odds that robberies 

can be prevented. In addition to the DEA Tip Sheet shown in figure 1, several other 

guides have been created. The San Diego Police Department has a detailed document 

titled “Preventing and Dealing with Pharmacy Robberies,” available on its public 

website. Two similar efforts were launched in Australia. The Pharmacy Guild of 

Australia created “Pseudoephedrine-Related Break and Enter: 10 Practical Tips,”¶

* and 

WorkCover New South Wales designed a fact sheet/checklist titled “Managing the Risk 

of Robbery and Violence in Pharmacies.” The Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association 

created the “Pharmacy Security Guide,” which includes information on exterior security, 

alarm systems, interior security, robbery procedures, and check lists. British Columbia’s 

Pharmacy Association authored “Guidelines for Addressing Pharmacy Robbery in B.C.” 

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (U.S.) recently increased their efforts to 

educate pharmacy technicians about pharmacy robbery.

* While this document is focused on robbery, most of the tips are also relevant to and can help reduce the potential for burglary 

as well.

Figure 1. Pharmacy Robbery & Burglary: Tips to Protect Your Customers, Your Business, and Yourself 

Prevention Tips

•	 Install an alarm system and test it often.

•	 Install security cameras behind the cash register facing the front counter.

•	 Inspect cameras regularly to ensure they are functioning.

•	 Properly store recorded data.

•	 Install hold-up/duress buttons.

•	 Invite local police to conduct a security assessment. Learn the names of the officers who patrol your 

neighborhood and encourage them to stop by. 

•	 Ensure there is adequate outside lighting and leave some lights on after closing.

•	 Change locks, alarm codes, and safe combinations when an employee leaves.

•	 Have at least two employees open and close the store.

•	 Try to greet customers as they enter your pharmacy. Your attention can discourage a robber. 

•	 Watch for people hanging around and not buying anything.

•	 Beware of suspicious activity outside your business.
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Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

3. Managing risk factors. As described in the previous section, the risk of pharmacy 

robbery may be related to the physical environment design of the pharmacy, dispensing 

procedures, staffing, and other contextual factors. If employees are aware of risks, they 

can take steps to manage them better. The UK Pharmacists’ Defence Association created 

a “Personal Safety Resource Pack” to educate pharmacists about violence and how to 

reduce and manage risk. This also includes a risk assessment tool. While not specific to 

pharmacy robberies, many of the points are relevant.

4. Installing a panic alarm. While a standard burglar alarm may help prevent the burglary 

of a pharmacy during hours it is closed, a panic alarm at the pharmacy counter can be 

used to surreptitiously notify authorities during a robbery in progress. 

5. Using a video surveillance system. Cameras should cover entrances, exits, and highrisk areas such as the pharmacy counter. They need to be positioned to capture full facial 

views, and the monitor should be large enough and positioned so that the offender will 

notice it.*** While there have been no evaluations of the use of closed-circuit televisions 

(CCTV) in pharmacies, an analysis of 1,900 burglaries in the RxPATROL †††database 

revealed that in 77 percent of them, the pharmacy had no video surveillance cameras.17

pharmacy crime information. According to the website (www.rxpatrol.com), there are 8,514 crimes in the database (as of 

5/1/15), of which 3,335 are robberies and 1,980 burglaries.

* See Response Guide No. 4, Video Surveillance of Public Places, for a more in-depth discussion.

† RxPATROL®

 was created by private industry in conjunction with law enforcement to collect, analyze, and disseminate 

6. Tracking the stolen drugs/offender. Both GPS tracking units installed in decoy pill 

bottles, and DNA tracking spray have been used in a few jurisdictions. While there are 

success stories of post-robbery identification and conviction, caution should be taken 

as there is no evidence to show that either is effective in preventing the robbery from 

occurring.

7. Using deterrent signage. If individuals perceive a pharmacy to be more aware of and 

better managing the pharmacy robbery problem through the use of federal prosecution, 

they may choose to go to a different pharmacy (see figure 2).
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Figure 2. Warning sign from DEA Office of Diversion Control.

Increasing the Effort Required to Commit Pharmacy Robbery

8. Employing security measures. Pharmacy owners and employees can use several 

strategies to control pharmacy robbery. There are a number of checklists available 

to assess the pharmacy’s security. One such checklist is available via the National 

Association of Drug Diversion Investigators’ website and includes alarms, physical 

design and barriers, locks, CCTV, and restricting access. Another example is the 

“Security Assessment Template” from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and 

An Garda Siochána. The assessment includes collecting information on location (to 

include staffing, hours, etc.), external grounds, building (external), building (internal—

physical), building (internal—security), and security procedures and controls.

Specific measures include the following: 

a. Increasing pharmacy lighting. Having a brightly lit exterior as well as interior 

increases the natural surveillance and visibility of the potential offenders.

b. Locking up drugs. Whether in a locked cabinet or a safe, many pharmacies use this 

extra security for the drugs that are most often targeted. Another tactic might be 

to fill targeted-drug prescriptions only after closing hours and prominently notify 
| 23 |

Responses to the Problem of Pharmacy Robbery

customers of this practice. The location of the safe can also aid in hardening the 

target. In the same analysis of RxPATROL data described earlier, it was found that 84 

percent of the pharmacies that were burgled had no safe.18 There are many types of 

safes; pharmacies should consider burglary-resistant over fire-resistant ones. Burglaryresistant safes have a rating system relating to how difficult and time-consuming 

breaking into it will be. One example, specially designed for dispensing drugs, is 

PharmaSafeTM (See figure 3). The only way to open the safe is to process a prescription. 

Figure 3: Examples of pharmaceutical safes (www.amsecusa.com/pharmacy/)

c. Installing physical barriers. Some police and security experts recommend putting 

bullet-proof glass or steel barriers at the dispensary window. While it has yet to be 

evaluated specifically for pharmacies, this strategy has shown to have some effect in 

reducing robbery at banks and convenience stores.*‡‡

* See the Problem-Specific Guides No. 48, Bank Robbery and No. 49, Robbery of Convenience Stores for more detailed 

discussion of barriers and bullet-proof glass security strategies.

d. Ensuring front windows are clear. The extent of natural surveillance that allows 

people passing by to see inside may prevent a robbery. This tactic has proven to 

be effective in reducing convenience store robberies and is similarly effective if the 

pharmacy is in a store where no one can see in due to advertising posters covering 

the front windows.

Decreasing Susceptibility to Robberies 

9. Limiting the drugs available. Some pharmacies have chosen not to carry OxyContin 

or other drugs that are commonly sought during robberies. Other pharmacies limit the 

amount they have in stock.
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Robbery of Pharmacies

10. Limiting the drug information available via telephone. Implementing a policy by 

which store employees do not tell people over the phone if they have any available 

prescription drugs (robbers are unlikely to hit a store when the supply of desired drugs 

is uncertain).

Responses with Limited Effectiveness

11. Conducting focused surveillance and enforcement. Surveillance and enforcement 

may yield an immediate but limited impact and often does not produce long-term 

results. A police focus on a specific pharmacy prone to robbery may catch one person or 

offender ring, but others may continue to rob a pharmacy that does not have sufficient 

prevention measures in place. Given the low volume of incidents and limited police 

resources, the practice cannot be sustained as a means to prevent or reduce the problem.

12. Increasing penalties for pharmacy robbery. The Safe Doses Act (H.R. 4223, enacted 

October, 2012) increases penalties for robbing a pharmacy. However, proof that this or 

other individual state legislation is effective is lacking.
| 25 |

Appendix

Appendix: Summary of Responses to Pharmacy 

Robbery

The tables below summarize the responses to pharmacy robbery, the mechanisms by which they are 

intended to work, the conditions under which they ought to work best, and some factors you should 

consider before implementing a particular response. It is critical that you tailor responses to local 

circumstances and that you can justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an 

effective strategy will involve implementing several different responses. Law enforcement responses 

alone are seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem.

Table	1. Increasing the Risk of Detection

Response 

No.

Page 

No.

Response How It Works Works Best If . . . Considerations

1 Informing pharmacy 

employees about 

robbery trends

Heightens pharmacy 

staff vigilance and 

preparedness so as to 

minimize harm in the 

event of a robbery

... pharmacies provide 

routine training and 

updates to employees 

and communicate with 

police

Informing pharmacists 

alone will do little to 

prevent robberies, but 

combined with other 

good security practices 

it could aid them in 

protecting themselves 

and any customers 

present and seeking 

assistance quickly.

2 Providing prevention 

guidance to pharmacy 

employees

Improves pharmacy 

staff compliance with 

robbery prevention 

policies and practices

... training is 

conducted on a routine 

basis and is reinforced 

by posters, checklists, 

and other literature 

prominently posted in 

employee break areas

Pharmacy staff 

turnover can be high, 

underscoring the 

importance of including 

prevention guidance 

as a part of new staff 

orientation processes.

3 Managing risk factors Reduces vulnerability of 

pharmacy to robbery

... pharmacy staff 

is educated about 

potential harms and 

what should be done 

specifically for each risk

Risks vary for fraud, 

burglary, and robbery so 

there is a need to know 

each; risks also vary by 

pharmacy, depending on 

physical layout, staffing, 

etc.
| 26 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

Response 

No.

Page 

No.

Response How It Works Works Best If . . . Considerations

4 Installing a panic alarm Increases probability of 

police apprehension

... the alarm is easily 

accessible, not obvious, 

and goes directly to 

police

Panic alarms will only 

deter robbers if they 

know generally that 

such alarms exist.

5 Using a video 

surveillance system

Deters potential 

robbers who are 

aware of the system; 

increases likelihood 

of identification and 

apprehension

... the cameras as well 

as signs announcing the 

cameras are noticeable 

Pharmacy owners must 

be persuaded to install 

high-quality systems.

6 Tracking the stolen 

drugs/offender

Increase likelihood 

of identification and 

apprehension; may be a 

deterrent for those who 

are generally aware 

they may be tracked

... all pharmacy staff 

are aware of and know 

how to use tracking 

methods, and police 

have the resources to 

respond quickly

Tracking devices are 

primarily investigative 

tools, but may prevent 

robberies if offenders 

believe a pharmacy may 

be using these tools.

7 Using deterrent signage May deter individuals 

who calculate risks 

relatively carefully

... signs are placed 

in prominent locations 

both at the entrance of 

the pharmacy and near 

the pharmacy counter

In other crime 

prevention contexts, 

these forms of 

deterrence alone have 

not had much of an 

impact on criminal 

behavior.
| 27 |

Appendix 

Table 2. Increasing the Effort Required to Commit Pharmacy Robbery

Response 

No.

Page 

No.

Response How It Works Works Best If . . . Considerations

8 Employing security 

measures

Measures will vary 

depending on store 

design (inside and 

out), staffing, and 

types of drugs that are 

dispensed.

8a Increasing pharmacy 

lighting

Increases the risk of 

detection by police 

and identification by 

witnesses

... lighting is 

positioned so as to not 

cast shadows; lighting 

is combined with a 

wide array of security 

measures

Brighter lights alone 

are unlikely to prevent 

pharmacy robberies.

8b Locking up drugs Increases the difficulty 

in gaining access to 

desired drugs

... accessibility is 

limited and offenders 

believe that pharmacy 

staff cannot access 

drugs

Some potential for 

violent reactions by 

offenders upon learning 

drugs are inaccessible; 

potentially higher costs 

for pharmacies and 

greater inconvenience 

for pharmacy staff in 

filling prescriptions.

8c Installing physical 

barriers

Denies access to drugs; 

reduces likelihood that 

pharmacy staff will be 

coerced into turning 

over drugs

... pharmacy staff 

know how to use 

barriers and barriers are 

properly maintained

Higher costs for 

pharmacies and some 

reduction in “personal 

touch” of customer 

service.

8d Ensuring front windows 

are clear

Increases likelihood 

that police or witnesses 

will detect a robbery in 

progress, which might 

be a deterrent 

... there is clear line of 

sight from outside the 

store to the pharmacy 

counter

May increase costs 

to pharmacy if 

remodeling is required; 

some potential 

loss of advertising 

opportunities.
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Robbery of Pharmacies

Table 3. Decreasing Susceptibility to Robberies

Response 

No.

Page 

No.

Response How It Works Works Best If . . . Considerations

9 Limiting the drugs 

available

Denies the desired 

drugs, at least in large 

quantities

... the fact that 

targeted drugs 

are restricted is 

prominently advertised 

through signage at the 

pharmacy entrance

Pharmacies may lose 

legitimate customers 

to pharmacies where 

these drugs are more 

readily available.

10 Limiting the drug 

information available 

via telephone

Reduces the ability 

to determine whether 

robbery is worth the 

risk

... all pharmacy staff 

abide by not discussing 

drug availability with 

customers

Pharmacies may lose 

legitimate customers 

to pharmacies where 

it is easier for them 

to determine whether 

these drugs are 

available.

Table 4. Responses with Limited Effectiveness

Response 

No.

Page No. Response How It Works Works Best If . . . Considerations

11 Conducting focused 

surveillance and 

enforcement

Intended to increase 

likelihood of 

apprehension

... a rash of 

robberies was 

concentrated at a 

few properties such 

that prospects of 

detection through 

surveillance were 

high, and there were 

few offenders in the 

community

12 Increasing penalties 

for pharmacy robbery

Intended to deter 

through threat of 

harsh punishment

... enhanced 

penalties are widely 

publicized and/or 

known offenders 

are notified, and 

potential offenders 

believe they will be 

apprehended and 

punished

Many studies of the 

deterrence value of 

enhanced penalties 

suggest they do not 

prevent crime, mainly 

because offenders 

do not believe their 

risk of apprehension 

is high.
| 29 |

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Topics 155(12): 37.

Goodnough, Amy. 2011. “Pharmacies Besieged by Addicted Thieves.” The New York Times, 

February 6. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/us/07pharmacies.html.

Hartley, Dan. 2008. “Prevention of Violence Against Pharmacists.” Presentation for the 

National Drug Intelligence Center. http://www.asse.org/assets/1/7/Daniel_Hartley.pdf.

Jabeen, Amber. 2012. “Using Technology to Combat Pharmacy Robberies.” Community 

Policing Dispatch 5(4). http://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/04-2012/technology-andpharmacy-robberies.asp.

Klein, Jeffrey D. 2012. Prescription Drug Abuse and Violence Against Pharmacies: How the 

Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse is Driving Increasing Crime Against Our Pharmacies.

Albany, NY: New York State Senate, Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. 

http://www.nysenate.gov/files/pdfs/Pharmacy%20Crime%20report%20[final].pdf.

LaBelle, Regina, Mac Venzon, and Emanuel Barthe. 2011. Addressing the Problem of 

Prescription Fraud. Miami: Presentation at the 22nd Annual Problem-Oriented Policing 

Conference.

Marshall, Nicole. 2010. “Police Teach Drugstores Robbery-Prevention Tips.” Tulsa World. Last 

modified October 6, 2010. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/police-teach-drugstoresrobbery-prevention-tips/image_90378dff-10d3-548d-bec6-14e8a19b122b.html. 

National Drug Intelligence Center. 2001. “OxyContin Diversion and Abuse.” U.S. 

Department of Justice Information Bulletin, January. http://www.justice.gov/archive/

ndic/pubs/651/651p.pdf.

National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. 2007. “Pharmacy Security 

Checklist.” Stamford, Connecticut: Purdue Pharma. http://www.rxpatrol.com/pdf/

A7957-draft.pdf.

Payne, Brian K., and Dean Dabney. 1997. “Prescription Fraud: Characteristics, 

Consequences, and Influences.” Journal of Drug Issues 27(4):807–820.
| 31 |

References

Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and An Garda Siochána. 2009. “Security Assessment 

Template: Guidance Document for Retail Pharmacy Businesses.” Dublin: Pharmaceutical 

Society of Ireland. http://www.thepsi.ie/Libraries/I_E/Security_Assessment_

Guidance_2009.sflb.ashx.

Pharmacists’ Defence Association. 2005. “Stopping Violence in the Pharmacy. Personal Safety 

Resource Pack.” Birmingham, UK: Pharmacists’ Defence Association. http://www.thepda.org/pdf/ViolenceInPharmacy_RPack.pdf.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Guild Insurance Limited. 2007. “PseudoephedrineRelated Break and Enter: 10 Practical Tips to Reduce Your Risks.” Canberra: 

Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

San Diego Police Department Neighborhood Policing Resource Team. 2012. “Preventing 

and Dealing with Pharmacy Robberies.” San Diego Police Department website. 

Last modified May 29, 2012. http://www.sandiego.gov/police/pdf/crimeprevention/

PreventingPharmacyRobberies.pdf.

Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association. 1998. Pharmacy Security Guide. Saskatchewan 

Pharmaceutical Association. https://scp.in1touch.org/uploaded/58/web/refmanual/

pharmacy%20security%20.pdf.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2013. Results from the 2012 

National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Behavioral 

Health Statistics and Quality. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/

NSDUHresults2012/NSDUHresults2012.pdf.

Taylor, Natalie. 2002. “Robbery Against Service Stations and Pharmacies: Recent Trends.” 

Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice 223 (April). http://www.aic.gov.au/

media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi223.pdf.

Thomas, Pierre, and Enjoli Francis. 2012. “Pharmacies Targeted by Dealers, Addicts 

Desperate for Painkillers.” ABC News. Last modified April 5, 2012. http://

abcnews.go.com/US/pharmacies-targeted-dealers-addicts-desperate-painkillers/

story?id=16081107.

U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion 

Control. n.d.. “Pharmacy Robbery & Burglary: Tips to Protect Your Customers, 

Your Business, and Yourself.” Brochure. Washington, DC: Drug Enforcement 

Administration. http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/pharmtheft.pdf.
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Robbery of Pharmacies

U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion 

Control. 2010. “Pharmacist’s Manual: An Informational Outline of the 

Controlled Substances Act.” Washington, DC: Drug Enforcement Administration. 

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/manuals/pharm2/pharm_manual.pdf.

U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion 

Control. n.d.. Warning Sign poster. Washington, DC: Drug Enforcement 

Administration. http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/warning/

warning_poster.pdf.

Van Dusen, Virgil. 2002. “‘Safe’ Considerations: Burglary- and Fire-Resistant Devices for 

the Pharmacy.” Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association 42(4): 552–555. 

http://japha.org/data/Journals/JAPhA/20393/10.1331_108658002763029517.pdf.

Willis, Katie. 2006. The Decision-making Patterns of Armed Robbery Offenders. Canberra: 

Australian Institute of Criminology. http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/aic/foi/

chubb_final_report.pdf.

WorkCover Authority of New South Wales. n.d.. “Managing the Risk of Robbery and 

Violence in Pharmacies.” Fact Sheet. Canberra: WorkCover Authority of New South 

Wales.

Wright, Kay. 2004. “The Croydon Pharmacy Robberies—A Proactive Approach to Crime 

Reduction.” Croydon Case Study 1. London: Raid-control. http://www.raid-control.

org/croydonpilot.php. 
| 33 |

About the Author

About the Authors

Julie Wartell

Julie Wartell is an independent advisor on public safety issues relating to crime analysis, 

problem solving, and justice systems. She has previously served as crime analyst coordinator 

for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office; project director of the East Valley COMPASS 

Initiative (a regional analysis effort); crime analyst for the San Diego Police Department; 

researcher for the Institute for Law and Justice and the Police Executive Research Forum; 

and fellow at the National Institute of Justice Crime Mapping Research Center. Ms. Wartell 

has performed a wide range of research on and analysis of various crime problems and 

police-related issues, worked on strategic planning efforts, and coordinated the development 

of a series of crime mapping training modules. She has conducted extensive training and 

made presentations to officers and analysts around the world on topics relating to crime 

analysis and problem-oriented policing, has edited or authored numerous publications, 

and currently teaches GIS in Urban Studies at the University of California-San Diego. Ms. 

Wartell has a master’s degree from San Diego State University in public administration with 

an emphasis in criminal justice administration.

Nancy G. La Vigne

Nancy G. La Vigne is director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, where she 

leads a staff of more than 35 researchers and oversees a research portfolio of more than three 

dozen active projects spanning a wide array of crime, justice, and public safety topics. Before 

being appointed as director in 2009, Dr. La Vigne served for eight years as a senior research 

associate at the Urban Institute, directing projects on prisoner reentry, crime prevention, 

policing, and the evaluation of criminal justice technologies. 

Prior to joining the Urban Institute, Dr. La Vigne was the founding director of the Crime 

Mapping Research Center (since renamed the Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety 

program) at the National Institute of Justice, the research, technology, and evaluation 

arm of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). She later served as special assistant to the 

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs within DOJ. She has held 

positions as research director for the Texas sentencing commission, research fellow at the 

Police Executive Research Forum, and consultant to the National Council on Crime and 

Delinquency. Her research interests focus on criminal justice evaluation, prisoner reentry, 

policing, crime prevention, and the spatial analysis of crime and criminal behavior. She has 

published widely on these topics, her work appearing in a variety of scholarly journals and 

practitioner publications. 
| 34 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

Dr. La Vigne holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College, a master’s in public affairs from 

the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, and a 

doctorate from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
| 35 |

Endnotes

Endnotes

1. Payne and Dabney (1997).

2. Basca (2008).

3. Thomas and Francis (2012).

4. Thomas and Francis (2012).

5. Wright (2004), Fitzgerald and Reid (2012), Taylor (2002).

6. Klein (2012).

7. Klein (2012).

8. Eltman (2011).

9. Klein (2012).

10. Goodnough (2011).

11. Executive Office of the President (2011).

12. Executive Office of the President (2011).

13. National Drug Intelligence Center (2001).

14. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2013).

15. Blevins et al. (2012).

16. LaBelle, Venzon, and Barthe (2011).

17. Gebhart (2011).

18. Gebhart (2011).
| 36 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

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39. Student Party Riots. Tamara D. Madensen and John E. Eck. 2006. 

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45. Domestic Violence. Rana Sampson. 2007. ISBN: 1-932582-74-6

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48. Bank Robbery. Deborah Lamm Weisel. 2007. ISBN: 1-932582-78-9

49. Robbery of Convenience Stores. Alicia Altizio and Diana York. 2007. 

ISBN: 1-932582-79-7

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51. Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities. Justin A. Heinonen and John E. Eck. 2007. 

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52. Bicycle Theft. Shane D. Johnson, Aiden Sidebottom, and Adam Thorpe. 2008. 

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53. Abandoned Vehicles. Michael G. Maxfield. 2008. ISBN: 1-932582-88-6

54. Spectator Violence in Stadiums. Tamara D. Madensen and John E. Eck. 2008. 

ISBN: 1-932582-89-4

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56. Homeless Encampments. Sharon Chamard. 2010. ISBN: 978-1-935676-01-0

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58. Theft of Scrap Metal. Brandon R. Kooi. 2010. ISBN: 978-1-935676-12-6
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Bowers, Lorraine Gamman, Loreen Mamerow, and Anna Warne. 2010. 

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61. Aggressive Driving. Colleen Laing. 2010. ISBN: 978-1-935676-18-8

62. Sexual Assault of Women by Strangers. Kelly Dedel. 2011. 

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63. Export of Stolen Vehicles Across Land Borders. Gohar Petrossian and Ronald V. Clarke. 

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64. Abandoned Buildings and Lots. Jon M. Shane. 2012. ISBN: 978-1-932582-01-7

65. Animal Cruelty. Kelly Dedel. 2012. ISBN: 978-1-932582-05-5

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69. Drug-Impaired Driving. Joe Kuhns. 2012. ISBN: 978-1-932582-08-6

70. Home Invasion Robbery. Justin A. Heinonen and John E. Eck. 2013. 

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72. Hate Crimes. Joshua D. Freilich and Steven M. Chermak. 2013. 

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Robbery of Pharmacies

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12. Monitoring Offenders on Conditional Release. Lacey Schaefer, John E. Eck, and Francis 

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1. Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide for Police Problem-Solvers. 

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2008. ISBN: 1-932582-85-1 

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Eck. 2005. ISBN:1-932582-52-5 

2.	 Policing Terrorism: An Executive’s Guide. Graeme R. Newman and Ronald V. Clarke. 

2008. 

3.	 Effective Policing and Crime Prevention: A Problem-Oriented Guide for Mayors, City 

Managers, and County Executives. Joel B. Plant and Michael S. Scott. 2009. 

4.	 Implementing POP: Leading, Structuring, and Managing a Problem-Oriented Police 

Agency. Michael S. Scott and Stuart Kirby. 2012. ISBN: 978-1-932582-61-1 

5.	 Intelligence Analysis for Problem Solvers. John E. Eck and Ronald V. Clarke. 2013. 

ISBN: 978-1-935676-55-3 

| 41 | 
| 42 |

Robbery of Pharmacies

Upcoming Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Solving Tools

Identifying and Defining Policing Problems

For a complete and up-to-date listing of all available POP Guides, see the Center for 

Problem-Oriented Policing website at www.popcenter.org.

For more information about the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series and other COPS 

Office publications, call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770, e-mail 

AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov, or visit the COPS Office Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
| 43 |

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series | Notes
| 44 |

Robbery of Pharmacies | Notes
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing

Got a Problem? We’ve got answers!

Log onto the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing website at 

www.popcenter.org for a wealth of information to help you deal more effectively 

with crime and disorder in your community, including:

•	 Recommended readings in problem-oriented policing 

and situational crime prevention

•	 A complete listing of other POP Guides

•	 A listing of forthcoming POP Guides

Designed for police and those who work with them to address community 

problems, www.popcenter.org is a great resource for problem-oriented policing.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented 

Policing Services (COPS Office).
Pharmacy Robbery describes the scope and seriousness of this problem and factors 

that contribute to it; recommends analysis questions for understanding local 

pharmacy robbery problems; and explains, on the basis of research and police 

practice, how police can effectively address the problem.

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

145 N Street NE

Washington, DC 20530

To obtain details about COPS Office programs, 

call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770.

Visit the COPS Office online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

ISBN: 978-1-932582-29-1

e021411627

Published 2015

Scan this QR code with your 

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about the POP Guides Series, or visit 

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