the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ , Glen Rock continues to uphold its reputation as one of Bergen County’s safest and quietest communities, but one issue has become a persistent concern: shoplifting at local retail stores, especially Bottle King liquor store on Prospect Street.
📍 Bottle King: A Frequent Target in a Low-Crime Borough
According to Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann, the two most common targets for shoplifting in the borough are Bottle King and CVS Pharmacy. While the town sees minimal overall crime, Bottle King has reported 10 shoplifting incidents since May 11, 2024, based on police blotters.
The store, which opened in July 2016, has faced a troubling pattern of thefts—one of which turned dangerous. On Halloween night 2024, an employee was injured after being struck by a vehicle while chasing a suspected shoplifter. The driver was later arrested as an alleged accomplice.
💰 What’s Being Stolen — and How Much?
The March 26, 2025 incident involved $320 worth of liquor stolen, but that’s just a piece of the puzzle. Over the past year, the total value of stolen merchandise exceeded $2,700. Charges were filed in about half of the cases, and the police credit Bottle King’s advanced security system with helping solve many of the crimes.
Despite their success in apprehending suspects, Chief Ackermann says the real challenge lies in the organized nature of these thefts.
“This isn’t just someone stealing to survive,” Ackermann explained. “These are organized retail theft rings targeting stores like Bottle King for profit and resale.”
📊 Shoplifting Cases Are on the Rise in Glen Rock
While Glen Rock isn’t known for high crime rates, shoplifting incidents have increased sharply in recent years:
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2023: 27 incidents
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2022: 7 incidents
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2021: 14 incidents
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2020: 10 incidents
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2019: 5 incidents
This local trend aligns with statewide data, showing property crime and motor vehicle theft on the rise across New Jersey since 2016, according to the NJ State Police.
⚖️ Calls for Stronger Shoplifting Laws in New Jersey
Police Chief Ackermann is calling on New Jersey legislators to take stronger action against shoplifting.
“Our state Legislature needs to take a stance,” he said. “Right now, property crimes aren’t prioritized, and the penalties for shoplifters are too lenient. We need real deterrents.”
Ackermann emphasized that without meaningful legal consequences, communities—even safe ones like Glen Rock—will continue to face rising thefts from organized retail criminals.
🛑 What Glen Rock Is Doing About It
Despite the increase, Glen Rock PD remains proactive:
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Surveillance and forensic evidence from Bottle King is helping identify and arrest suspects.
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The department is monitoring patterns and collaborating with other agencies to combat retail theft rings.
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Community awareness is also growing, as residents and businesses remain vigilant.
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Bottle King does not have enough employee presence in the store. When I shop there, it is impossible to find a person to help. They do not put a security guard near the entrance or exit, even on the busiest of days. How many times do you need to have this happen to make a change to your process? Increasing penalties for shoplifting will also help.
BK is too cheap to have an armed guard at the exit.
Armed guard? So any shoplifter will be shot?
Only if they run.
Yes, actions have consequences…or at least they should.
ID folks at the entrance (to make sure they are 21).
Bottle king needs to go old school. Patrons need to make an appointment online & need to be buzzed in after showing valid ID.
And everything behind thick plexiglass as the customer stands inside a little cage the whole time. All transactions through a window and no direct contact between parties.
I don’t know about Glen Rock being the quietest and safest, a lot of nefarious stuff has happened in the past months
Crime happens everywhere! Being safe in a small town is a elusion.
To their credit the Glen Rock cops are making arrests, now the system needs to start holding crooks found guilty responsible and not keep letting them go