JEWELERS’ SECURITY ALLIANCE

2015 ANNUAL CRIME REPORT

Jewelers’ Security Alliance

6 East 45th Street

New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212-687-0328

Tel: 800-537-0067

Fax: 212-808-9168

Email: jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org

Web Site: http://www.jewelerssecurity.org

Stolen Jewelry: http://www.stolenjewelry.org

Prepared by: Scott F. Guginsky, John J. Kennedy and Ryan O. Ruddock

Published March 4, 2016

2

CONTENTS:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, p. 2

PART ONE: COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES CRIME, p. 3

PART TWO: ON-PREMISES CRIME, p. 3

PART THREE: OFF-PREMISES CRIME, p. 11

Appendix A: DOLLAR LOSSES-INFLATION ADJUSTED - 15 YEAR CHART, p. 14

Appendix B: HOMICIDE CHART-JEWELERS KILLED-2000 TO 2015, p. 15

Appendix C: 2015 CRIMES AND ARRESTS BY STATE, p. 16

Appendix D: SITE OF ON-PREMISES CRIMES, p. 17

Appendix E: JSA SOURCES OF CASE INFORMATION, p. 18

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. The total number of crimes* committed against U.S. jewelry firms reported to JSA

decreased from 1,381 in 2014 to 1,177 in 2015, a decrease of 14.7%.

2. The total dollar losses from crimes committed against U.S. jewelry firms decreased

from $77.8 million in 2014 to $69.3 million in 2015, a decrease of 10.9%.

3. Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there were

arrests of two major smash and grab robbery gangs in the first half of 2015. As a

result of these arrests, there were half as many smash and grab robberies in the second

half of 2015 (24) as in the first half of 2015 (48). For the full year 2015, smash and

grab robberies numbered 72 compared to 110 in 2014.

4. Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there was an

arrest of a major rooftop burglary gang. As a result of the arrest of this gang, the

number of burglaries in which the criminals entered from the roof decreased from 36

in 2014 to 19 in 2015, a decrease of 47.2%.

5. The number of jewelers killed in crimes against jewelry firms was two in 2015

compared to three in 2014, and the number of jewelers who were the victims of non-

fatal shots declined from 15 in 2014 to 3 in 2015, an 80% decline.

6. The long term decline in dollar losses from crimes against jewelry firms in the U.S.

has amounted to a 63.2% decline since 1998 in 2015 inflation adjusted dollars, and a

22.5% decline in the last five years.

*JSA Crime Definitions:

Robbery – Taking of property from a person by use of force or fear.

Burglary – Entering premises after closing with intent to commit a crime. Includes hiding in a jewelry

location, taking product and breaking out after closing

Theft – Taking of property without force or fear. Includes crimes such as check and credit card fraud,

distraction crimes, diamond switches, sneak thefts and shipping losses that present evidence of

criminal activity. The term “shoplifting” is too vague and not used to describe events in this report.

3

Part One: COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES

LOSSES/EVENTS

1. DOLLAR LOSSES

CATEGORY 2015 Dollars 2014 Dollars 2013 Dollars

ON-PREMISES $54.5 mil $63.9 mil $56.3 mil

OFF-PREMISES $14.8 mil $13.9 mil $10.2 mil

Total: $69.3 mil $77.8 mil $66.5 mil

2. EVENTS CATEGORY 2015 Events 2014 Events 2013 Events

ON-PREMISES 1120 1323 1374

OFF-PREMISES 57 58 40

Total: 1177 1381 1414

From 2014 to 2015 dollar losses decreased by 10.9%, and the total number of

criminal events decreased by 14.7%.

Part Two: ON-PREMISES CRIME

This section provides statistical data regarding criminal activity that targets jewelry

locations as opposed to couriers, traveling salespersons, or retailers away from their

stores. For example, this section includes a robbery, burglary or theft committed at a

retail jewelry store, at the plant of a jewelry manufacturer or the office of a

wholesaler.

54.5

63.9

56.3

14.8 13.910.2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2015 2014 2013

Do

llar

Loss

es

(Mill

ion

s)

Year

On/Off Premises Dollar Losses

On Premise Losses Off-Premise Losses

4

1. TOTAL DOLLAR LOSSES - $54.5 MILLION Available data regarding all on-premises crime categories indicates a 14.7% decrease

in dollar losses, and a 15.3% decrease in criminal events in 2015 compared to 2014.

In 2015 the JSA received 1,120 on-premises crime reports compared to 1,323 reports

in 2014.

A. Dollar Losses/On-Premises Crime (in millions)

CATEGORY 2015 2014

Robbery $26.8 $34.0

Burglary $17.7 $18.7

Theft $10.0 $11.2

Total: $54.5 $63.9

B. Incident Percentage Breakdown/On-Premises Crimes

CATEGORY 2015 2014

Theft 56.5% 60.4%

Burglary 22.8% 18.4%

Robbery 20.6% 21.0%

2. ROBBERY – 38 STATES

A. Number of Robbery Events The number of robberies in 2015 decreased by 17.2% from 2014. There were 231

robberies reported to the JSA in 2015 compared to 279 in 2014. The number of

Smash and Grab robberies decreased from 110 in 2014 (20 with a gun) to 72 in 2015

(15 with a gun), which is a 34.5% decrease. In 2015 there were 57 arrests of suspects

in smash and grab cases compared to 56 arrests in 2014.

B. Robbery Dollar Losses

Robbery dollar losses decreased significantly, that is, by 21.8% compared to 2014.

Losses for 2015 were $ 26.8 million compared to $34.3 million for 2014.

C. Most Active State/Robbery – by percentage of total robberies 2015 2014

California 18.2% California 15.7%

Texas 11.3% Texas 14.6%

Florida 8.2% New York 9.0%

New York 6.5% Florida 6.1%

Note: Chart reflects the percentage of total number of on-premises robberies and

indicates that 44.2% of jewelry industry on-premises robberies were committed in

just four states. On-Premises robberies occurred in 38 States.

5

D. Most Active Month/Robbery

Most Active: January (12.5% of total robbery events)

Least Active: November (5.1% of total robbery events)

Average Robberies per month: 19.2

E. Most Active Time of Day/Robbery In 2015 the greatest number of robberies occurred between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

The second most active time of the day for a robbery to occur was between 10:00

a.m. and 11:00 a.m. There was no 60 minute time period during a normal work day

when robberies did not occur.

F. Most Active Days of Week/Robbery As reported in previous years, robbery events occurred with similar frequency on

weekdays and with less frequency on weekends. Thursday was the most active day

during 2015. Sunday, when many jewelry firms are not open for business, was the

least likely day for a robbery to occur.

G. Percentage of Robbery Events With a Gun/Violence

Robbery events with violence: 2015 2014 2013

27.3% 21.9% 21%

Robbery events with a gun: 2015 2014 2013

59.3% 36.5% 65%

38 3739

45

29 29

14

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Nu

mb

er

of

Eve

nts

Days of the Week

Most Active Days of the Week - All Robberies

6

There was a sharp increase in 2015 in the percentage of robberies in which robbers

displayed a gun, and an increase in violence during robberies.

H. Smash and Grab Robberies 2015

Smash and grab robbers struck mall locations most frequently, and malls had as many

smash and grab robberies as all the other types of locations combined.

Mainly due to the arrest of two major smash and grab robbery gangs in the first half

of 2015, there were only half as many smash and grab robberies in the second half of

2015 (24) as in the first half (48).

4

9

1

36

6

12

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Dept. Store DowntonShop

FleaMarket

Mall StandAlone

StripCenter

Unknown

Eve

nts

Locations

Smash and Grab Locations 2015

11

98

78

54

6

3

7

0

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Eve

nts

Month

Smash and Grab Robberies by Month

7

Based on 59 Cases in which exact time of Smash & Grab was recorded.

3. HOMICIDE

A. Homicide Victim Categories VICTIM CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013

Retail Jeweler/Relative 2 3 5

Customer 0 0 0

Traveling Salesperson 0 0 1

Police Officer 0 0 0

Total 2 3 6

B. Near-Fatal Violent Incidents INCIDENTS 2015 2014 2013

Someone shot (not fatal) 3 15 12

Shots fired, no one hit 15 6 17

11

14 14

1112

7

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Eve

nts

Days

Smash and Grab Robberies by Day of the Week

5

11

2

6

2

4 4 43

2

13

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

10-11AM

11-12PM

12-1PM

1-2PM

2-3PM

3-4PM

4-5PM

5-6PM

6-7PM

7-8PM

8-9PM

9-10PM

Eve

nts

Time

Smash and Grab Robberies By Hour of the Day

8

In 2015, three robbers were killed by jewelers during the commission of a robbery,

while in 2014, one robber was killed by a jeweler.

The number of shots fired in jewelry robberies when no one was hit more than

doubled in 2015, while the number of jewelers who were victims of non-fatal shots

declined 80% from 2014.

4. BURGLARY LOSSES - $17.7 million - 40 States

A. Dollar losses decreased. Losses were $18.7 million in 2014 compared

to $17.7 million in 2015, which is a 5.3% decrease in dollar losses. In 2015, 256

burglaries were reported to JSA compared to 244 in 2014, a 4.9% increase.

B. Safe Attacks. The frequency of safe attacks decreased by

14.2% in 2015 compared to 2014. In 2015, eighteen safe attacks occurred in 11 states

and represented 7% of the total number of burglaries against the jewelry industry.

Florida and California were the most active states for safe attacks and the average loss

for a burglary that involved a safe attack was $292K.

C. Three-Minute Burglaries (B3M) $3.9 Million Losses – 34 States

These occurrences are identified as “Three Minute Burglaries” because that is the

approximate time required to complete this crime. They are usually committed in the

middle of the night by smashing a glass front door or window of a retail

establishment, and then smashing display cases and stealing out-of-safe merchandise.

The B3M category represents approximately 48.4% of the total number of burglaries

experienced by the jewelry industry. Out of 256 burglaries reported in 2015, 124

were B3M compared to 157 in 2014, a decline of 21% Three-minute burglaries occur

only when jewelry is not secured and out of sight overnight. The average B3M in

2015 resulted in a loss of approximately $23K in jewelry, compared to $17K in 2014,

an increase of 35.3%. In addition B3Ms cause property damage, business interruption

and possible negative customer reaction.

D. (B3M) Three-Minute Burglary - Frequency by day and month -

DAY MONTH

Mon 16 Jan 9 Jul 10

Tue 21 Feb 13 Aug 14

Wed 20 Mar 10 Sep 10

Thu 22 Apr 18 Oct 8

Fri 18 May 13 Nov 4

Sat 12 Jun 13 Dec 2

Sun 15

Burglary (Not B3M) - Frequency by day and month -

DAY MONTH

Mon 12 Jan 5 Jul 10

Tue 20 Feb 6 Aug 12

Wed 21 Mar 7 Sep 26

Thu 21 Apr 10 Oct 17

Fri 19 May 5 Nov 11

Sat 23 Jun 7 Dec 16

Sun 16

9

E. Most Frequent Points of Entry/All Burglaries

During high-tech burglaries that involve a safe or vault attack, entry is often gained

by cutting a hole in the roof or an adjacent unprotected wall, ceiling or floor after an

alarm system has been compromised in some manner.

ENTRY POINT 2015 2014 2013

Front Door 31% 27% 27%

Window 16% 19% 22%

Wall 7% 7% 4%

Roof 7% 14% 11%

Veh. Smash 3% 4% 4%

Security Gate 1% 1% 2%

Unknown/Other 35% 28% 30%

Note: In approximately 35% of the burglary reports received by the JSA, the point of

entry was not clearly defined, could not be confirmed, or occurred in a manner not

listed above.

F. Rooftop Burglaries: Entry through a roof.

JSA received reports of 19 rooftop burglaries from ten states in 2015 compared to 36

in 2014, a 47.2% decline. California was the most active state with five rooftop

burglaries. The majority of these burglaries resulted in large losses. Alarm systems,

often without line security, were compromised. In other cases when alarm signals

where sent, responding police units, unable to detect any obvious evidence of a break-

in during a cursory exterior inspection, and unable to conduct an internal search, left

the scene while the burglars were possibly inside, on the roof or nearby. In most of

the recent rooftop burglaries the suspects took merchandise left out in showcases

overnight.

G. Most Active States/ All Burglaries

STATE 2015 2014

California 12% 13%

New York 8% Not Listed

Florida 7% 12%

Texas 6% 7%

North Carolina 6% 7%

Georgia 5% 4%

Note: Chart reflects percentage of the total number of burglaries and indicates that

approximately 44% of the total number of burglaries in the United States occurred in

just six states.

10

5. THEFT: $10 MILLION IN LOSSES (633 CRIMES) IN 2015 vs. $11.2

MILLION IN LOSSES (800 CRIMES) IN 2014.

A. Frequent Theft Methods CATEGORY EVENTS AVERAGE LOSS

Grab & Run 301 $7,156

Sneak Theft 94 $21,349

Distraction 70 $29,179

Credit Card & Payment

Fraud

64 $13,950

Switches 27 $10,001

Internal Theft 14 $36,754

Cut/Lift Glass 11 $13,339

Pick & Key 5 $6,800

Grab and run losses reported in 40 States.

In 2015, there were 301 grab and run crimes reported to the JSA, compared to 337 in

2014. Approximately 47% of all thefts reported to the JSA in 2015 were grab and run

events. Police arrested and charged 59 suspects in connection with grab and run

events in 2015, in which several suspects had committed multiple grab and runs.

A grab and run can result in a significant dollar loss, and one grab and run in TX

resulted in a loss of $59,000 in jewelry merchandise. Note: 17.2% of all grab and run

crimes reported to JSA resulted in arrests by law enforcement.

B. Theft - Grab and run -Frequency by Hour of the Day –

Based on 220 cases reported to JSA in 2015 in which the exact time of the loss was reported.

1 2

912 12

18 19

28

22 23 22

18

30

30 1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

8 - 9am

9 - 10am

10 -11am

11 -noon

12 - 1pm

1 - 2pm

2 - 3pm

3 - 4pm

4 - 5pm

5 - 6pm

6 - 7pm

7 - 8pm

8 - 9pm

9 - 10pm

10 -11pm

11 -12

night

Eve

nts

Time

Grab and run Thefts By Hour of the Day

11

C. Theft - Grab and run - Frequency by day and month–

DAYS MONTH

Mon 48 Jan 31 Jul 22

Tue 65 Feb 18 Aug 27

Wed 32 Mar 16 Sep 30

Thu 43 Apr 23 Oct 28

Fri 42 May 19 Nov 30

Sat 39 Jun 38 Dec 19

Sun 32

PART THREE: OFF-PREMISES CRIMES

This section provides statistical data regarding criminal attacks occurring away from

the victim’s business base of operations. For example, attacks against traveling

jewelry salespersons, trunk and remount show operators, couriers, firms exhibiting at

jewelry shows, retailers attacked away from their place of business, including at

home, and other industry members traveling with jewelry.

1. OFF-PREMISES DOLLAR LOSSES - $14.8 MILLION – 16 States

Dollar losses increased 6.4% during 2015 and the number of criminal events

decreased by 1.7%. This report compared 57 cases from 2015 to 58 cases reported to

JSA in 2014. Off-Premise crimes were reported during all calendar months for 2015

with December the most prevalent month for off-premise crimes (8). In 2015, a total

of 42 crimes involved a traveling salesman which was 73% of all off-premise crimes

in 2015.

A. Off-Premises Dollar Losses By Crime Category

B. Percentage of Total Off-Premises Events By Crime Category

CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013

Robbery 82.5% 62.1% 70%

Theft 14.0% 34.5% 27.5%

Burglary 3.5% 3.4% 2.5%

CRIME CATEGORY 2015 2014 2013

Robbery $13.6 million $11.7 million $8.7 million

Theft $1.1 million $2.2 million $1.48 million

Burglary $108K $22K $55K

Total $14.8 million $13.9 million $10.2 million

12

2. OFF-PREMISES ROBBERIES

A. Violence

There were 47 off-premises robberies in 2015, including traveling jewelry

salespersons, retailers and couriers, which is up 30.5% compared to 2014. In 33% of

all the off-premises crimes (19 out of 57) reported to JSA in 2015, a victim was

physically assaulted, usually in response to some level of resistance on the part of the

victim. A gun was displayed in 13 of the robberies and a knife was displayed during

10 incidents.

B. Trunk/Remount Shows

In 2015 the JSA received three reports regarding Trunk/Remount show losses.

3. OFF-PREMIESES THEFT - $1.1 MILLION IN LOSSES

There were eight off premises thefts in 2015. Seven out of the eight thefts were from

unattended vehicles. Unless special insurance riders have been purchased, this type of

loss is not generally covered by insurance.

A. Off-Premises Theft Dollar Losses 2015 2014 2013

$1.1 million $2.2 million $1.48 million

4. MOST FREQUENT CRIME SCENES

CRIME SCENE 2015 2014 2013

Parking lots 43% 16% 13%

Highways/Street 19% 21% 13%

Residence 7% 12% 18%

Show related 5% 14% 5%

Hotel/Motel 3% 5% 15%

Airports 3% 0% 3%

Restaurants 1% 2% 8%

Gas Stations 0% 5% 3%

In 2015 Parking Lots were the most common place of occurrence for off premises

attacks, at 43%, and highway/street was second, at 19%.

13

5. SUSPECT PROFILE

In the great majority of off-premises losses reported to the JSA, in which suspect

descriptions were provided or arrests made, male and female Hispanic suspects were

indicated. Based on law enforcement reports, the majority of those arrested were

found to be from Colombia and residing in the U.S. illegally. Local and Federal law

enforcement agencies have confirmed the existence of organized criminal groups

identified as South American Theft/Robbery Gangs (SATG), that target the jewelry

industry. SATG are also operating in Canada and throughout the world, including at

major jewelry trade shows, and are involved in major criminal activities related to

organized retail theft and other non-jewelry related crime.

6. MOST ACTIVE STATES - 21 States (2015 - 15 States)

States with losses: CA, FL, IL, IN, MD, NY, VA GA, MI

CO, PA, TX, WA, ID, TN.

A. Most Active States for Off-Premises Losses

Percentages shown reflect the percentage of the total number of off-premises losses.

The information provided in this chart demonstrates that 72% of all off-premises

losses occurred in just four states during 2015.The increases in Texas and Florida

demonstrate that one or two active gangs operating in an area can greatly change the

percentages in any given year.

In 1999 the U.S. diamond, jewelry and watch industry experienced 323 off-premises

losses, overwhelmingly of traveling jewelry salespersons and trunk show personnel.

Since then there has been a steady decline in this category of crime. In 2015 JSA

received just 57 reports of such crimes. Important contributing factors regarding this

reduction are the dedicated interest by law enforcement, particularly the FBI in

cooperation with local law enforcement agencies; the greatly reduced number of

traveling jewelry salespeople on the road due to the changing methods of jewelry

distribution and sales; and the greater education and information sharing regarding

crime prevention.

STATES 2015 STATES 2014

1. Texas 28.1% 1. California 34.4%

2. Florida 21.1% 2. New York 10.3%

3. California 17.5% 3. Florida 6.9%

4. Illinois 5.3% 4. Nevada 6.9%

Total 72.0% Total 58.5%

14

Appendix A

U.S. JEWELRY INDUSTRY CRIME LOSSES

1998 THROUGH 2015

LOSSES STATED IN 2015 INFLATION ADJUSTED DOLLARS

In 2015 inflation adjusted dollars, crime losses by jewelry firms in the U.S. have

decreased 63.2% between 1998 and 2015, from $188.23 million to $69.3 million.

YEAR LOSSES STATED IN 2015 DOLLARS

1998 $188.23 million

1999 $193.39 million

2000 $162.28 million

2001 $164.21 million

2002 $166.00 million

2003 $171.06 million

2004 $136.22 million

2005 $134.70 million

2006 $123.81 million

2007 $110.49 million

2008 $113.41 million

2009 $107.45 million

2010 $87.41 million

2011 $89.51 million

2012 $61.86 million

2013 $67.66 million

2014 $77.89 million

2015 $69.30 million

15

Appendix B

JEWELRY INDUSTRY PERSONNEL KILLED

DURING ROBBERY EVENTS, 1995-2015.

1615

11

8

10

3

6

12

9

2

4

21

23

4

7

2

6

32

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

De

ath

s

Years

Jewelry Industry Personnel killed During Robbery Events

Year Deaths

1995 16

1996 15

1997 11

1998 8

1999 10

2000 3

2001 6

2002 12

2003 9

2004 2

2005 4

Year Deaths

2006 2

2007 1

2008 2

2009 3

2010 4

2011 7

2012 2

2013 6

2014 3

2015 2

Total 128

16

Appendix C

COMBINED ON/OFF-PREMISES 2015 CRIMES AND ARRESTS BY STATE

All crime categories, robbery, burglary and theft, on-premises and off-premises, were

included in the preparation of this chart. “Arrests” refers to the number of persons

arrested during 2015.

California, the state with the most crimes in 2015, also has the most jewelry retail

locations, and has traditionally led the U.S. in jewelry crime.

No reports of jewelry crimes were reported to the JSA from the states of North

Dakota, Hawaii, Wyoming or from the District of Columbia.

The number of crimes in the six states with the most crimes (CA, FL, NC, KY, TX,

PA), which are also states that have the largest populations and the largest number of

jewelry stores, was 45.7% in 2015. These six states also had 48.1% of the arrests.

State AL AR AK AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI

Crimes 19 7 2 23 133 17 8 0 4 86 46 0

Arrests 4 4 0 2 74 11 8 0 0 20 10 0

State IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN

Crimes 1 2 33 10 11 17 12 39 25 2 19 26

Arrests 0 2 9 8 4 4 5 18 11 1 6 23

State MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH

Crimes 13 7 1 54 0 4 5 45 5 12 97 44

Arrests 5 1 1 24 0 2 3 9 3 4 46 17

State OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA

Crimes 23 25 52 4 42 1 21 116 3 7 19 25

Arrests 6 7 22 2 11 0 9 26 1 0 1 11

State WI WV WY

Crimes 5 5 0

Arrests 4 2 0

TOTAL 2015 CRIMES: 1,177 (Crimes in 2014 – 1,381)

TOTAL 2015 ARRESTS: 441 (Arrests in 2014 – 694)

17

Appendix D

Site of On–Premises Crimes 2015

Location Robbery Burglary Thefts

Mall 97 77 422

Strip Center 52 64 64

Downtown/ Center

City

43 33 71

Stand Alone 22 50 39

Flea Market 4 3 1

Antiques Store 2 4 1

Unknown 11 25 35

Malls and strip centers have far more crime losses than all the other types of sites

combined.

On-Premises Crimes Reported to JSA

Chains vs. Independent Jewelers

CRIME CATEGORY &

STORE TYPE

2015 2014

Burglary in

Multi Branch, Retail Chains

& Dept. Stores

21.3% 21.7%

Burglary in

Independent Jewelers

78.7% 78.3%

Robbery in

Multi Branch, Retail Chains

& Dept. Stores

39.3% 36.2%

Robbery in

Independent Jewelers

60.7% 63.8%

Theft in

Multi Branch, Retail Chains

& Dept. Stores

66.5% 59.6%

Theft in

Independent Jewelers

33.5% 40.4%

18

Appendix E

JSA Sources of Case Information

JSA Membership (over 20,000 retail, wholesale and manufacturing jewelry locations.)

Local jeweler crime prevention networks

JSA law enforcement information sharing network

Jewelry retail chains information sharing network

Non-member crime victims

Associate trades: alarms, safes, private security, etc.

Insurance companies, insurance brokers and adjusters

Media, trade publications and online sources.

The statistics provided in this report are based solely on case specific information

obtained by the JSA. Only information that in the opinion of the JSA is credible, and

can be verified in some way as to its accuracy, is used in the compilation of these

statistics. Extremely large and/or suspect dollar amounts may not be included in some

calculations to prevent skewing. The loss values reported should be considered

conservative, and may be greater than indicated. JSA seeks to use loss values at cost,

not retail value, and no values from past years are adjusted for inflation unless

specified.

It is not possible for the JSA to obtain information on every jewelry industry crime

which occurs in the United States for several reasons, not limited to the fact that many

go unreported, even to the police. However, the JSA database is the largest, most

complete and accurate in existence. It is the opinion of the JSA staff that information

pertaining to additional criminal events would not have a significant effect on the

dollars or percentages derived from existing information.