We've discussed this issue before, but it deserves more attention because stories like this one are becoming a nearly daily occurrence.

The woman in this story was, as she says, relatively lucky. We've heard for far worse stories than someone getting knocked over and getting their purse taken. Still, it must have been a terrifying experience, and it's becoming a trend. Those wishing to steal, kidnap, assault, or otherwise harm others have figured out that Walmart parking lots are a pretty easy place to do it. There are usually people around, but not too many, and there is never security, except maybe a camera.

The infuriating thing about this trend is that Walmart could so easily prevent it. All it would take would be one security officer at each store walking around the parking lot, or driving around the parking lot, every so often. There has been research done that suggests if Walmart does this one simple thing, they could cut crime in their parking lots down almost to none. It wouldn't take much, they could reassign one of their security guards for ten or fifteen minutes each hour, or hire a new one since Walmart is always bragging about job creation now. Walmart has a responsibility to the communities they are in (which they also brag about) to stop this trend of parking lot crime.

Here's the story from the local TV station:

Police said they're looking for an SUV full of purse thieves after a woman was robbed while walking to her car at a Del City Wal-Mart. Martha Patrick said it happened very fast.

"They were watching for somebody," she said. "They didn't care who it
was."

She said she noticed the red SUV in the parking lot, but didn't think anything of it. That's when she was quickly knocked off her feet.
"He was hanging out of the car door, out of the window," she said.
She said she was knocked to the ground. She scraped up her knee and lost her purse.

"I had, probably, $60," she said.

She also lost credit cards. Patrick said that because she works unusual hours, crimes like that do cross her mind, but she never expected it to happen to her.

"I thought many times, 'I'll have my keys in my hand or something. I'll just stab them with my keys.' But it happened so fast, they knew what they were doing," she said.

Patrick said she feels lucky because not only did security cameras catch the attack on video, she escaped without broken bones.

"Just shattered nerves," she said.

Midwest City police said the same vehicle was identified in the same type of crime just a half-hour earlier and only a few miles away in Midwest City.