Shoplifting on rise

Thanks to career criminals and some changes in state law, the number of shoplifting cases in Columbus has increased dramatically and so has the dollar value of the goods taken, according to data released Thursday by the office of City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer. The Prosecution Division in Pfeiffer's office filed a total of 4,590 theft charges in 2015, 11.2 percent more than in 2014 and 69 percent increase over the number in 2008 .