At least one Democrat has woken up and smelled the coffee.

As the Boston Herald reported, Bay State congressman Jake Auchincloss said he’s fed up with asking CVS clerks to unlock products. Frustrated customers have vented about this for years, and not just at CVS, as stores around the country do what they can to cut down on shoplifting.

Residents of cities run by progressive leaders have endured years of policies giving crimes such as shoplifting a pass. Now Auchincloss wants Dems to take a different approach in addressing “degradations to public order.”

Better late than never.

“Drug use, loitering, panhandling, encampments, vandalism, shoplifting – these compound into lawlessness,” the Newton congressman stated in a blog post on his campaign website this week. “There’s nothing compassionate or progressive about permitting them.”

Indeed, the only ones who’ve profited by lax enforcement policies have been the thieves. The rest of us have to ask store clerks to unlock protective shields so we can buy toothpaste. Worse, we’ve seen stores close across the country, driven in part by retail theft.

A report last year from the National Retail Federation noted that retailers surveyed experienced a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 versus 2019 and a 90% increase in dollar loss due to shoplifting during that same time period. The rise in shoplifting has continued past the pandemic.

Locally, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts estimated in 2023 that organized criminal theft activity costs Bay State retailers about $2 billion a year. In 2018, the state Legislature increased the felony threshold for larceny from $250 to $1,200.

That same year Rachael Rollins campaigned for Suffolk District Attorney, rolling out a list of 15 crimes she pledged not to prosecute if elected, from trespassing and shoplifting, to drug possession and resisting arrest, crimes she described as minor and “overwhelmingly … of poverty, mental illness and addiction.”

Retailers were expected to eat the costs and consumers saw store aisles turn into plexiglass vaults.

“Indeed, I think every time a customer has to ask the CVS clerk to unlock the shampoo, Democrats get less popular,” Auchincloss said.

That shouldn’t be the point, but if Dems decide that not turning a blind eye to shoplifting helps the party with the side benefit of letting consumers shop freely in stores that remain open, we’ll take it.

“Running big cities well is a vital way for Democrats to earn back voters’ trust after the catastrophic school closures and increase in crime,” Auchincloss stated in his post.

Running big cities well should be a given, no matter the party. That’s the alleged reason pols run for office, to improve the quality of life for city or state residents. Progressive agendas have left their mark, and not for the better.

“Violent and property crime are the most important to prevent,” Auchincloss said. “But degradations to public order also matter.”

No kidding.

Getting tough on crime isn’t a hallmark of the Democratic Party. Excusing crime, portraying perpetrators as victims, and ignoring the effects lax policies have had on communities has been the fallback position.

Enough.

Auchincloss may be late to the party, and he may couch his stance on scoring points for Democrats, but it’s a start toward bolstering the well-being and safety of our communities.

Editorial cartoon by Chip Bok (Creators Syndicate)