Big box stores and costs

Many years ago, I read an article from a newspaper out west about how, while it was great that a city got a Walmart, and the retail sales tax revenues generated by the store, at the same time the costs to the city for serving the property, especially police services with regard to theft and other calls, ate up a significant chunk of the seeming revenue.

(I notice too that the Hyattsville Police Department seems to have a unit permanently stationed at the Prince George's Plaza Mall.)

Mesa Arizona has 6 Walmarts, and 15% of the police service calls in the city are generated by the Walmart stores. See "6 Mesa Walmarts top list of retail theft calls in city" from the Arizona Republic.