Calls To WNY Police Agencies From Walmart Cost Taxpayers Big Time

If you've never checked out the website called "People of Walmart," you're missing out on some incredible entertainment.  It highlights some of the crazy stuff you could see while you're there.  But when that craziness turns into an issue of public safety and the police have to be called, it stops being so funny.

According to WGRZ, when the police get called to local Walmart stores, it ends up costing taxpayers over $400,000 per year.

The figure was gathered by adding up the number of calls that they made to six stores across Erie County between May 24, 2015 and May 24, 2016.

• Cheektowaga - 786 calls
• Hamburg - 600 calls
• Amherst - 461 calls
• Lancaster/Depew - 283 calls
• Clarence - 265 calls
• Springville - 233 calls

The calls average 7.4 per day, add up to 10,812 man hours for local authorities.That's a cost to taxpayers of $400,044.

“No retailer is immune to the challenge of crime. We recognize the importance of this issue at the highest levels of the company, and we are investing in people and technology to support our stores." - Walmart