When I learned that a group of shoplifters fled security at a Northeast Philadelphia Walmart, leaving behind a 3-month-old infant, I was saddened but not at all surprised.

We are living with the new nature of crime. Old clichés about honor among thieves have become almost laughable, as those who engage in illegality have adopted a sort of self-destructive recklessness. Gone are the days when women and children were spared.

Today, when even the pettiest of Walmart heists means risking the well-being of an infant, our shock lasts only a moment.

I believe the heartlessness we see in today’s criminals is a reflection of our larger society. Our connections to one another were frayed in the heart of the pandemic, and when we came out from our period of isolation, something about us had changed.

There may have been no better illustration of that transformation than on Jan. 6, 2021 — when thousands stormed the U.S. Capitol at the behest of then-President Donald Trump. That kind of lawlessness has permeated our society, and as much as we want to believe that it can be solved by law enforcement, I don’t think police alone can fix this. Criminals seem to have adopted a fatalistic mindset — one that puts everyone’s lives at risk.

Philadelphia, with new leadership in place, can be at the forefront of addressing this new reality, but we must first recognize that criminals no longer seem to fear consequences. If that is the case, our leaders must not fear change.

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Photo by Mike Mozart: Shoplifting Warning Sign, Walmart Men’s Room, 1/2015. Creative Commons License.