Pharmacists concerned about drug security

Pharmacists are finding there's only so much they can do to protect themselves in the wake of last week's Medford drugstore slayings and Sunday's holdup of a CVS in Farmingville.

Some keep the drugs that robbers covet most in safes with time-delay locks. Around the country, pharmacies have put window bars on prescription counters. A number of druggists have armed themselves or hired armed guards. Video surveillance is common -- and was present in the two Suffolk stores that were recent targets.

But there is concern that extreme measures will alienate regular customers.

"We can encapsulate them in bulletproof glass, but then you're going to lose that personal touch that pharmacists are known for," said John Burke, president of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. "That's a problem."

Even before the June 19 execution-style killings of four people inside Haven Drugs during a robbery for thousands of hydrocodone pills, pharmacists faced an increase in prescription painkiller holdups. Both Nassau and Suffolk are on pace to report more such robberies this year than last.

On Sunday, a young man used a note to steal $200 cash and several hundred oxycodone pills from the Horseblock Road CVS in Farmingville, Suffolk police said. Suffolk police Monday posted a $5,000 CrimeStoppers reward for information as detectives canvassed nearby pharmacies and reviewed the CVS surveillance footage.

CVS, which offered employees counseling, declined to detail its security measures. One customer there Monday said she is shaken by the crimes.

Jennifer Faria, of Medford, said she often spent an hour inside the Farmingville CVS as she waited for prescriptions. Now, she uses the drive-through. "It's not about being lazy," she said. "I don't want to take a chance."

Rx Patrol, a pharmaceutical-company-run website that gathers crime data on prescription drug thefts, has recorded 1,978 such robberies in the United States this year. The Drug Enforcement Administration's New York field division investigated 125 percent more drugstore break-ins last year compared to the one prior.

Its agents, which held a safety seminar for local pharmacists just days before the Medford killings, stressed not resisting robbers' demands and keeping pills locked up behind the counter.

"People have to be aware this is a growing problem," said Robbie Michaelis, a DEA supervisory special agent.

Keith Hodges, a National Community Pharmacists Association board member, uses a wireless panic button system at his Gloucester, Va., drugstore. By pushing a button clipped to their belts, staff can alert an alarm company, which immediately contacts police. "Technology can you really help you here," Hodges said.

Burke said some pharmacies have moved prescription counters to the front of stores, more visible to people outside.

Experts suggest training employees to obtain a suspect's detailed physical description and frequently cleaning counters to capture better fingerprints.

Howard Levine, executive director of the Long Island Pharmacists Association, was held up twice last year at his Belmont Drugs store in West Babylon. He continues to push for legislation limiting access to prescription painkillers. "We're all a little bit on edge, scrutinizing prescriptions, re-evaluating procedures," he said. "But, again, what more can you really do?"

A police officer once advised Levine against arming himself, he said, saying that in most cases, if a robber is intent on shooting, he'll almost always get off the first shot. "Nobody wants a gunfight in their own store," Levine said.

With Tania E. Lopez and Michael Amon