Report: N.Y. senator proposes tougher penalties for pharmacy crime

NEW YORK — A senator from New York is proposing new regulations that would protect pharmacies from robberies, according to published reports.

The Associated Press reported that Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., proposed stronger penalties and better security measures so that pharmacies could protect their drugs, following a pharmacy robbery on Long Island that resulted in the death of an off-duty federal agent.

Under the plan, the Drug Enforcement Agency would issue guidelines that would include installing silent alarms, timed safes and bulletproof glass, as well as sharing of pharmacy crime data between the DEA and local police. Theft from drug stores would be punishable by 20 years' imprisonment.

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