Pete Marczyk is fed up with the “culture of permissiveness” in Denver.

“There doesn’t seem to be much reason for people not to shoplift. I mean, we just have to depend on the kindness of strangers to not do that,” said Marczyk, who owns Marczyk’s Fine Foods.

The store, open since 2002, has two locations. The original location at 770 E. 17th Ave. in Uptown is stolen at least three or four times a week, Marcyzk said. Its second location at 5100 E. Colfax Ave. is hit at least once or twice a week.

It’s more than once or twice a month before the pandemic.

And thieves, said Marcyzk, are like mice. If you see one, you probably have several you don’t know about.

“I fought people to the ground,” the 58-year-old said.

Before the pandemic, Marczyk said it was common to have “beaten cops” stopping by several times a week. Their presence, he said, was a big deterrent to crime.

Now, Marczyk said, no one is stopping. And he doesn’t think it’s worth calling 911.

“When we call, if there’s no physical violence involved or threats of violence, they just won’t come out,” Marczyk said. “They just don’t have time.”

He points to the department’s decision in May to limit enforcement of low-level traffic violations, such as expired license plates, as evidence that Denver police are not interested in tackling smaller matters.

Marczyk declined to share the dollar amounts of the stolen material, but said that in an industry where profit margins below 5 percent are common, a few items taken make a big impact. He employs 90 people between the two stores and his warehouse in Park Hill.