Walmart is making an unusual move to deter theft by providing police a workspace inside one of its stores

• An arson-damaged Atlanta Walmart store is slated to include a workspace for police when it reopens in 2024.
• The location was closed in December after shoplifters lit fires to distract from their thieving.
• Walmart is tapping City of Atlanta funds to keep the store operating amid a rise in retail crime.

Nearly every Walmart location has a few common departments — grocery, pharmacy, housewares — but an Atlanta store is slated to have one that few others have: police.

Plans call for the Walmart in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood to include a designated workspace for law enforcement officers when it reopens in May next year.