Pennsylvania attorney general teams with CVS to prevent pharmacy robberies

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPVI) -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined CVS executives to announce new safety measures to help prevent pharmacy robberies.

The chain will install time-delay safes in its more than 500 locations, including Target stores, statewide.

The safes are expected to deter pharmacy robberies by delaying the time it takes for pharmacy employees to open them.

Shown is a surveillance video of a pharmacy in Whitemarsh Township being robbed of the opioid, oxycodone, in May.

Shapiro said today he believes the time-delay safes will help prevent prescription drug misuse which leads to opioid addiction.

"If we can begin to keep these pills out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them, pills where you know four out of every five heroin users begin their cycle of addiction with one of these pills. If we can do that then we can make a difference in this crisis. We can save lives," he said.

CVS Health also announced a $20,000 grant to Drexel University's College of Medicine to enhance its outreach project that distributes naloxone to reverse overdoses.