Strengthen Retail & Law Enforcement Alliances at NRF PROTECT

Experience the NRF Fusion Center at NRF PROTECT, happening June 4-6 in Long Beach, Calif.

What is the NRF Fusion Center?

• The NRF Fusion Center is the central command center for retailers to connect with law enforcement at the federal, state and local level as well as mall security and organized retail crime associations.

How can you take advantage of it?

• Connect and Collaborate: Share valuable information, pose questions and foster stronger relationships with colleagues interested in your organization's protection.

• Strategic Discussions: Get new insights and tools to counter retail theft, fraud, cybersecurity threats and enterprise risk issues.

• Interactive Demos: Check out K-9 demonstrations by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Experience the NRF Fusion Center for free!

• Get access to the NRF Fusion Center, 220 solution providers, Exhibitor Big Ideas Sessions and networking events like the NRF PROTECT Opening Party when you register for a Free Expo Pass.

Retail Crime is Not Decreasing - It's Just Massively Underreported
'An estimated 80 percent of retail theft goes unreported these days'

Opinion: The Left Is Wrong - Retail Crime Is on the Rise
The Left says retail crime is going down. The truth? Theft has become so pervasive - and ordinary - that retailers have simply stopped reporting it.

In 2023, NRF reported a continued increase in retail shrink caused by crime. The 2023 survey reported $112.1 billion in losses in fiscal year 2022 - up nearly $20 billion from fiscal year 2021. Despite the clearly evidenced rise in violence and organized retail crime, the Left will tell you that retail crime is going down.

The Council on Criminal Justice data show that - apart from New York City - reports of shoplifting fell 7 percent. Per the report, San Francisco had among the largest decreases in shoplifting from the first half of 2022 to the first half of 2023.

The fatal flaw in such studies on shoplifting is that they rely on the number of reports which were made, not on the actual number of incidents which occurred. These studies confirm that reports of shoplifting are decreasing nationally, but they cannot conclude that shoplifting itself is decreasing nationally (although they often do).

According to the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), which has worked closely with consumers and retail executives to track the rise in shoplifting in California, an estimated 80 percent of retail theft goes unreported these days. Why is this?

For obvious reasons, stores don't want to tell their customers - or their potential employees - that violence on their property is on the rise. As Totten surmised, "They're protecting brand. They don't want to tell the parents of the young people that work in their stores that it's risky for them to do so. They don't want to tell their customers that there is risk associated with them shopping there. So, a lot of theft is underreported."

O. H. Skinner, executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, has noted the heavy costs suffered by the consumers in the face of rising, underreported retail crime. In a letter sent out to executives of the top 25 retailers in the U.S., Alliance for Consumers called on retailers to take action. "When you fail to report theft, robbery, and other crimes, it plays into the hands of the officials who have set our cities ablaze; it empowers those officials to downplay the crime we see all around us as they blithely point to statistics that blatantly underreport what is happening."

The faithful reporting of crime by retailers would confirm for all - even Governor Newsom and the New York Times - that retail crime is truly on the rise. Only then might the surge be stopped. nationalreview.com


Businesses Under Siege, Stores Fleeing Big Cities
Some big cities have fewer retail stores now than before COVID

Retailers flee cities as unarmed security, public authorities fail to curb thefts
Businesses have cited the rise of online shopping and declining in-store profits for pulling out of urban centers from San Francisco to New York. But insiders see a deeper problem in the inability of unarmed security staff to keep employees and merchandise safe, making fewer people want to work or shop in big cities with soft-on-crime policies.

With Walmart and Target both eclipsing $500 million in retail theft losses last year, it's no surprise that the retail giants have closed stores in cities "where theft has gotten out of control," said Kristin Moss, chief ambassador for DealAid.org, which offers online discounts for more than 10,000 U.S. retailers.

Last year, safety concerns forced Target to close nine stores in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Ms. Moss pointed to data showing a concentration of Walmart stores with the highest retail losses in cities with the lowest prosecution rates for shoplifting.

An analysis by J.P. Morgan found San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Miami had fewer retail businesses in the fourth quarter of 2023 than before the pandemic.

The uptick in merchants pulling out of inner cities comes as corporate offices have ordered employees not to interfere with thefts, opting to absorb the losses rather than risk the liability of violent confrontations.

Stores nationwide have locked certain merchandise such as Dove soap behind plastic shields, hired unarmed security guards and trained employees to deter theft without violence. The trend has even reached stores that eliminated positions and converted to self-checkout to save money during pandemic labor shortages.

According to a DealAid.org study, businesses that replaced staff with self-checkout terminals faced an increase in retail thefts of up to 50% last year. As a result, 37.1% of retailers increased the size of their loss prevention and asset protection teams, placing additional security and employees near self-checkout terminals to reduce theft.  washingtontimes.com


Stores Refusing to Press Theft Charges - Is It Fueling the Surge?
Why don't more stores press charges against shoplifters?

Store policies not to prosecute for theft 'send the wrong message,' state attorney says

Retailers in Florida lost more than $5.4 billion in revenue to theft in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation. In Georgia, it was more than $2.3 billion.

Despite major losses caused by shoplifting, many stores have policies that decline to press charges against thieves. State Attorney Melissa Nelson said that's frustrating to her both as a prosecutor and as a citizen.

Nelson said the state can sometimes choose to prosecute offenders without a victim -- in this case the store -- pressing charges. But their job becomes much more difficult without the store's cooperation.

"And it sends the wrong message," Nelson said. "It certainly sends the wrong message to law-abiding citizens who are working hard to pay their bills."

According to data from the Loss Prevention Research Council, one of the reasons retailers are opting for a "hands-off" approach to catching shoplifters is an increase in violence, particularly from those involved in organized retail crime.

More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents told the LPRC that they were seeing even more violence and aggression.

And the consequences for retail theft go beyond lost revenue. Retailers reported being forced to close a specific store location (28%), reduce operating hours (45%), or reduce or alter in-store product selection (30%) as a direct result of retail crime, the LPRC said. news4jax.com


Members of Both Political Parties Partner to Fight Theft
'This shouldn't be a partisan issue ... We need to fix these laws'

New York Lawmakers take action against retail crime

Bipartisan bill would increase penalties for repeat shoplifters

Republican state Sen. Jake Ashby joined other local elected officials at Colonie Center Thursday, Feb. 1, to promote the state legislative action to combat the increase in retail crime. Colonie Center has been suffering from a spike in retail crime after the state implemented criminal justice and bail reforms in 2019.

Ashby and Assemblyman (Angelo) Santabarbara, a Democrat, sponsored the bill, which would increase criminal penalties against repeat shoplifters and help crack down on repeat offenders of petit larceny.

The Senate Bill S7599, introduced July 12, amends the penal law in relation to grand larceny in the fourth degree. Santabarbara introduced the Assembly version.

"This shouldn't be a partisan issue. I'm all for the investments in education, mental health and addiction treatment and that will make our communities safer," Ashby said. "But what about right now? We need to fix these laws and keep the social fabric of our communities from coming apart."

Jeff Law, General Manager of Colonie Center said he recognizes the importance of enhancing the penalties of individuals who are involved in illegal theft from retailers as a productive measure to deter those activities and if the shoppers and tenants witness a crime, must contact the proper authorities.

Albany County Sheriff Criag Apple said that shoplifting is the low hanging fruit and the state needs to immediately address it. Under the current bail laws, even if a person is charged with grand larceny, judges cannot set bail. They have to be released within a few hours, no matter how many cases are open against them. spotlightnews.com


NY's Fight Against Theft Makes More Headlines
Hochul proposes dedicated police forces to deal with retail theft
In response to the growing concern over retail theft in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced new initiatives aimed at curbing shoplifting. Highlighted in her state of the state address, Governor Hochul's plan includes boosting funding for local and state police forces to establish dedicated teams focused on tackling this issue. Additionally, the governor is advocating for the creation of a tax credit to support businesses that have been adversely affected by theft.

Amid rising incidents of shoplifting, which have impacted both local shops and large retailers, the state is exploring various strategies to address the problem. Senator Jake Ashby has echoed the need for more robust measures, introducing a bill to the senate aimed at increasing penalties for repeat offenders. This legislative effort underscores the urgency of finding effective solutions to protect businesses and maintain public safety.

While Governor Hochul vetoed a bill last November that sought to establish a task force against organized theft, her current stance signals a proactive approach to legislative changes. The proposed legislation to enhance penalties for assaulting retail workers marks a significant step towards addressing the broader issue of retail crime in New York. These measures represent the state's commitment to safeguarding businesses and ensuring a safe shopping environment for its citizens. fingerlakes1.com


New D.C. Crime Bill Clears First Hurdle
DC Council gives initial approval to sweeping crime bill

The bill before the D.C. Council includes sections on gun crimes, pretrial detention, drug-free zones, carjackings, police pursuits and retail theft

The D.C. Council gave initial approval Tuesday to a comprehensive crime bill, aiming to reduce homicides, carjackings and other violent crime, especially among young people. The long-awaited first of two votes passed without a controversial provision that would allow police to collect DNA when a person is arrested.

Its provisions would increase penalties for gun crimes. For instance, firing a gun in public would be a felony. It would make it easier for judges to order pretrial detention for those accused of violent crimes - both adults and juveniles.

Other provisions cover retail theft, as stores lock away merchandise or close for good. For repeat thieves who may be stealing at a misdemeanor level, after a certain number of arrests or convictions, they could be prosecuted as felons," Mendelson said. nbcwashington.com


Prosecutors Given a New Blueprint for Mass Shooting Cases?
A Mom's Conviction Offers Prosecutors a New Tactic in Mass Shooting Cases

The guilty verdict in Michigan against the mother of a school shooter will reverberate in prosecutors' offices around the country

The guilty verdict on Tuesday against the mother of a Michigan teenager who murdered four students in 2021 in the state's deadliest school shooting is likely to ripple across the country's legal landscape as prosecutors find themselves weighing a new way to seek justice in mass shootings.

That's because prosecutors in Michigan had notably compelling evidence against the mother, Jennifer Crumbley - including text messages and the accounts of a meeting with school officials just hours before the shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021 - that jurors felt proved she should have known the mental state of her son, Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time.

Legal experts who have followed the case say the successful prosecution of Ms. Crumbley, 45, provides a template for prosecutors around the country to pursue similar cases. nytimes.com


Homicides are up but property crimes are down in Virginia Beach

Waco, TX chief reports 5-year crime decrease during city council meeting
 

Gwinnett County, GA: Nearly $1M in stolen construction supplies found in raid at Buford home
Gwinnett County police have arrested four people after officers say they found nearly $1 million in stolen construction equipment and supplies at a Buford home. Officials say they discovered the massive amount of stolen goods while serving a search warrant at the home on the 4200 block of Tuggle Road on Monday. According to investigators, police wanted to search the home after connecting to multiple narcotics and property crimes. While performing the search, officers say they found numerous pills believed to be Schedule 1 and 2 narcotics and a pile of stolen pieces of construction equipment in the home's two garages. Authorities say they found residential flooring, doors, windows, electrical wire, lights, fans, tools, hardware, and appliances believed to have been taken from local Home Depots, Lowes stores, and construction sites. Investigators arrested and charged 60-year-old Bobby Mosley, 41-year-old Charles Mosley, 48-year-old Estuesta Fortuna Rogelio Jr., 50-year-old and Regina Crane with VGCSA possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. Additional charges may be coming as the investigation continues. "It may take more than a week to have a complete inventory of everything that was stored at the residence," the Gwinnett County Police Department told FOX 5.  fox5atlanta.com