Retailers in Portland Overwhelmed by Shoplifting
Shoplifting cases in Portland have nearly tripled in three years

Portland retailers struggle with surging shoplifting
Businesses across Portland are feeling the weight of rising retail theft, an issue that has only worsened since the pandemic. For some, the losses have been too much to bear. In the past year, major retailers like Target and REI shut down stores in Portland, citing unsustainable crime levels. Smaller businesses aren’t faring much better.

For Nicole Whitesell, theft has become an unavoidable part of doing business. She owns Adorn, a boutique with multiple locations around Portland. It used to be four stores —until she shut down her downtown location after repeated break-ins. “The emotional stress was too much,” she said.

Shoplifting during business hours is another challenge, one that Whitesell sees no real solution for. “We can say it’s a lost cause,” she said. “There’s literally nothing you can do.”

FOX 12 Investigates analyzed crime data and found that reported shoplifting cases in Portland have nearly tripled in three years, reaching 10,000 cases in 2024. And one company is at the center of it all. Data shows that more than 5,000 shoplifting cases—over half of all reports—came from New Seasons locations in 2024. Three of the chain’s stores each reported theft more than 1,000 times last year.

Adam Schenker, a former prosecutor who now works on behalf of major retailers like Walgreens, Target, Whole Foods, and Fred Meyer, says the real number of theft cases is likely even higher.

“Bluntly speaking, that’s probably underreporting the amount of crime that’s coming out of those stores,” Schenker said. “Several of the retailers I work with have more than a dozen crimes happening in a day.” kptv.com
 

Funding Cuts Will Hamper Effort to Fight ORC
Washington: King County prosecutor warns defunding could hamper retail crime prosecutions
Victims of retail theft in King County could see a lack of legal support from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office if proposed cuts to the officer occur in the next biennial budget.

King County is facing a projected $150 million shortfall in its general fund for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget cycle that requires major budget cuts after this year. Earlier this year, a list of general fund target reductions was released that included a $15.5 million hit to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Amid a slew of concerns Manion has if the proposed cuts go through, one includes the inability to take on repeated retail crime cases, despite demands from the business community, who are often victims of the crime.

“We currently do not have enough resources to meet the needs in our communities – I think that there are some property cases that we would have to deprioritize so that we could focus on violent crimes, sexual assault, [and] gun crimes,” Manion said during the committee meeting.

“The demands that we are seeing from our business community – because of repeated retail theft and retail crime – I think those would have to move lower down on our list of priorities. I’m not sure that we would be able to address those crimes,” she continued.

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce said King County should ensure its resources are sufficient enough to address public safety issues including organized retail theft. thecentersquare.com


ORC Coalition Makes More Headlines
State leaders, law enforcement look to target rise in organized retail crime
CONNECTICUT, USA — While recently-released state data shows serious crimes like murder and vehicle thefts are down in Connecticut, the state is looking to target another issue on the rise nationwide: organized retail crime.

"Organized retail crime typically involves stealing goods from retailers through various methods at different stages of the supply chain. What's really important to note as well is that organized retail crime is as sophisticated as any other type of crime," said Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Quinnipiac University Kimberly Przeszlowski.

Attorney General William Tong is co-leading a 38-state and territory bipartisan coalition in urging Congress to take action to address the rise in organized retail crime across the country. In a letter to congressional leadership, Tong and the rest of the coalition are urging Congress to re-introduce a bill to include increased federal penalties for supply chain thefts.

"I think for law enforcement, it's a lot of you have to develop task forces, you have to be very versed in how to approach these things from a crime prevention standpoint, so for a lot of the resources to be put in place, it takes a lot of time, effort, resources and oftentimes there's a disconnection in that process," Przeszlowski said. fox61.com
 

60% Rise in Active Shootings
Securing Critical Infrastructure Against Active Shooter Threats
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"Please don't scam or steal from us."
Fulton County clothing store asks customers not to steal from them
A local clothing store is asking people not to steal from them after a recent shoplifting incident at its location off Fulton Industrial Boulevard. In a message posted alongside the video, the store pleaded with customers, writing, "Please don't scam or steal from us."

In 2022, retailers lost $112.1 billion to shoplifting and employee theft, according to the National Retail Federation. According to Capital One Shopping, Georgia retailers lost $2.356 billion in revenue to theft in 2022.

In 2023, a survey by NRF found that retailers had experienced a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year from 2019. fox5atlanta.com

 
Albuquerque police data shows crime decreased slightly in 2024

UK: Violent crime victimisation rates steady, not dropping, data shows
 

The DEI Debate Continues to Rage
Call It What You Want, but DEI is Really a Talent Strategy

Now isn't the time to give up the values of DEI and risk not attracting talent to our organizations, says Christie Smith.

It’s time for a bit of a reality check when it comes to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), says Christie Smith, PhD, former vice president of inclusion & diversity at consumer electronics giant Apple and founder of The Humanity Studio.

DEI has had its ups and downs over the years but now is a very dangerous time to question this concept, says Smith. “When we look at the skill scarcity as well as the half-life of skills, combined with the economic impact of low employee engagement, we are at a crisis situation in the workplace.”

That isn’t the ideal time to be giving up the values of DEI and risk not attracting talent to our organizations, especially if companies want to meet their revenue and growth goals, she says.

One needs to look no further than the reality of demographics. Millennials and Gen Z are the most diverse workforce this country has ever had, Smith points out. And companies need to draw from this pool of talent, which views DEI in the workplace as essential, if they want to be successful.

Another characteristic of these groups is that they represent the fastest growing segment of workers called fractional workers. “These are workers who are fine with not joining a major corporation and are building their own companies,” Smith says. “Are companies going to risk their competitive advantages by ignoring the values of diversity, equity and inclusion and not attract these workers?”  ehstoday.com


Will Tariffs on Canada & Mexico Happen This Time?
Canada and Mexico tariffs will take effect March 4, Trump confirms

The president will also impose an additional 10% import tax on China next week and hinted at plans to soon levy 25% duties on the European Union.

President Donald Trump said tariffs on Canada and Mexico that have been on pause for nearly a month will go into effect March 4, according to a Truth Social post Thursday. The president also said the U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on China the same day.

The announcement comes a day after Trump indicated in a press briefing that he would soon announce 25% tariffs on imports of cars and other goods from the European Union. He also reiterated that April 2 would be the implementation date for his reciprocal tariff policy, a vow he repeated again Thursday.

Trump originally ordered 25% import taxes on Canada and Mexico to go into effect Feb. 4 but delayed implementation following agreements by both countries to address fentanyl trafficking. retaildive.com


Will It Be Effective?
Feb. 28 ‘Economic Blackout’ Boycott Planned by Activists
If you’ve been active on social media over the past few days, chances are you’ve witnessed at least one post related to a so-called “economic blackout” boycott slated to take place on Feb. 28, as the month draws to a close.

The blackout’s goal is fairly simple: don’t buy anything (if at all possible) on Feb. 28, particularly from large corporations. Whether it’s in-store or online, the aim is to halt purchases from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on the last day of the month.

“No Amazon, no Walmart, no fast food, no gas,” Schwarz said, as quoted by Yahoo! News. “Not a single unnecessary dollar spent.” retailwire.com


Season 2025 Episode 1 "ISCPO State of the Union - 2025”
Welcome to the "ISCPO 360 Security" podcast where Byron Smith, Glenn Master, and Rod Fulenwider discuss the ISCPO 2025 State of the Union. In this first episode of 2025, we will be reflecting on the progress the ISCPO has made over the past year and will discuss what lies ahead in 2025. We will share insights on how ISCPO continues to evolve, fostering collaboration among professionals and solution partners across sectors to enhance global supply chain security.

For more details on the ISCPO, visit our website ⁠⁠www.iscpo.org⁠⁠ or email us at info@iscpo.org


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