Real-Time Tech & Collaboration Between Retailers, Vendors & Police
Combatting organized retail crime with real-time intervention

When it comes to retail crime, the battle against ORC demands innovative strategies and technological advancements.

U.S. retailers are looking for support from Congress in the fight against organized retail crime (ORC). The percentage of shoplifting incidents designated as felonies has risen from 6% in January 2019 to 15% in January 2023.

Real-time intervention is a critical component for combatting ORC. For identifying and disrupting criminal activity, retailers must establish protocols for the use of video surveillance, facial recognition software (where legal), predictive analytics, the collection of documents, plate recognition, and continuous product tracking in interventional efforts.

DIVERSE STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY ORC GROUPS

ORC groups employ a multitude of tactics to carry out their operations. These include using temporary employees to gather information, colluding with internal staff to steal inventory, paying truck drivers to facilitate thefts, and even tampering with truck door counter mechanisms. Uncovering the various methods of these criminal networks is crucial for developing effective countermeasures.

CHALLENGES FACED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND RETAILERS

Retailers and prosecutors are uniting to fight retail crime and they need the support of technology providers for the implementation of effective real-time intervention strategies that are easy to implement to counteract the activities of organized criminals.

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

The key to combating ORC lies in adopting cutting-edge technologies that can outsmart criminal networks. One possible solution is plate identification based on criminal records and alerting local staff that a "suspicious" car has just parked outside. Another is deploying small cellularly-connected communication devices that are embedded within inventory pallets.

By utilizing this covert technology, retailers could consistently track stolen inventory, gather irrefutable evidence, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to take down criminal rings with specific locations of unlawful inventory at warehouses.  Once the stolen inventory is traced to a particular warehouse, collaboration between retailers, vendors, and law enforcement becomes crucial. The joint effort leads to the capture of the ORC ring, dismantling their operations and safeguarding the retail industry from further losses.  fastcompany.com


Balancing Accountability & Treatment in the Dueling Theft & Drug Crises
We need change - and amending Prop. 47 through the Homelessness, Drug Addiction & Theft Reduction Act is the only way

Opinion: The path forward in California's retail theft and drug crisis
California has experienced a disturbing rise in retail theft, a challenge that has not only impacted businesses but also raised concerns about the broader implications for community safety. Recent legislative efforts to address the surge in crime that were referenced by the editorial board on February 27 are a clear acknowledgment that state leaders are beginning to take public safety seriously. But while well-intentioned, those legislative solutions fall far short of addressing a serious problem which can only be corrected by a vote of the people.

Proposition 47, passed by California voters in 2014, aimed to reduce overcrowding in state prisons by reclassifying certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. While the stated purpose behind this measure was to promote fairness in the criminal justice system, it inadvertently set a threshold which has made it challenging to hold repeat retail theft offenders accountable. Under Proposition 47, thefts under $950 are not classified as felonies - even for repeat offenders - which has resulted in a surge of individuals who repeatedly commit these thefts with little fear of significant legal repercussions.

This is where the Homelessness, Drug Addiction & Theft Reduction Act comes in. This vital ballot initiative represents a balanced approach - recognizing the need for accountability while also emphasizing the necessity of drug treatment. By adjusting the threshold for theft to ensure accountability and enhancing incentives for completing drug treatment programs, this act proposes a more effective strategy to tackle the underlying issues contributing to retail theft and drug addiction.

We need change - and amending Prop. 47 through the Homelessness, Drug Addiction & Theft Reduction Act is the only way Californians will be able to achieve the kind of meaningful changes we need to safeguard public safety.  ocregister.com


Gloomy Perception of Crime Clashes with Promising Stats
Over 75% of Americans say there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago - despite new FBI data

US stats show violent crime falling, so why is there a rising clash with perception?
In his State of the Union address this month, President Joe Biden boasted that the nation reported a historically low murder rate in 2023 and violent crime had plummeted to one of the lowest levels in 50 years.

For some Americans, however, the perception of crime is clashing with the statistics.

"I don't believe it, plain and simple. I don't believe it because we're experiencing different results," Auriol Sonia Morris -- a South Carolina education, finance and legal consultant -- told ABC News.

More than three-quarters of Americans say there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago and more than half of Americans say the same about crime in their local area, according to a Gallup poll released in November.

The FBI quarterly uniform crime report published on Tuesday indicates a widespread decrease in violent crime during 2023 compared to the previous year, as well as a 13% decline in homicides relative to 2022.

Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighted the FBI's report in separate statements, crediting the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction strategy launched in 2021 and the White House's American Rescue Plan, which committed $15 billion to preventing crime and reducing violence. abcnews.go.com


New Mexico the Most Dangerous, New Hampshire the Safest State
States With The Worst (and Best) Crime Rates

Property crimes have increased in recent years, while the rate of violent crimes has decreased.

In the United States, New Mexico is the most dangerous state, with a higher rate of violent crimes per capita than any other location. New Hampshire is the safest. There are many kinds of crimes, though, and it's important to understand the big picture when assessing risk.

Certain crimes are indeed being committed more frequently-specifically property crimes. However, there was a 1.7% decrease in violent crime nationwide in 2022 compared with the year prior. And murders and cases of non-negligence manslaughter decreased by 6.1%.

While a reduction in murder and manslaughter cases is positive news, this substantial decline in murder rates was driven in part by troubling trends during the pandemic. Murder rates increased by a shocking 30% in 2020, with more than 75% of those crimes committed with a firearm.

The most dangerous states in the U.S. can be found in diverse areas across the country, but Southern States are disproportionately represented. Southern states account for two of the five most dangerous U.S. states. States in New England account for four of the five safest U.S. states. forbes.com


Oakland's In-N-Out officially closes due to ongoing crime

After 18 years of serving East Oakland, the restaurant near the airport shuttered.

In-N-Out, the Southern California-based burger chain, shut down its Oakland location for good at 1 a.m. Monday, after a final day of serving burgers in East Oakland. While In-N-Out has relocated some of its stores before, this is the first time the chain has closed a restaurant in its 75-year history.

In a statement back in January, In-N-Out Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said that the decision to close was due to "ongoing issues with crime." This closure marks the latest business to leave the corridor in East Oakland near Oakland International Airport.

On Sunday, several visible private security guards patrolled the outside of the restaurant and an Oakland police officer was stationed in a cruiser watching as people entered. Signs outside the restaurant warned guests about the risk of break-ins and urged them to lock their cars. nbcbayarea.com


Retail Crime Surge Driving Businesses Out of California
Full List of California Stores That Have Closed Due to Crime
Both San Francisco and Oakland-considered a cheaper alternative to the City By the Bay for artists and young professionals-have recently been in the spotlight for an increase in retail theft, which has led to the exodus of major companies.

Here is a list of all stores that have closed across California due to crime between summer 2022 and spring 2024:

• 7-Eleven: In July 2022, the company advised several of its California locations in the LA area to change their operating hours to increase customer safety amidst a rash of crime.

• Whole Foods: In May 2023, the supermarket chain announced the closure of its "flagship" branch in downtown San Francisco, which it had opened only 13 months before in March 2022.

• Nordstrom: In the same month, Nordstrom announced the closure of both of its stores in downtown San Francisco, blaming the changing dynamics in the city market over the past few years.

• Target: In September 2023, Target announced the closure of several of its stores in California-including in Oakland and San Francisco-over concerns of a rise in retail theft.

• Starbucks and Subway: In November 2023, two Starbucks stores and a Subway restaurant located on Hegenberger Road and 98th Avenue closed their doors due to car break-ins targeting their customers.

• Denny's: In January 2024, a Denny's, which had been on on Hegenberger Road in Oakland for 54 years, closed after being hit by a series of crimes.

• In-N-Out Burger: In the same month, In-N-Out Burger announced its only Oakland store was shutting its doors, citing threat to the safety of its employees and its customers.

• Macy's: In February 2024, Macy's announced the closure of one its most iconic locations, the store in Union Square, San Francisco, due to a rise in shoplifting.

• Taco Bell: In March 2024, the company announced it has suspended indoor dining in four of its restaurants in Oakland, and limited it in a fifth store to customers making contactless payments.  newsweek.com


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