ORC Crash Course for Prosecutors & DA Office
In Case You Missed It: Retailers, DAs Partner to Train Prosecutors on ORC

New course: How to Fight Against Organized Retail Crime

Today the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), and Learn it Media announced the launch of an online course that enhances prosecutors' efforts to combat organized retail crime (ORC). The first-of-its-kind course helps prosecutors build stronger cases in collaboration with retailers and law enforcement.

"For too long, criminals have considered retail theft to be a 'low risk, high reward' crime. A key to flipping the script on that narrative is to arm front line prosecutors with the evidence they need to secure convictions against prolific and violent ORC gangs. This course is designed to do just that, teaching prosecutors about the inner workings of ORC gangs, the criminal scams in which they engage, and the evidence trail they leave behind. This course should be made available in DAs' offices across the country who see ORC for what it is - a dangerous and costly scourge impacting communities," said RILA Senior EVP of Retail Operations Lisa LaBruno.

ORC Crash Course for Prosecutors & DA Office Investigators is intended to help public sector partners better understand ORC and why it is a problem they should care about, with content including:

• Defining ORC - what it is and what it isn't
• Identifying common players in ORC networks and their roles
• Explaining the cost of ORC
• Detailing how ORC scams work
• Describing available evidence
• Providing tips for effectively partnering with retailers
• Providing local, regional, and national resources

The online course was developed with the support of the Loss Prevention Foundation and with help from the Coalition of Law Enforcement & Retail. It is available to prosecutors and DA office investigators at an introductory price of $25, with a limited number of free scholarships available.

See the full course outline here. Prosecutors and DA Office investigators can claim their scholarship and access the course here. rila.org


Complete Your NRF/LPRC Survey on the Impact of Retail Crime
BOLO: NRF & LPRC release survey for new industry study on the Impact of Retail Theft and Violence.

The National Retail Federation, along with research partner the Loss Prevention Research Council, is launching a new study: The Impact of Retail Theft and Violence.

NRF sent an email to asset protection function leaders from more than 400 retail organizations asking them to complete a survey to shape this new study. As our industry continues to face epic levels of crime, theft, violence and loss, our goal is to provide key statistics and data showing the rate of these events and the impact on our industry over the past few years.

We need your help in completing our survey! To best inform legislators, community leaders, law enforcement and others we need strong collective results, truly representative of the industry. Completing the survey on behalf of your organization helps us achieve data representative of the real issues you face every day. Most of the survey questions were developed through conversations and common inquiries from policymakers and LP/AP leaders. Furthermore, the more participation and data we have, the more sector-specific analyses can be completed.

All LP/AP department leaders, please check your email for the survey link, which is specific to your organization. If you believe you have not received our survey or have questions about the upcoming study, please contact David Johnston at NRF.

On behalf of NRF and LPRC, thank you for all you do every day and helping us advocate and inform with actionable data and insight into the issues impacting us all.


Will NY Governor Sign 'Retail Worker Safety Act'?
Workplace safety bill awaits governor's action

The Retail Worker Safety Act requires active shooter and de-escalation training for most retail sites and easily accessible panic buttons for larger stores.

The state Senate passed the Retail Worker Safety Act earlier this month, which would go into effect by 2027 for large retailers if signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The bill would require any businesses with 10 or more employees to establish violence prevention policies - including active-shooter drills and de-escalation training. Employers with 500-plus employees would need to install panic buttons in their stores, whether it be in an easily accessible location or ones that are worn by workers. Those alarms would alert local emergency response officials to respond as they would for a 911 call.

Retail giant Walmart opposes the requirements, citing the cost of installation as a major hindrance. Retail officials claim that the use of the panic buttons might cause more problems than expected. Walmart executive Dan Bartlett told Reuters in early June that they estimate 80 percent of the panic-button alerts would turn out to be a false alarm.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union - while not representing Walmart employees - has supported the bill, launching a campaign that organized news conferences and rallies across the state to spread awareness about the rise in retail theft and violence in those workplaces. Union President Stuart Appelbaum spoke of the urgency of the safety measures that the legislation would provide if signed into law. timesunion.com
 

TJX's Body Cam Push Makes More Headlines
TJ Maxx and Marshalls' owner makes bold move to stop retail theft

The discount retailer, which also owns HomeGoods, has taken an extreme step to cut down on retail theft and shoplifting.

TJX Cos. (TJX), the parent of Marshalls, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, has made preventing shrink a priority and is testing a new method to prevent it. TJX Chief Financial Officer John Klinger made clear that the company has been working to cut down on shrink in its stores. He talked about it during the company's fourth-quarter-earnings call.

"Shrink was an area that we were laser-focused on as an organization all year long. I want to recognize and thank all the associates who worked extremely hard on our initiatives throughout the year," he said.

Klinger did not share any specifics about its efforts to stop shrink as it's probably not a good policy to tell thieves the steps you are taking to stop them. He did, however, share some broader comments.

In TJX's most recent earnings call Klinger did talk about one specific antitheft measure.

"So, one of the things that we've added, we started to do last year, late towards the year, were body cameras on our associates. And when somebody comes in, it's sort of - it's almost like a deescalation where people are less likely to do something when they're being videotaped. So, we definitely feel that that's playing a role," he shared. thestreet.com


Does the FBI Need to Publish Monthly Crime Data?
Lagging crime data fuels misperceptions, thwarts prevention, study finds

Council on Criminal Justice calls for faster reporting by police, FBI, to enable better crime-fighting and public awareness.

When the FBI next releases nationwide crime data this fall, the numbers will be up to 18 months old. That's a problem for policymakers and for the American public, according to a report issued Tuesday from the D.C.-based Council on Criminal Justice that calls on police and federal agencies to provide more information, faster.

More recent crime data currently comes from outside groups that gather it piecemeal from local police websites, which the reports' authors and crime analysts in interviews said impedes both law enforcement's responsiveness and the public's true understanding of crime in the moment.

"As a democratic society," said John Roman, director of the Center on Public Safety and Justice, NORC at the University of Chicago, "we need to know what the facts are, so elected leaders can solve the problem as it exists, not as it's messaged." Homicides in America have plunged recently to levels not seen since the 1960s, said Roman, who chairs the working group that issued the report, but "the public reaction is, 'How are we going to fight this violence epidemic?', when there is no epidemic."

The council's report urges the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics to begin publishing monthly crime statistics from a nationally representative sample of cities and counties, similar to how the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers and releases employment data every month. It also recommends that the bureau begin including crimes typically excluded from conventional crime data, such as cybercrime, environmental crime and white-collar fraud.

The FBI issues a national crime report once a year based on submissions from police departments, a practice that began in 1930 with the goal of providing annual trends in major crimes. At the urging of policing experts, crime victims and politicians, the agency in 2021 switched to a much more detailed set of statistics that many police departments have been slow to adopt - an evolution that has also further slowed the pace of reporting. washingtonpost.com


Canada Struggles to Compile Shoplifting Data
Windsor police look to compile shoplifting stats differently due to unco-operative retailers
Windsor's police chief says 22 per cent of the thefts under $5,000 this year have been due to shoplifting. But he says one retailer in particular is reporting 30 per cent of those shoplifting incidents.

And he says that retailer won't co-operate with police to prevent future shoplifting. He says since police can't do much to prevent those occurrences they will likely begin to report those cases separately.

"They're going to be reported in two sets of statistics, the one that we know the police can address and work with partners to do something and other statistics that people are reporting but have no interest in participating in afterwards and I think that's fair," said Chief Jason Bellaire at a recent Windsor Police Services Board meeting. Police won't say which store they're talking about.

Police have been holding meetings with BIA members on Ottawa Street and Erie Street to help them make it harder for criminals to victimize shop owners.

Pharmacist Tim Brady said while hold ups of pharmacies are down because drugs are kept in safes with timers. But he says shoplifting is up and it can cost them plenty.

Bellaire said the shoplifting stats from stores that won't co-operate with police in prevention programs will be "bolted on" as an addendum to the other statistics. ca.news.yahoo.com


Banning Gas Station Lock-Ins
Detroit Bans Gas Stations From Locking Customers Inside, a Year After Fatal Shooting
The city of Detroit is taking steps to ban gas stations from locking people inside the store, a year after a man was fatally shot during an argument with another customer. Police said a clerk's decision to lock the door while he was safely behind protective glass contributed to the shooting.

An ordinance approved Tuesday by the Detroit City Council would make it illegal for employees to push a button to remotely lock the door. It would apply to businesses whose workers are protected by glass, The Detroit News reported.

"The goal of this is to ensure that we keep the threat outside the convenience store, gas station, liquor stores or party stores," council member James Tate said. In May 2023, the failure to complete a $3.80 electronic purchase led to violence.

"If not for the fact that he locked the door, none of this would have happened," Judge Kenneth King said of Aiyash. Aiyash's attorney said he didn't know McCray had a gun when he locked the door. time.com


New Crime Gun Intelligence Center aims to prevent violent crime in northeast Ohio

Prevention Institute: Gun Violence Must Stop. What We Can Do to Prevent More Deaths
 

Stream Episode 20 Now!

'Retail Crime Uncovered' Podcast Presented by Sekura Global

It's incredible to think that we are 20 episodes into the Retail Crime Uncovered podcast, and wow, what a journey! In this special season finale, Emmeline revisits the best of the interviews and maps out the key learnings from industry experts, police and, of course, offenders themselves. From ORC to tagging, self-service to guarding, this episode is jam packed with the latest thought leadership and innovative practice. If there is one place to go for a roundup of LP / AP news and developments over the last 12 months, you've got it right here!

The fascinating podcast hosted by Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology supported by Sekura Global. Retail theft insights from leading crime and loss experts, shop staff and policing bodies. Hard-hitting interviews with ex-offenders and retail criminals.
 

Stream All Episodes Here

Denver, CO: Police search for 8 suspects accused of stealing more than $2M in merchandise at Denver jewelry store
Eight armed men caused a nightmare of a scene at a Denver jewelry store, the store's owners say. Joyerias El Ruby is a family-owned jewelry store on West 38th Avenue in Denver that's been around for 24 years. On Monday afternoon, crooks got away with millions in merchandise, according to the store's owners. Lidia Tena, one of the owners, said it was a traumatic experience she wouldn't wish on anyone. They're hoping that, by sharing their story, these men get caught soon.  cbsnews.com


McClean, VA: Chanel store at Tysons Galleria robbed, thousands in merchandise stolen
A robbery at Tysons Galleria on Tuesday afternoon resulted in an increased police presence at the upscale shopping center. Around 3 p.m., police were called to the Chanel store in Tysons Galleria following reports of a robbery. According to initial reports, a group entered the luxury handbag and accessories boutique and left with items worth thousands of dollars. Witnesses, including employees from nearby stores, recounted seeing about six people, both men and women, running out of the store, dragging stolen items and cases. At this time, it is unclear if there were any injuries to employees or shoppers during the robbery.  fox5dc.com


Coeur d'Alene, ID: Coeur d'Alene Police Department investigating burglary at Pick 6 Sports Cards
The Coeur d'Alene Police Department (CDAPD) is investigating a burglary that happened Tuesday morning at Pick 6 Sports Cards. Police say at around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, a dark-colored Ram pickup backed into the front of the store to get inside. Police said the suspects then entered the store and took a significant amount of valuable sports trading cards. Police said the suspects later fled, driving north on Lincoln Way/Highway 93 before heading westbound on I-90. CDAPD said the truck sustained damage to the tailgate and at least one of the rear taillights. Police also said the truck also had a stolen license plate attached to the back of the truck.  krem.com


Hobe Sound, FL: Retail theft suspects arrested, accused of stealing thousands of dollars of cosmetics
Retail theft continues to be a problem across our area. The Martin County Sheriff's Office had yet another run-in with thieves recently, including a teenager. Elena and Eugenia Dunca are the latest in a long line of traveling thieves to be stopped in Martin County. Last week, deputies say the two Romanian women used a 14-year-old boy to distract employees at the CVS on Salerno Rd. in Stuart, so the women could steal cosmetic products. "The 14-year-old boy would distract the employees by asking questions. At one point, he went into the bathroom and they cleaned house at that CVS," explained Martin County's Chief Deputy and Sheriff-Elect John Budensiek. "Within a short period of time, they walked out with over $2,000 worth of merchandise." The sheriff-elect says that was only the beginning, however. The trio then tried to go to another CVS, this time in Hobe Sound. According to the sheriff's office, the Stuart CVS alerted the Hobe Sound store that they were hit by thieves, giving them a description of the suspects. Though deputies say the trio had already stolen from the store by that time, that description helped them track down the suspects...who were apparently trying commit yet another theft. "We were able to find them back in Stuart at a Walgreens trying to do the same crime," Budensiek said. "Our detectives were able to block them in, make an arrest and in the vehicle was about $8,000 worth of merchandise from multiple Walgreens stores and multiple CVS stores."   cbs12.com


Columbia, SC: Officers searching for man accused of stealing from sporting goods store
Columbia Police is asking for the public's help identifying a man accused of stealing from a sporting goods store at the Village at Sandhills, says CPD. The man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of YETICoolers and other merch from Academy in Harbison and the Village at Sandhills over the past several months.  abccolumbia.com


Huntingdon Valley, PA: Man Stole $1,000 In Meds, Cosmetics From Weis Markets