The Battle Against Retail Crime is 'Becoming Harder to Fight'
How to Manage the Retail Crime Crisis
No person should fear for their physical or psychological wellbeing at work. In the retail industry, however, this has become commonplace. Recent data shows that 88 percent of retailers have identified more aggressive and violent shoplifters compared to one year ago. In addition, in 2023, as many as 13 percent of small business owners in the U.S. said they experienced retail theft every single day, with around a quarter of these retailers losing between $1,500 and $2,000 a month as a result.

The long battle against retail crime is becoming harder to fight. Those working in retail are having to remain extra vigilant against the threat, with constant surveillance of the aisles required. When suspicious activity is spotted, knowing the correct action to take isn't always clearly defined. Criminals are also adopting sophisticated techniques when attempting to steal products, such as distracting employees before making a move. For retail employees, crime prevention has had to become a part of their daily work.

Protecting Associates With Smart Technology

Smart technology is essential to building effective security measures on retail sales floors. With a number of devices connected in one ecosystem, teams have more confidence in approaching difficult situations. Crucially, they know they can contact another team member to assist them, as smart devices feature seamless, discreet communication across not just associates, but security personnel and emergency services as well. With this setup, a smart camera can send an alert straight to the security team when it spots suspicious activity.

Telephony integration means that everyone in the team can call the emergency services from anywhere in the store to alert them directly. They don't have to face the difficulty in such scenarios of using a physical phone. The visibility of direct in-store communication channels can serve as a deterrent to criminals.

Making Connected Stores Safer

While it's the role of the police to tackle organized retail crime, measures that ensure the safety of sales floor teams are paramount. A number of retailers have brought in technological solutions in their stores to protect their staff and prevent stock depletion, but now it's a case of ensuring that they're integrated with each other to ensure they feel safe, supported and empowered.  mytotalretail.com


Prop 47 Becomes Top Issue in Presidential Campaign
The California Shoplifting Law That Trump Says Is Too Lenient

Donald J. Trump has said that California allows thieves to steal goods in the state's stores and falsely blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for it.

As Donald J. Trump tests lines of attack against Vice President Kamala Harris, he has claimed that shoplifters in California are allowed to steal up to $950 from stores with no consequence - and that Ms. Harris is to blame.

Mr. Trump, the Republican former president, has increasingly focused on policies in California, Ms. Harris's home state, as a way to portray her as too liberal for the national electorate and try to blunt her efforts to appeal to moderate voters. Ms. Harris, a Democrat, served as the San Francisco district attorney and the attorney general of California before she became a senator in 2017.

"You're allowed to rob a store as long as it's not more than $950," Mr. Trump said at a news conference in New Jersey this month. "Has everyone heard of that? You can rob a store, and you have these thieves going into stores with calculators calculating how much it is. Because if it's less than $950 they can rob it and not get charged. That was her that did that."

Mr. Trump, who repeated the claim at a rally in North Carolina, was referring to Proposition 47, a landmark criminal justice measure that California voters passed overwhelmingly in 2014 to reduce penalties for some theft and drug possession crimes. The changes came as crime rates were falling in California compared with those of previous decades and as the state was being ordered by federal courts to reduce its prison population.

The measure established that shoplifters who steal $950 or less in goods can only be charged with a misdemeanor. Previously, prosecutors had the discretion to charge suspects with either a misdemeanor or a felony. nytimes.com


NYC's Crime Closures & Anti-Theft Measures
Locked Cabinets, Reduced Hours And Store Closures: Retail Theft In NYC

What do retailers have to say about the big changes at the brick-and-mortar stores in your neighborhood?

In September 2023, Target closed its East Harlem store, the result of ongoing theft and organized retail crime putting the safety of employees and customers at risk, the company said. Nearly a year later, the company posted earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, in part because Target has apparently "solved" retail theft, according to Yahoo Finance.

If more retailers follow Target's lead, New Yorkers could have even fewer brick-and-mortar options to count on for essentials, in an environment already characterized by so-called zombie pharmacies, or empty drugstores that stay vacant for years.

To get a sense of how retailers are responding to theft, Patch caught up with David Johnson, Vice President of Asset Protection & Retail Operations at the National Retail Federation (NRF).

First of all, making the decision to close a store is never easy, according to Johnson. In considering how to handle a problem store, retailers weigh the security options they have, as well as the effectiveness of this security and the safety of the store's environment.

But theft creates other problems that extend far beyond inventory protection. It disrupts the overall shopping experience, diminishes customer trust, and erodes the store's reputation. It also puts employees at risk, making them less likely to stay on the job.   patch.com
 
   RELATED: Target CFO Says It's Made a Dent in Retail Crime


Small Retailers 'Turning Blind Eye' To Stolen Goods?
UK: Shops buying stolen goods from professional shoplifters, retail groups say
Shops across the UK are buying stolen goods from professional shoplifters who thieve to order for criminal gangs to feed their addiction problems, retail groups have said.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) said its members were reporting "high volume" and "very brazen and direct" incidents of shoplifting, with meat, cheese and alcohol items typically being targeted.

Businesses report seeing their items being sold locally or on Facebook or WhatsApp groups after they are stolen. James Lowman, ACS chief executive, told the PA news agency that he is aware that other businesses, usually smaller shops, are also purchasing stolen goods.

Mr Lowman said that thieves are stealing to order, speculating that buyers may be turning a "blind eye" because they cannot be sure if items are stolen.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) said he is aware of criminal gangs getting involved in organising shoplifters, improving their ability to steal and dispose of the goods.

He also described hearing more cases in the past year of other stores buying the goods once they are stolen.

The ACS said 5.6 million incidents of shop theft were reported by its members over the past year, with half of the shoplifters being repeat offenders. In the last year, convenience stores spent £339 million on crime prevention, such as CCTV, alarms and tagging, the ACS told PA. uk.news.yahoo.com


C-Store Chain Cited by OSHA for Failing to Enact Workplace Violence Program
OSHA Cites Convenience Store Following Robbery and Shooting
The vast majority of citations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration involve accidents or negligent behavior that result in injury or illness resulting from inanimate objects, hazardous materials, or acts of God. In some circumstances however, OSHA cites employers after a criminal act by a third party. Earlier this week, the agency cited a Florida convenience store chain for the maximum $16,131 amount following a shooting during a robbery, which seriously injured the clerk.

While OSHA regulations do not address workplace violence, over the years the agency has issued a number of guidelines and best practices for employers with high risks of exposure to workplace violence such as convenience store and health care workers. In this case, OSHA used these guidelines, among others, to cite the employer under the General Duty Clause, a catch-all provision that allows OSHA to issue penalties in the event of exposure to serious injury or death in the absence of a specific workplace safety standard.

OSHA said that the employer failed to implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program, including elements such as training, and assessment of engineering and other controls to reduce the likelihood of employee injury in the event of a robbery. If this approach is considered an industry consensus, many affected employers lack the type of comprehensive workplace violence prevention programs noted by OSHA. Given recent Supreme Court decisions limiting the regulatory authority of federal agencies, employers may be more inclined to challenge citations based on non-regulatory safety guidance.  jdsupra.com


'Get-Out-of-Jail-Free' Cards for ORC Rings
Editorial: Why the low bail on major retail-theft incident?

If we're going to be serious about stemming well-organized retail-theft rings, we've got to stop with get-out-of-jail-free cards

Here's one from the police blotter of last week's GazetteLeader: Fairfax County police recently arrested two members of an out-of-state retail-theft crew targeting high-end boutiques in Tysons and across multiple other states.

In the same report: The suspects in the incidents were held on $2,500 bonds. Just $2,500? That's a typo, right? No? That was it?

Each suspect must have thought it was his lucky day and gone out to buy lottery tickets after release.

If we're going to be serious about stemming well-organized retail-theft rings, we've got to stop with get-out-of-jail-free cards. If there is probable cause, set a high bond to send a message. gazetteleader.com


Governor signs DA-sponsored bill to combat organized retail theft

Washington Again Ranks No. 1 For Retail Theft

Most Commonly Stolen Items From Texas Wal-Mart Stores

S.F. to beef up Union Square patrols after shooting
 

Update: Allegheny County, PA: California man charged locally in nationwide retail theft ring
A California man is to be extradited to Lawrence County by state and federal officials for his participation in a reported interstate shoplifting ring that involves merchandise stolen from Walmarts in Union Township and other nearby counties. An agent of the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General has charged Zhixiang Chen, 19, of San Gabriel as an accused member of the ring. Chen currently is in custody in Allegheny County where he is facing related charges. According to a criminal complaint filed in Lawrence County District Court of Jennifer L. Nicholson, the state attorney general's agent received information from the Michigan Office of the Attorney General about an organized retail crime ring possibly heading toward Pennsylvania. Chen is accused of stealing seven retail gift cards, each with a total value range of $10 to $500, from the Walmart on State Street in Union Township, as well as up to 36 cards from stores at six other stores in Beaver Falls, Monaca, Baden and Chippewa in Beaver County, Kittanning in Armstrong County and Natrona Heights and Tarentum in Allegheny County. He was charged Wednesday in Lawrence County with 11 felonies that include corrupt organizations, conspiracy, organized retail theft, receiving stolen property, retail theft, theft, criminal attempt at theft, conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit retail theft, alteration of access devices and criminal use of a communication facility, and one misdemeanor charge of possessing instruments of crime, all in connection with the reported thefts at the Union Township store. In Allegheny County, where he was arrested May 15 by Frazer Township police and is in custody, Chen is facing 21 felonies, including one each of organized retail theft and retail theft, and 18 counts access device altering. He has waived all of those charges to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and is awaiting trial. The judge denied his bail in that case, because in addition to charges in western Pennsylvania, Chen has cases pending in six states and has no local address, according to the court dockets.  ncnewsonline.com


San Diego, CA: Police arrest four people for allegedly shoplifting at Oceanside Target
Four people have been arrested and/or cited for allegedly shoplifting at a Target store in Oceanside, police said Monday. The Oceanside Police Department said detectives observed the four suspects shoplifting Friday during a sting operation at the store, located at 2255 El Camino Real. Corona resident Michelae Hoff, 33, was arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of commercial burglary. Police said Hoff "was associated with over $90,000 in known thefts from various Target stores." Officers cited and then released three Oceanside residents on suspicion of shoplifting, and identified them as 30-year-old Zachary Felton, 25- year-old Olivia Trillizio and 34-year-old Jerimiah Harper. Police said they're planning similar loss-prevention operations in the future.  cbs8.com


Minneapolis, MN: 2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis
Two Minnesota women are charged with organizing thefts of several thousand dollars' worth of merchandise from a Lululemon store in Minneapolis, and then funneling the stolen goods through a nail salon My Hoang Thi Van, 56, and Kathy Nguyen, 24, are each charged with one felony count of organized retail theft. Minneapolis police tracked down the roommates from suburban Crystal after getting tipped by corporate investigators for the high-end athletic retailer, the Star Tribune reported. The criminal complaints filed Thursday say Lululemon investigators found high shoplifting losses at their store in downtown Minneapolis, then identified a suspect through surveillance videos and interviews with store employees. That suspect, who has not been charged, would steal bags off a merchandise rack, fill them with goods and leave without paying. When police arrested the shoplifter, she told them she had been directed to steal the clothes by a woman who worked at the salon, who she identified as Van. She said Van would pay her $400 for the clothes and remove the theft sensors, then place the stolen merchandise in a plastic bag and resell it. She estimated she had made at least 100 transactions with Van. Police later found "numerous white plastic bags of stolen Lululemon merchandise" throughout the defendants' home, along with anti-theft tags that had been removed, the complaint alleged. The total value of merchandise stolen from the store was still being tallied, but the complaint said it was "well in excess of $5,000."  abcnews.go.com


Great Barrington, MA: 2 men arrested for tractor supply store thefts
Two men have been arrested after an attempted robbery at a supply store in Great Barrington. On August 28, police responded to tractor supply on Stockbridge Road, for a report of two men stealing power tools. During the incident, an alarm was set off and the suspects fled from the rear of the store. Tractor supply staff saw those two get away in a white Nissan Sedan with temporary Florida plates. Officers observed the vehicle leave the parking lot and pull into another business and conducted a traffic stop. They also did a warrant check on the suspects Keiver Garcia and Nixon Mendez, Mendez had an active arrest warrant from Hanover for a similar theft. The two suspects are being investigated for their possible connection with a larger scale retail theft ring in the northeast involving several tractor supply stores. They now face multiple charges.  msn.com


Portland, OR: 17 Arrested for Retail Theft in downtown Portland
Seventeen people were arrested for retail theft in downtown Portland over the weekend, resulting in the recovery of about $2,773 worth of stolen goods. According to a police statement, this retail theft operation was a collaboration between police, the DAs office, and several downtown business owners on Friday and Saturday.  kptv.com