Lawmakers Continue Retail Crime Crackdown Efforts at Local & Federal Levels
At a Local Home Depot, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sparks City Attorney to Discuss Efforts to Crack Down on Retail Crime
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Wes Duncan, Sparks City Attorney, and local Home Depot employees to highlight local and federal efforts to crack down on retail crime. City Attorney Duncan discussed Sparks' "Back our Businesses" initiative to combat retail theft, while Cortez Masto highlighted efforts she is leading on a federal level to deliver more funding to local law enforcement and pass legislation to go after large-scale criminal schemes driving an uptick in retail crime nationally.

Cortez Masto's bipartisan, bicameral Combating Organized Retail Crime Act creates new tools to tackle evolving trends and establishes a new task force within the Department of Homeland Security to better coordinate a whole-of-government and industry response to protect retailers and workers across the country. Organized retail crime costs retailers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

"The City of Sparks is doing great work with local law enforcement to crack down on retail crime, and it is my job to get them the resources and support they need on a federal level," said Senator Cortez Masto. "Solving retail crime is a complex issue, and it requires coordination at all levels of government and all levels of law enforcement. That's why I'm continuing to champion legislation on Congress to help connect the dots on organized retail crime, reach across state lines, and hold more bad actors accountable."

"We are pleased to continue the conversation with Senator Cortez Masto and City Attorney Wes Duncan on proactive ways to reduce organized retail crime," said Scott Glenn, Vice President of Asset Protection for The Home Depot. "The safety of our customers and associates is our top priority, and the Back our Business Initiative here in Sparks and the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act at the federal level are common sense solutions to help dismantle these brazen criminal networks."  cortezmasto.senate.gov

   RELATED: Organized retail theft up locally and nationwide


Organized Criminals Fueling Shoplifting & Violence in the UK
The cost of crime prevention and security in some businesses meant they were "simply no longer viable" and so some had been forced to permanently close

Huge rise in retail crime driven by gangs, not stealing to survive, says Co-op

Organised criminals have even used wheelie bins to clear shelves, executive from grocery chain tells peers

Organised criminals are behind the recent rise in shoplifting and violence against shop workers rather than people stealing to survive, one of the UK's largest grocery chains has told a parliamentary inquiry.

Paul Gerrard, the public affairs director at the Co-op, told the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee into shoplifting that a 44% rise in retail crime it experienced last year was mostly down to gangs stealing to order at scale - clearing shelves in some cases.

He added that the retailer, which has more than 2,000 stores across the UK, had been forced to help staff move home as they had been followed from a store and threatened.

Retailers have said the number of incidents of racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assaults and threats with weapons rose 50% last year, while thefts more than doubled to 16.7m incidents, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Prof Emmeline Taylor of the University of London told the inquiry there had been a "tsunami" of retail crime, partly driven by wider social problems including poverty, mental health issues and drug addiction.

She said the recategorisation of the theft of items worth less than £200 as a summary offence in the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act - intended to ease prosecution - had led to many police forces no longer taking action against shoplifting below that level.

Taylor said the resulting cost of crime prevention and security in some businesses meant they were "simply no longer viable" and so some had been forced to permanently close, leaving some areas like "food deserts".

Operation Pegasus, under which 15 large retailers are working with the police, partly by sharing CCTV images, to help tackle organised retail crime, was having some success but was set up only to deal with activity that crossed police boundaries, Taylor said.

She said there could be prolific local offenders who were part of a criminal network in their community who were falling through the net. theguardian.com


Retailers Turn to Tech & AI -- and the Government -- to Fight Theft Surge
Securing the storefront: How companies are tackling increasing retail theft

Solutions to this problem include creative uses of technology, legislation, and partnerships with law enforcement.

Many retailers are coming up with creative, cost-effective ways to efficiently prevent retail theft. For example, one of TJX's several new anti-theft measures to mitigate retail theft, includes having some employees wear body cameras similar to those police wear. Taking another approach, it was reported in June that Target has lowered the threshold for employees to step in and prevent shoplifting from $100 to $50, in an attempt to stop retail crime.

Other companies are turning to AI. In the past year, the use of AI and technology in this sector has expanded dramatically. A French company, Veesion, offers AI software that can be incorporated into many existing camera systems in retail stores. This technology detects suspicious body activity in real time, allowing retailers to confront shoplifters with real-time proof. As of December 2023, Veesion reports use in over 350 stores across the United States.

Beyond looking to mitigate issues at individual locations, it is clear that the industry is concerned about this trend overall. In the past year, many states have attempted to introduce legislation to combat the rise in retail theft. California and Ohio, among other states, have active bills in their legislature to combat retail theft, while Florida and Vermont have signed new public safety laws into effect in 2024 with an eye toward retail theft.

We are also seeing retailers working together with local law enforcement to open a dialogue about retail theft. For example, in March, the Retail Industry Leaders Association paired with the National District Attorneys Association for "National Store Walk Month", which has led to local district attorneys meeting with local retailers to discuss the impacts of retail theft, and to work towards solutions.  nerej.com

 
The Challenging Fight Against Retail Fraud
Not all consumers are the same: Adopting a nuanced approach against retail fraud

The challenge for retailers is that retail fraud continues to get more sophisticated, especially when it comes to returns, making it harder to identify.

While there are blatant cases of loss, like a shoplifter entering a store and openly stealing merchandise, many cases like returns fraud can be more subtle. In nuanced situations like returns fraud, retailers need to approach each case with surgical precision, relying on data and not emotion, so as not to offend loyal shoppers by blanketly denying a return.

The challenge for retailers is that retail fraud continues to get more sophisticated, especially when it comes to returns, making it harder to identify. To protect the retail experience, and strike a balance in how they address shoppers making a return, retailers need to implement a more personalized, nuanced approach to how they fight retail abuse and reduce losses overall.

Returns policies that address the good, the bad, and the mixed behavior

Appriss Retail conducted internal research of 20 large retailers to study differing consumer behaviors around product returns and retailer channels and found:

• Three-quarters of consumers who return a high number of products are doing so honestly at every retailer they encounter.

• On the flipside, 17% of consumers consistently demonstrate returns behavior that leads to retail loss wherever they shop.

• Then, it gets nuanced, where 8% of consumers exhibit mixed behavior, showing red-flagged behavior at some retailers but not at every retailer they shop.

AI can cut through mixed behavior:  retailcustomerexperience.com


Montgomery, AL: Eastdale Mall sets new policies to address shoplifting, guns

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10 from New York arrested in Leesburg for Organized Retail Theft at Target, other stores
On September 1 at around 5:28 p.m., officers responded to a Target store on Edwards Ferry Road where a group of individuals had allegedly stolen items and were attempting to flee in two vehicles. Officers say they intercepted the vehicles as they exited the parking lot and discovered a large quantity of merchandise from Target. Police say additional stolen goods from other retail stores were also found. Eight adults were charged with grand larceny, possession of burglarious tools, conspiracy, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Two juveniles from New York were also arrested and later released to a family member. The eight adult suspects are being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on a $2,500 bond for larceny and burglary charges, and a $500 bond for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  fox5dc.com


Leesburg, VA: 4 people break into Burberry store in Leesburg, remove merchandise
Four people broke into a Burberry store and stole some items on Tuesday in Leesburg, Virginia, according to the Leesburg Police Department. Officials said that around 2:00 a.m., officers responded to the Burberry store at 241 Fort Evans Road NE for a report of an alarm activation. When they arrived, officers said they found that the front window had been broken. According to officials' preliminary investigation, four people broke into the store and removed some items.  wjla.com


Atlanta, GA: Thieves break into NE Atlanta store to steal expensive jeans
An early morning break-in on Tuesday led to a water leak at a clothing store in northeast Atlanta. The incident occurred in the 500 block of Edgewood Avenue SE. According to police, burglars broke into a clothing store named High Stakes Atlanta by entering another business next door and breaking through a bathroom wall. Unfortunately, the burglars also struck a pipe in the wall, which resulted in a water leak. The burglars managed to steal a couple of pairs of very expensive jeans, worth approximately $7,000 each, before fleeing the scene.  fox5atlanta.com


Newark, DE: State Police Arrest Pair for Organized Retail Theft at Christiana Mall
Delaware State Police arrested 30-year-old Jennifer Valbuena-Martinez of College Point, New York, and 20-year-old Daniela Cortes-Tibaguy, of Hollis, New York, for organized retail theft following a shoplifting from Sephora in Newark, Delaware. On August 30, 2024, at approximately 5:38 p.m., troopers were notified by Christiana Mall security of a shoplifting in progress at Sephora. Before the trooper arrived, the store's loss prevention and mall security had apprehended and detained Valbuena-Martinez and Cortes-Tibaguy. The investigation revealed the pair were seen on video surveillance rapidly taking beauty products from the shelves and putting them into their handbags before leaving the store without paying. The stolen products, valued at approximately $4,726, were recovered during the incident. Valbuena-Martinez and Cortes-Tibaguy were both taken to Troop 2, where they were charged with multiple crimes.  dsp.delaware.gov


Phoenix, AZ: California man sentenced for Organized Retail theft scheme in Arizona
A California man has learned his fate for committing an organized retail theft scheme that defrauded Arizona TJ Maxx stores of $26,000 last year. On Tuesday, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that Bay Horn was sentenced to 2.25 years in prison and four years probation for an organized retail theft at TJ Maxx and Home Goods stores in Arizona. He will serve his time at an Arizona prison. In 2023, Horn and others would put items in bags, walk past the register and then return the stolen items to a cashier requesting a refund. On July 29, Horn pleaded guilty to felony fraud schemes, artifices and organized retail theft. In addition, he was ordered to pay TJ Maxx $11,016 in restitution for his role in the scheme.  azfamily.com


Clovis, CA: Two arrested in Clovis, face possible charges of shoplifting and child endangerment

Southington, CT: Police looking for couple accused of $1500 shoplifting from Target in Southington