'Mayhem on Main Street': Retail Theft Epidemic Series

ORC Gangs Motivated by Lack of Theft Prosecution
California is ground zero for retail theft prosecution controversy

In this series, Mayhem on Main Street, the Washington Examiner will investigate the causes behind the scourge of shoplifting, the role of the cartels, the cost to stores big and small, and the complicity of lax prosecutors. Part four will focus on law enforcement of retail theft. To read parts one, two, and three, click here, here, and here.

Retail giant Nordstrom's flagship store in a San Francisco mall permanently closed last week, marking the latest store to fall as the city grapples with a glaring exodus of brick-and-mortar shops.

The cause of the closure, according to a mall spokeswoman, included "unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area." She said the closure "underscore[d] the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco."

Retail crime in urban areas is one of the well-documented factors for these store closures, but an increasingly accommodating environment for organized retail crime and viral surveillance footage capturing brazen incidents of thievery has magnified the problem.

San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento were found by the National Retail Federation to be "hot spots" for organized retail crime for the last several years, signaling the problem may be statewide in California. Chicago and New York were also annual hot spots, as were Houston, Atlanta, and Miami.

The survey's findings suggest that neither red nor blue states are immune to retail crime but that a pattern of rampant theft can be found within populous, Democratic-run jurisdictions.

At the state level, one point of contention in combating retail theft has been the dollar threshold at which a misdemeanor becomes a felony. Proponents of raising the thresholds in states want to reduce prison time and claim the dollar amount should be adjusted for inflation.

Critics say allowing theft of higher-dollar items to be deemed a misdemeanor is wrongly reducing punishment and therefore encouraging crime.

California has been the poster child for this controversy, raising its threshold in 2014 via Proposition 47, a ballot measure bankrolled by Democratic megadonor George Soros. After its passage, theft of items under $950 could only be prosecuted as a misdemeanor, if prosecuted at all. washingtonexaminer.com


Retailers Worldwide Use New Tactics to Thwart Thieves
Crime-fighting fog hits shoplifters as retail theft spirals out of control

Stores across country lost billions in retail theft last year, according to Capital One Shopping Research

A disorienting and blinding fog connected to a store's alarm is a relatively new security measure to stop would-be thieves as organized retail crime spirals out of control.

The technology, which was created by DensityUSA, is already in use in several countries in the European Union and Australia but is becoming more prevalent in the U.S., said Mike Egel, president of DensityUSA.

Stores lost an estimated $86.6 billion to retail theft in 2022, and projections indicate that amount may reach $115 billion in 2025, according to Capital One Shopping Research.

Businesses have been forced to hide products behind registers or lock them up in glass cases to protect their inventory. That hasn't stopped orchestrated smash-and-grab robberies in which thieves execute intricate plots to grab as many items as possible and leave before witnesses get a good look or police respond.

"Once it's activated, the DensityUSA system creates a dense fog with near-zero visibility conditions in just seconds," Egel said. "The fog is designed to be dense and disorientating to deter an intruder from following through with their intentions."

In the case of the U.K. jewelry store, the thieves came away empty-handed, he said: "Thieves can't steal what they can't see." The company is based in St. Louis, but the European Union was the first to approve the fog machine as a crime deterrent.

After seeing its success, Egel said he and his business partner, Scott Bader, introduced their security measure to the United States, which is used in stores in a handful of states.

"The system can be used in all retail settings, from clothing stores and pharmacies to cannabis stores, from convenience stores to gun shops."  foxbusiness.com


Anti-Theft Measures Not Working?
Retail theft surge driving businesses to explore more safety options

Stores are beefing up security with cameras and cables, but these measures don't seem to be holding back coordinated attacks.

From Los Angeles to Chicago to New York City, retail thefts have left major companies reeling, citing massive hits to profit margins and serious concerns about safety as large groups target stores.

David Johnston, Vice President of Asset Protection and Retail Operations for the NRF, says historically, companies would not discuss the impact of thefts on their bottom line, thinking it reflected a failure in their ability to control their store security.

"But what we're seeing today, we are beyond the retailer, being the individual who can correct what's happening today with the several acts of lawlessness, the brazen acts of shoplifting. This is not a retailer only solution to solve," Johnston said.

A small business owner in Portland says he has seen an 800% increase in shoplifting. From additional cameras to security cables, Johnston says stores aren't holding back on security measures. But these measures don't seem to be holding back coordinated attacks.

Read Hayes is the director of the Loss Prevention Research Council. The Florida-based research company works with more than 70 major retail chains to find effective solutions for loss prevention.

"We have a team of 16. We've got six inside labs that can simulate store environments and/or any environment we'd like in our simulation lab. We also have outside areas that we can test and learn. And we are doing a whole lot of field testing too. So, we've got the greater part of Gainesville, Florida, as one big living lab now, but we're also going to be setting up similar capability in places like Atlanta coming up," Hayes said.

Since 2022, a handful of states, including Illinois, Oregon, New Mexico, Indiana, and Florida, have passed tougher retail crime legislation. A federal proposal would increase penalties in cases where evidence shows multiple thefts. scrippsnews.com


New Mexico's Retail Theft Crackdown Takes Effect
Albuquerque prosecutors take new approach to combatting retail theft
Prosecutors in New Mexico's largest metro area are taking over all cases involving retail theft including small-scale shoplifting, in efforts to enforce new state sanctions against coordinated retail crime.

Albuquerque-area District Attorney Sam Bregman and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday announced the approach to combatting retail crime.

Previously, police officers in the Albuquerque area often processed misdemeanor sanctions for shoplifting less than $500 worth of merchandise. Prosecutors say they can then consolidate related cases of retail theft over a 90-day period and possibly bring felony charges.

Lujan Grisham signed legislation in April to create a new category of "organized retail crime" and stiffen penalties for organized theft of store merchandize as retailers have highlighted losses from coordinated pilfering.

"People should be able to go to the store without being afraid. Business owners are also fed up," said Bregman, announcing the new approach to prosecution. "We think these new changes will hold repeat shoplifters accountable."

In New Mexico and beyond, major retailers are trying to curb theft while not angering shoppers as they lock up everyday items on display. A new federal law requires online marketplaces to verify high-volume sellers on their platforms amid heightened concerns about retail crime.

Lujan Grisham said the new approach across Bernalillo County will help ensure consistent and effective efforts to combat retail theft, and free up police officers to handle other public safety concerns. dailynews.com


Petition Calls on Retailers to Take More Action to Stop Theft
Some US shoppers fearful as organized retail theft rises
Ann McGee, a New Yorker from the borough of Queens, doesn't like the recent sensation she has when entering stores: fear. "It's not normal to be scared" when shopping, McGee told AFP.

She's behind a recent petition denouncing the insecurity caused by rising retail theft -- sometimes by thieves operating in groups and threatening anyone near them with violence -- in her neighborhood.

US retailers across the country have reported a sharp rise in theft in the last few months, alongside a worrying increase in violence. "You cannot accept the fact that these people can go into stores without fear and choose to rob these stores and get away with it," she said.

"It has to stop and the only way to get things done is if people start getting involved," she said. "It's time to rally -- I want to start a class action."

The drugstore chain CVS was targeted in June by McGee's petition, which she also sent to her local councilman, Democrat Robert Holden.

Holden reached out to the group's chief executive Karen Lynch to denounce what he called "rampant retail theft" in four CVS stores and the lack of action by the company to alert the police.

"Failing to report retail theft constitutes a dereliction of duty and poses serious consequences," he wrote in a letter to Lynch.

"It inadvertently incentivizes criminals to continue their unlawful activities while putting CVS staff and consumers in unnecessary danger," he added.

Holden's office told AFP that he received a response from CVS's head of security, who pledged that all incidents would be reported to the police from now on. news.yahoo.com


Business owner in Elmwood Village may shutdown due to rising retail theft

Nebraska retailers work to combat organized theft

'We just want laws to protect us': CA jewelry store wants change after robbery scare

Technology Has Advanced, But Has Workplace Safety Lagged Behind?
Workplace Injuries and Death Are Shockingly Common in the US in 2023
We haven't made nearly as much progress as we should have. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 5,190 workplace fatalities, an 8.9% increase from 2020. In 2021, a worker died every 101 minutes from a workplace injury. Workers of all ages, backgrounds, and identities are left asking: How much is my life worth?

It is shocking how many incidents resulting in workplace injury or death involve employers who are, technically, following the rules. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency tasked with enforcing workplace safety laws and holding employers accountable. But, according to a 2023 report from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the median penalty a company faces when a worker dies on the job is $12,063 under federal OSHA, and $7,000 under one of the agency's state branches.

Then there are the employers who actually do violate the law. For many of these violators, the fines they are required to pay barely count as pocket change. Amazon, for example, was ​​cited by OSHA in February for failing to keep workers safe. Multiple workers have died in the company's facilities, including Caes Gruesbeck, a man who died from blunt-force trauma in an Indiana warehouse. His death is under investigation by the state's OSHA.

Reuters reported that the company has racked up around $150,000 in OSHA fines since January of this year. Comparatively, in 2022, the company generated over $500 billion in revenue.

There is also the problem of what happens when there isn't even a law in place to violate. This summer, heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses have claimed the lives of far too many workers, but there is currently no specific federal law protecting workers from extreme heat. Tony Rufus, a Teamster working in a Kroger distribution center in Memphis, did not die under the sun's rays; according to a report in The Guardian, Rufus had been searching for a way to cool down all day, finally stepping over to the produce section to take a quick break. That's where he took his last breath.

In addition to deadly heat, the AFL-CIO has estimated that about 120,000 people lost their lives to occupational diseases in 2021. Health care workers are regularly exposed to COVID-19 and other viruses; coal miners and construction workers breath in toxic silica dust; warehouse workers fall victim to musculoskeletal disorders; the list goes on and on. teenvogue.com


Reducing On-The-Job Opioid Deaths
Opioid Overdose Drugs Unite Groups Over Workplace First Aid Kits

OSHA doesn't regulate stocking the drug

Reducing the number of on-the-job opioid deaths is the goal of of workplace safety advocates and industry groups that want businesses to include an overdose prevention drug-Naloxone-in their first aid supplies.

A significant roadblock to employers stocking Naloxone was lifted this year as the Food and Drug Administration approved two nasal spray versions of Naloxone-Narcan and RiVive-as non-prescription drugs that can be sold in stores or online.

"Whether as part of a first aid kit or elsewhere, Naloxone serves as another tool in the toolkit to help keep workers safe," Lorraine Martin, president of the National Safety Council, said. "Now that it is available over the counter, Naloxone should be in every workplace."

The push comes as the US continues to grapple with an opioid crisis that has claimed thousands of lives nationwide.

In workplaces, unintentional drug overdoses, such as from fentanyl, led to 464 occupational deaths in 2021, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That's 9% percent of the year's 5,190 on-the-job fatalities and the fifth most common cause. Transportation, warehousing, and construction workers accounted for 42% of the deaths.

While a voluntary industry standard could potentially materialize in the next few years, some employers are already moving ahead with plans to have Naloxone at their worksites. news.bloomberglaw.com


Security Guards Replaced By Robots?
Las Vegas is the latest flashpoint between workers and AI, from robot bartenders to casino security guards

Robots are already replacing some jobs, such as bartenders and security guards.

Add bartenders and security guards in Las Vegas to the list of workers concerned about AI replacing human jobs.

Restaurants, bars, casinos, and other attractions in the city are using AI instead of humans for some jobs, NPR reported Monday. Between 38% and 65% of jobs in Southern Nevada, where Las Vegas is the biggest city, could be automated by 2035, NPR reported, citing a 2019 article from the Nevada Independent.

The Culinary Union, which counts about 60,000 members in Nevada's service and hospitality industry, is planning to bargain for protections to guard against AI taking jobs in a contract that the union hopes to win later this year, according to NPR. The union's membership is even considering the possibility of striking in order to get those protections, Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge told NPR.

AI is poised to eliminate some jobs and change others, Insider has previously reported.

In another example, the M Resort, located south of Las Vegas proper in Henderson, Nevada, started using a security robot in its parking lot earlier this year. TikTok user lasvegaslina posted a video of the robot at work in June. "It cruises around looking for any potential trouble with 50 cameras and sensors on it," local TV station KVVU reported in February. businessinsider.com


NRF Announces Acquisition of Reverse Logistics Association
WASHINGTON - The National Retail Federation today announced its acquisition of the Reverse Logistics Association (RLA), a global trade association for the returns and reverse industry. The announcement was made during the RLA Leadership Summit in Atlanta and is part of NRF's unrivaled commitment to support sustainable practices throughout the retail industry. nrf.com


Bath & Body Works hiring for holiday season
Bath & Body Works is accepting applications for season work at its distribution centers and is expected to hire 30,000 sales associates.

Manhattan retail shows signs of life as office market lags

Express Inc. leans on cost cuts as sales, profits plummet

Will Best Buy See a Holiday Recovery?

Indianapolis, IN: 2 charged with organized retail theft in Indy as lawmakers crack down on the crime
Felony charges are filed against two people accused of running an organized retail theft ring in Indianapolis. Prosecutors claim the two suspects, who were arrested this week, stole thousands of dollars in tools from several businesses and then tried to sell those items on Facebook Marketplace. Lawmakers are trying to crack down on the crime. This year, they passed a new law which means that sort of crime can now carry a tough punishment. From the Walmart in Beech Grove, to a Lowe's on Emerson, a second Lowe's on Madison and a Menards on Emerson, prosecutors claim two accused thieves stole thousands of dollars in expensive DeWalt table saws and drills last month, then tried to resell those items to unsuspecting customers online. "When someone is organized like this and reselling it, that is just beyond the pale of egregious," said Indiana Senator Aaron Freeman. To help fight organized retail theft, State Sen. Freeman authored Senate Bill 343, which passed the statehouse and became law in May. The law increases the penalty for that crime. Specifically, the law changes the crime from a level 6 felony to a level 5 felony in cases involving stolen items over $50,000 or stolen firearms. Prosecutors can also seek the enhanced felony if the suspect has a previous conviction for the same crime. "I'm proud of the bill. I just wish it wasn't necessary," said Freeman. "We just felt the court system and prosecutors needed another tool in their bag to deal with organized retail theft rings."  cbs4indy.com


Kensington, MD: Thieves steal $70K in jewelry from Kensington shop
A jewelry store in Montgomery County was robbed Tuesday, and the entire incident was caught on a security camera. The jewelry store owner, Raffie Bardizbanian, is really upset, and he hopes this surveillance video helps police catch the suspected thieves. Bardizbanian says he has only been robbed four times over 37 years in business. But this theft was extraordinary. He says these women were methodical, professional, thieves. The crystal clear surveillance video appears to show four women distracting the jewelry owner as another woman is seen crawling on the ground, out of the owner's view. The suspect grabs a box of jewelry that the owner repaired. He said it belonged to customers, and then she crawls behind the display case and places the jewelry under another woman's blue dress. The woman sits down, and then the suspects leave the store with more than $70,000 worth of jewels.  fox5dc.com


Burleson, TX: Shoplifting suspects in Texas arrested with over $15,000 in merchandise from various retailers
Local authorities recently apprehended a group of shoplifting suspects, leading to the recovery and return of over $15,000 worth of stolen merchandise to various retail stores. The Burleson Police Department was alerted to the suspects who were seen stuffing numerous makeup items into a trash bag at a local department store. The suspects managed to flee the scene in a vehicle, but were later identified by an observant store employee who promptly informed the police. Officers were able to locate the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The subsequent search of the vehicle revealed several more stolen items from various locations. Thanks to the swift action of the victims and officers, and after hours of investigation, the police were able to return the stolen merchandise, valued at more than $15,000, back to the retailers.  mytexasdaily.com


Marion County, IN: Update: The Gathering card thieves charged with felony theft
Two men who allegedly stole $300,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering cards from an Illinois retailer setting up at tabletop convention Gen Con have been charged with felony theft, according to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office in Indianapolis. Thomas Dunbar and Andrew Giaume, who created a game called Castle Assault, have been charged with felony theft for their parts in the alleged theft of the Magic: The Gathering Cards from retailer and tournament organizer Pastimes Comics & Games. Should Dunbar and Giaume be found guilty, they face one to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The prosecutor's office said the charges come after an investigation that spanned both Indiana and New York, where Dunbar and Giaume reside. "During the course of the investigation, the stolen merchandise was located and recovered as evidence," Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement issued to Polygon. "The filing of charges today ensures that there are criminal consequences for this conduct."  gizmodo.com


Billings, MT: Shoplifting Wall of Shame unveiled at Billings business