Theft Down 6% Nationwide in 2024
Real-Time Crime Index Shows Nationwide Trends

The Real-Time Crime Index launched recently with data from more than 300 agencies nationwide. It's designed to show national crime trends as they develop from as many agencies as possible with as little lag as possible.

This category includes "the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Examples are thefts of bicycles, motor vehicle parts and accessories, shoplifting, pocket-picking, or the stealing of any property or article that is not taken by force and violence or by fraud. Attempted larcenies are included. Embezzlement, confidence games, forgery, check fraud, etc., are excluded."

The RTCI is a sample of reported crime data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies nationwide which mimics national crime trends with as little lag and the most accuracy possible. Crime statistics are inexact, but sampling agencies in this way is a proven method for accurately measuring trends while waiting for national crime estimates published each year. Standardizing the offenses collected and time periods measured from hundreds of agencies makes it possible to evaluate trends up or down as they develop.

Not all crimes are reported to police, and the RTCI can only measure those offenses that are reported to police. Crime data is inherently imprecise with frequent (usually small) variations between different data sources. This methodology is designed to ensure that crime trends are being captured accurately even if the exact figures reported either publicly by an agency or by the FBI may differ depending on the available data source.   realtimecrimeindex.com


Using AI to Fight Gift Fraud & ORC
Retailers Adopt Advanced Tech to Thwart Gift Card Fraud, Organized Retail Crime
Gift card fraud is a pervasive challenge. In 2023, gift card-related fraud comprised $217 million of the record-high $10 billion in funds lost from scams nationwide. In 2023, gift card sales topped nearly $200 billion in the U.S., and about 50 percent of U.S. consumers said they planned to buy gift cards due to their convenience.

However, this convenience factor also plays right into the hands of scammers, allowing them to bypass traditional fraud-prevention methods such as address verification and delivery. According to a 2022 survey conducted by AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons, 34 percent of U.S. adults said they or someone they know had been targeted by scams seeking payment by gift card. Of those who were targeted, 24 percent followed through by purchasing gift cards and sharing the activation numbers with a scammer. A quarter of respondents said they'd given or received gift cards that had been drained of funds.

Publicly Accessible Information and Data Analytics to the Rescue

With the increasing proliferation and sophistication of scammers, a growing number of retailers are leveraging publicly available information (PAI) and analytics to surface key insights for threat detection. Retailers are empowered to vastly improve the monitoring and analysis of gift card transaction patterns, identifying anomalies, and implementing proactive measures to prevent fraudulent activities before they impact retailers and customers.

Advanced artificial intelligence and analytics help identify fraudsters, particularly when they're working in tandem with others, by tracking suspicious activities and mitigating risks to help safeguard the integrity of gift card programs and fight the growing scourge of gift card fraud.

By leveraging publicly available and difficult-to-obtain data, together with analytics, brands can surface relevant threat detection insights to stay ahead of quickly evolving fraud tactics. The AI quickly seizes on evolving threat patterns to recognize current as well as shifting fraud schemes.

Retailers need this type of comprehensive approach in their efforts to battle scammers, who continue to refine their own attacks to drain gift cards and commit other types of fraud. They also need to lean into PAI and analytics, in conjunction with existing security operations and investigations, to safeguard the integrity of their gift card programs and to demonstrate their commitment to customers, reinforcing brand trust. mytotalretail.com


Fighting the Sale of Stolen Goods Online
Rep. Spanberger presses online retailers on counter retail-theft measures
Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger sent letters to several prominent online retailers Monday seeking "information on their efforts to curb the resale of stolen goods."

Those who participate in organized retail and cargo theft will often resell those items online in third-party marketplaces like Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace - and that crime has a cost that is ultimately passed on in part to the consumer.

"In Virginia, $1.3 billion in merchandise is stolen annually - contributing to more than 12,000 lost jobs and more than $80 million in lost tax revenue," according to a press release from Spanberger's office.

That's why Virginia passed a law in 2023 ratcheting up the penalties for organized retail crime. Congress also passed the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act last year.

The Virginia law made it a class 3 felony for anyone caught conspiring or acting with others to steal more than $5,000 of retail product within 90 days. The INFORM Consumers Act requires "online marketplaces to collect, verify, and disclose certain information about high-volume third-party sellers offering new or unused consumer products" and to shut down seller accounts that don't provide the requested information.

Spanberger, in her letters, requested information on how online retailers track and respond to suspicious activity that could result from organized retail or supply chain crime. "Organized retail crime (ORC) and cargo theft continues to skyrocket, and it is evident that stopping these criminal enterprises will require the full cooperation of all impacted parties," said Spanberger.

The Virginia Retail Federation supported her efforts. thecentersquare.com

   Read Rep. Spanberger's official post here


 'Everything is a Retail Theft Bill'
What drove Calif. Democrats to seek stiff bills on retail theft? Experts explain
The changes across the retail landscape have contributed to fierce debates in the California Legislature over how to combat retail theft. Lawmakers introduced bills cracking down on so-called smash-and-grabs in past legislative sessions, but this year has drawn intense attention in a Legislature seeking to increase penalties for shoplifters.

Rachel Michelin, the president of the California Retailers Association, encountered roadblock after roadblock as she attempted to persuade lawmakers to enact solutions for retail theft over legislative sessions in years past.

Her efforts grew futile, and she turned to Newsom to devote resources to combating what she saw as an increasing problem. But this year proved different.

"We went from 'Couldn't get anything done,' to now, 'Everything is a retail theft bill,'" Michelin said, noting her trade group nearly couldn't "keep up" as lawmakers requested the group's endorsement of bills.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, cemented retail theft's prominence by creating a select committee focused on studying the cause behind it. The urgency grows as an initiative to repeal portions of Proposition 47 is headed to voters' ballots and Democrats are in talks to add amendments to bills hoping to repeal the referendum.

Lawmakers last month sent 10 bills, addressing various components of retail theft, to Newsom's desk. But how did the California Legislature arrive at this junction? Criminal justice experts pointed to a number of factors. postguam.com


California's Prop 36 Would Beef Up Theft Penalties
Prop 36 explained: Toughening up consequences for hard drug and theft crimes in California
Proposition 36 asks California voters to broadly increase the penalties for fentanyl dealers and theft crimes by reclassifying some that are currently misdemeanors as felonies. The measure attempts to undo parts of Proposition 47, which voters approved a decade ago, that loosened the penalties around the crimes.

The issue has divided Democrats, with several mayors and district attorneys backing the measure, while California's top Democratic leaders have been trying to fight this measure since the start of the year. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire have all repeatedly stated they do not think Prop 47 needs change.

They first tried to negotiate it off the ballot by introducing several proposals to crack down on organized theft rings. Legislative leaders tried to say their proposed laws would have legally clashed with Prop 36 to justify a move that would have canceled those organized theft laws if voters approved this measure. Democratic legislative leaders scrapped the plan and eventually passed the proposals.

Gov. Newsom also made a last-minute attempt to get a competing crime measure on the November ballot but ended up canceling the effort.  kcra.com


Forest Park, IL: Police department awarded grant to target retail theft

Biden Administration Claimed Crime Rate Is at 50-Year Low. Is It?
 

Bend, OR: 22 arrested in Organized Retail theft ring; suspected ring leader charged
Nearly two-dozen people were arrested in an organized retail theft ring that involved at least 25 theft and shoplifting cases throughout Bend, police said Tuesday. A Bend man, suspected being the ring leader, has been charged. The known cases happened in late 2023 and early 2024. Victimized stores included Fred Meyer, Walmart, Winco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sunglass Hut and Sportsman's Warehouse, with a total of $22,000 in merchandise stolen. It's believed there may be more victims. Roger Rodriguez Molina, 29, was charged by a grand jury with three counts of first-degree organized retail theft, a Class B felony, Bend Police Communications Manger Sheila Miller said in statement. The investigation started in January with a shoplifting case at Winco. Five suspects were involved, but police could only identify Molina and another person. As police reviewed prior cases to see if they could identify the other suspects, they were able to connect multiple shoplifting and theft calls related to the Winco case, Miller said. "Using video surveillance, officers were able to identify patterns, behaviors and tactics that indicate d the thefts were planned and organized," Miller said. Thirty-one suspects were involved, ranging in age from 15 to 46, Miller said. Twenty-two were arrested. Bend Police believe more thefts occurred that were not reported. In some cases, the stores may have policies against reporting shoplifters to police. Police also believe thefts may have happened in other parts of Central Oregon.  centraloregondaily.com


Boone County, AR: 2 arrested for retail thefts after conducting over $50,000 in pawn transactions
An investigation into several retail thefts resulted in the discovery of two Harrison residents allegedly conducting over $50,000 in pawn transactions over the last two years. Twenty-nine-year-old Dakota Felan and 30-year-old Jazmine Cope are in the Boone County Jail and Detention Center on multiple charges. Boone County Sheriff Roy Martin says county investigators have been looking into a large number of suspected retail thefts, and the lead investigator detected a large number of suspicious pawn transactions. The majority of the transactions alleged to have been conducted by Felan and Cope were for new power tool items. The investigator worked with asset protection and three separate retailers and observed a number of store thefts involving the pawning of stolen tools at local pawn businesses. The investigator then worked with the Harrison and Branson police departments and Arkansas Probation and Parole to execute search warrants, leading to the additional evidence recovered from the suspects' residence. The lead investigator says empty power tool boxes and anti-theft devices were located. The total loss on the recovered boxes was determined to be nearly $12,000 in merchandise.  ktlo.com


Chevy Chase, MD: Large group breaks into Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase
A group of roughly 10 people reportedly broke into the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Chevy Chase early Tuesday, according to police radio transmissions. An employee of a monitoring service called Montgomery County police at about 1 a.m. after "a large group" of about 10 people wearing all black, including masks, broke into the luxury store at 5555 Wisconsin Ave., according to the initial radio dispatch. At least two possible suspects were taken into custody following the break-in at Saks Fifth Avenue, according to the transmissions. No information was available on what may have been stolen from the store. Officers reported the incident could be related to "smash and grabs" occurring at other businesses in Washington, D.C., on Monday night.  moco360.media


Washington, DC: Burglary spree in D.C. leads to thousands of dollars in stolen goods
Several businesses are recovering from break-ins and thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, police say. The citywide incidents occurred hours after police released body camera footage showing an officer fatally shooting a violence interrupter earlier this month. The Metropolitan Police Department told Axios it's investigating seven burglary offenses from late Monday into Tuesday morning. Six destruction of property offenses are also under investigation, stretching from CityCenter to north of Columbia Heights. Vandalized properties include the Commonwealth boutique on 14th Street, where $20,000 worth of Fear of God merchandise was reported stolen. Three women were arrested after jumping into a vehicle and trying to flee around 12:54am, according to a police report. Less than three hours later, on upper 14th Street, Lifted Life Kicks was broken into and had designer bags and shoes totaling over $10,900 stolen, per a police report. A liquor store in Glover Park on Wisconsin Avenue also reported $6,000 in cash and bottles stolen close to midnight on Monday.  axios.com