Retail Crime Increases During the Holidays
Fight retail crime during the holidays and beyond

NRF's third annual Fight Retail Crime Day mobilized the industry

The holiday season is here - and along with the onset of customers, seasonal hires and economic worries come an increase in retail crime.

That is why NRF united the retail industry on Oct. 24 for the third annual Fight Retail Crime Day. This day of action highlighted the need for Congress to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, a bill that would increase federal coordination with law enforcement to address retail crime.

On Fight Retail Crime Day, NRF connected with key lawmakers to encourage support of this key legislation and raised awareness of the continued challenges posed by retail crime.

Connecting with Congress

A key facet of Fight Retail Crime Day was to emphasize with lawmakers the need to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Throughout October, more than a dozen lawmakers participated in NRF store tours with retailers including American Eagle Outfitters, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, H&M, JCPenney, Macy's, Target and Total Wine & More. These visits highlighted firsthand the impacts of retail crime and how theft and violence impact their constituents.

NRF effectively demonstrated broad support for CORCA. More than 200 companies signed a letter that NRF sent to Capitol Hill advocating for passage of CORCA, showcasing the industry's strong support for this bipartisan legislation. Additionally, hundreds of grassroots messages were sent to Capitol Hill by concerned advocates on Fight Retail Crime Day.

Over 150 lawmakers were recognized as "Congressional Retail Crime Fighters" for their backing of CORCA, with nearly 40 of them expressing their support on social media during Fight Retail Crime Day.

Fight Retail Crime Day may be over, but our work continues. Join the effort and send a message to Congress to advocate for policies that enhance community safety and address the rising threat of retail crime. nrf.com


California Voters Approve Anti-Crime Ballot Measure

Anti-Theft Ballot Measure Passes Easily in California
California Increases Penalties for Retail Theft with a Focus on Repeat Offenders
Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 - which increases the penalties for certain theft and drug crimes - by a margin of more than 40% Tuesday, with 70.4% of voters approving the measure.

In addition to increasing the penalties and mandating treatment for some drug-related crimes, the measure also reverses some of the leniency introduced in 2014's Proposition 47, which, for example, made the shoplifting of items worth $950 or less a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Now, under the newly passed Prop 36:

• Some misdemeanors will become felonies, including the theft of items worth $950 or less when the person who committed the crime already has two or more past convictions for certain theft crimes (such as shoplifting, burglary or carjacking). The sentence would be up to three years in county jail or state prison; and

• Some felony sentences will be lengthened: For example, Proposition 36 allows felony sentences for theft or damage of property to be lengthened by up to three years if three or more people committed the crime together.

Since the pandemic, Californians have noted a rise in both homelessness as well as retail and drug-related crimes, leading to a general sense of an erosion in public safety. Campaigning under the slogan "Make Crime Illegal Again," proponents of Prop 36 played on these perceptions and found traction with California voters - despite opposition from most of the state's Democratic leadership as well as efforts by Governor Gavin Newsom to preempt the measure by passing a swath of retail crime legislation in August.

Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft (CARRT), a coalition of more than 300 business associations, local groups and victim organizations, touted the passage of Prop 36 as a victory for the state's citizens and businesses: "Californians are increasingly frustrated by the rising crime rates, which is why Proposition 36 passed with overwhelming support," said Matt Ross, a spokesperson for CARRT in a statement.  retailtouchpoints.com


Business Group Celebrates Passage of CA's Prop 36
'This is just one step towards reversing the damage caused by Proposition 47'

Californians Against Retail And Residential Theft Celebrate the Passage of Proposition 36
Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft (CARRT) issued the following statement after the voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36.

"Californians are increasingly frustrated by the rising crime rates, which is why Proposition 36 passed with overwhelming support," said Matt Ross, spokesperson for CARRT.

"Proposition 36 establishes stricter penalties and greater accountability for repeat offenders of retail theft. Previously, the punishment for a shoplifter was the same regardless of whether it was a person's first offense or their fiftieth. Now, repeat offenders will face significant consequences for their actions.

"CARRT would also like to extend our gratitude to the Proposition 36 campaign and everyone who worked tirelessly to equip law enforcement with more resources to combat crime.

"However, this is just one step towards reversing the damage caused by Proposition 47 and addressing retail and residential theft on Main Street and in our neighborhoods.

"CARRT will closely monitor the implementation of Proposition 36 to ensure that both store employees and customers are safer, and that resources are available for law enforcement and rehabilitation efforts." finance.yahoo.com


Why Californians got tougher on crime
Bleak downtowns and attention-getting retail thefts
From their phones and their television screens and sometimes out their windows, Californians saw their state change quickly in the pandemic. Homelessness grew then and continued to grow. Fatal fentanyl overdoses soared. Brash daytime smash-and-grab robberies floated from TikTok to nightly newscasts.

A constellation of law enforcement, prosecutors and big-box retailers insisted the cause was simple: Punishment wasn't harsh enough.

They put forward a measure that elevated some low-level crimes to felonies and created avenues to coerce reluctant people into substance abuse treatment. That measure, Proposition 36, passed overwhelmingly Tuesday night. It led 70% to 30% early Wednesday.

It undoes some of the changes voters made with a 2014 ballot measure that turned certain nonviolent felonies into misdemeanors, effectively shortening prison sentences. Amid the pandemic's visible changes to California, in its growing homeless encampments, its ransacked Nordstroms and its looted rail yards, critics of that previous initiative finally found the right climate to turn back the law.

The strategy at the center of Prop. 36 is still a matter of debate. Its opponents say harsher sentences will never be an effective deterrent to crime. Much of the science, some of it funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, backs them up.

But the victory of Prop. 36, despite opposition from the governor and most of the state's Democratic leadership, was not about what people know, it's about what they saw. calmatters.org


Locked Display Cases Are Pushing Shoppers Away
27% of shoppers will switch retailers, abandon purchase if they come across locked-up products: report

More than half of consumers report seeing more merchandise locked up in stores in the past year, according to a recent survey from Numerator.

A majority of in-store shoppers - 60% - have encountered lock-up merchandise in stores on a regular basis, per a survey of more than 5,000 consumers conducted by data tech firm Numerator.

Twenty-seven percent of shoppers said they would choose another retailer or abandon their purchase entirely if they came across locked-up products, but 62% said they would typically wait for assistance from an employee. The survey also found that those unwilling to wait for assistance will spend 21% of their dollars online compared to 18% for those who waited.

Some 61% of shoppers reported seeing an increase in products locked up over the past year, with most of those being seen at drug stores and mass retailers. Retail crime, including shrink, has been a hot topic in the industry in recent years.

"Retail shrink is out of control and theft is eroding retailer sales and margin," Michael Brown, a partner with global strategy and management consulting firm Kearney, said in an email to Retail Dive. "Consumers are unable to purchase items that are out of stock either as a result of theft or because they're locked behind glass and are not easily accessed when stores are short staffed. Sales are also impacted when the cost of protecting goods and staffing cabinets is built into the cost of the protected products - this manifests itself as inflation."

A vast majority of consumers see products locked at mass retailers and drug stores, 68% and 62% respectively. Grocery stores (31%), department stores (25%) and home improvement stores (23%) also see their share of lock-ups. retaildive.com


Stores Looking for New Tech for Locked Display Cases
Retailers are experimenting with new tech to unlock display cases

Stores are scrambling to fix the universally despised shopping experience they created in response to theft.

Instead of freeing your dandruff shampoo and teeth whitening strips, stores are doubling down on their little cages by giving customers the power to open them. Well, eventually.

Walmart is testing new tech that will empower shoppers to unlock pestiferous security locks with their phones. Employees are already using it in a few hundred stores, but now the retailer has discussed rolling it out to Walmart+ loyalty members, Bloomberg reported. CVS is also piloting a system that lets shoppers unlock Tide Pods with its app.

• A company called Indyme says 26 retailers are using its "Freedom Case," which lets customers enter their phone numbers into a touchscreen device to receive a code that unlocks the case guarding the family-size box of Cheez-Its.

• Indyme doesn't specify which big-name stores use its product-and most retailers are being cagey on details-but CNN reported that earlier this year, Safeway and Lowe's were among the stores listed on Indyme's website as testing the unlocking feature.

Big picture: Stores are scrambling to fix the universally despised shopping experience they created in response to theft. Following the pandemic, big retailers claimed that organized retail theft was skyrocketing, so they locked up all their merch. And while some experts say the cases have deterred shoplifting, they've also curbed impulse purchases, annoyed already stretched-thin staff, and pushed shoppers toward online shopping. morningbrew.com


New Technology Used By SFPD To Arrest Organized Retail Theft

10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World, Based on Homicide Rate
 

Chicago, IL: Stolen merchandise for sale online after thieves loot freight train on West Side
As authorities continue to investigate a railway cargo theft that happened in broad daylight Friday afternoon on the city's West Side, nearby residents say they have seen some of the stolen goods go up for sale. At least six people have been arrested for stealing items from the cargo train, Union Pacific officials said. ABC7 spoke with people living near the scene in South Austin who said they've already seen some of the stolen merchandise for sale on the streets and on social media. Chicago police are still looking for possible suspects who are responsible for stealing hundreds of boxes of merchandise from a freight train, where officers responded just before 4 p.m. Friday to the 400 block of North Lamon Avenue. Chopper 7 captured dozens of people ransacking the Union Pacific rail line near Lake and Lockwood, coming away with what appeared to be boxes of TVs.  abc7chicago.com


Pleasant Prairie, WI: National retail theft group suspects arrested in Pleasant Prairie
Three people were arrested at the Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets on Sunday, Oct. 26, who police say had already robbed one store and were planning to rob another store at the outlet mall. According to the Pleasant Prairie Police Department, officers got information regarding a national retail theft group responsible for a theft at a Nike department store in Oshkosh. It was anticipated that this group would target the Nike store at the Premium Outlet Mall. Upon arrival at the shopping center, officers verified the information and identified a vehicle matching the suspects' description. They arrested the people involved and recovered more than $3,000 in stolen merchandise. During a post-incident investigation, officers learned that these people were connected to a larger Peruvian national group responsible for retail thefts totaling more than $54,000 across multiple states, including New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maine, Virginia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Utah, Nevada, and Wisconsin. fox6now.com


Salt Lake, UT: Two Apprehended In Merchandise Return Scheme Defrauding Utah Stores Of Over $50k
Two people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a merchandise return scheme that defrauded Utah retail stores out of over $50,000, according to court documents. The Salt Lake County Metro Jail charged Aja Lenae Maliki Garcia, 37, and Darnell Hadden Parks, 30, with one count of second-degree felony pattern of criminal action. Garcia faces 18 charges of third-degree felony unlawful possession of another's identity and misdemeanor retail theft. Parks faces 22 charges of third-degree felony unlawful possession of another person's ID, one count of third-degree felony retail theft, two counts of third-degree felony possession of a financial card, and misdemeanors for providing false information and possessing a controlled substance. Garcia and Parks are accused of visiting various stores in Salt Lake County, choosing out stuff from the shelf, and attempting to "return" it for a refund, according to criminal documents.  westalabamawatchman.com


Boston, MA: Serial shoplifter sentenced to jail for stealing more than $30K in merchandise from Back Bay stores
A Boston man was sentenced to two years in jail last week for breaking probation and stealing over $30,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret and Lululemon. Essie Billingslea, 34, was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central Division on Oct. 7 with three counts of larceny over $1,200, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office. Judge Paul Treseler ordered Billingslea held on $5,000 bail on the charges. He is expected to return to court on Nov. 19 for a pre-trial hearing. In a follow-up probation violation hearing on Oct. 31, Judge James Coffey ruled that Billingslea violated probation conditions set in July when he pleaded to a retail larceny charge and received a two-year suspended sentence.   boston.com


San Francisco, CA: San Francisco police arrest 20 suspects in operations targeting shoplifters
San Francisco police officers arrested 20 people for allegedly shoplifting last month in coordinated operations, according the San Francisco Police Department. The first operation on Oct. 15 netted seven arrests for shoplifting more than $400 worth of goods from a store in the 3300 block of Mission Street. Those arrested were cited and released. Last Tuesday, officers conducted another operation at stores in the 1300 block of Castro Street and the 1100 block of Potrero Avenue. Officers arrested 13 people, including ten adults and 3 juveniles on allegations of shoplifting more than $1,600 worth of merchandise. Two adults were booked into San Francisco County Jail for outstanding warrants. A replica firearm was also allegedly found on one of the suspects, police said. The operations were part of a shoplifting abatement operation funded by a $15.3 million grant awarded last year from the state's Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program.  cbsnews.com


Colorado Springs, CO: Suspects plow SUV into Colorado Springs dispensary, steal thousands of dollars in merchandise