Meijer Honors Law Enforcement Officers for ORC Efforts
'These detectives’ achievements have set a new standard for excellence in retail and law enforcement partnerships'

MSP Fraud Investigators Honored by Meijer for Efforts Combatting Organized Retail and Financial Crimes
Detectives with the Michigan State Police (MSP) Fraud Investigation Section recently received the inaugural Meijer Law Enforcement Lifetime Partner and Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards, which were presented at the retailer’s Grand Rapids corporate headquarters last week.

D/Lt. Taylor Bonovetz, of MSP’s Fraud Investigation West Unit, was recognized with the Meijer Law Enforcement Lifetime Partner Award for the impactful contributions he’s made toward the lessening and prosecution of organized retail crime over the past decade. D/Tpr. Spencer Proefrock, also from that unit, was selected for the Meijer Law Enforcement Partner of the Year Award for his passion and commitment to solving complex cases. Among the cases they worked was a large scale mPerks theft case with corporate losses estimated to be more than $1,000,000.

“These detectives’ achievements have set a new standard for excellence in retail and law enforcement partnerships,” said Paul Jaeckle, Vice President of Asset Protection for Meijer. “Meijer is proud to partner with the Michigan State Police in our shared mission to protect our communities and prevent crime. We appreciate their professionalism and expertise in addressing the growing threat of organized retail crime.”

The MSP Fraud Investigation Section investigates criminal activity tied to fraud, identity theft and organized retail crime and often assists federal and local police partners.

“Working together, we’re committed to making Michigan a place where everyone can feel safe and secure,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “I’m proud of our detectives and private sector partners for the impressive work they’re doing to identify criminals and investigate organized retail crime.” michigan.gov


CA's Expands Effort to Dismantle 'Criminal Networks Driving Retail Theft'
Governor Newsom announces more than 1,000 arrests in Bakersfield since April
Governor Gavin Newsom’s strategy to improve public safety in the Central Valley through a crime suppression partnership with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Bakersfield Police Department continues to produce results. Governor Newsom announced the partnership in April, and to date, the operation has resulted in 1,026 arrests, 448 recovered stolen vehicles, and the seizure of 20 crime-linked firearms. In July, the teams arrested 321 suspects, a 55% increase from the previous month and the highest month to date since the operation began.

Kern County has higher rates of property crime, violent crime, and arrests compared to the statewide average. In April, Governor Newsom launched a coordinated enforcement effort in Bakersfield to continue improving public safety, address roadway violence, and stop criminal activity. Through a state and city partnership, the CHP saturates high-crime areas of mutual interest, aiming to reduce roadway violence and criminal activity in the area, specifically vehicle theft and organized retail crime.

Governor Newsom is now expanding this effort, with a new partnership with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office to collaborate on dismantling criminal networks driving retail theft, car thefts, and violent crimes in Kern County communities.

Previously, through the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program, the state awarded the Bakersfield Police Department $6.2 million to specifically prevent and respond to organized retail theft, motor vehicle and motor vehicle accessory theft, and cargo theft. The statewide grant program is the largest single investment to combat organized retail crime in state history.

Today’s announcement builds on Governor Newsom’s efforts to improve public safety in key parts of California, including Oakland and San Francisco. Since January 2024, the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force has made 717 arrests and recovered more than a quarter of a million stolen goods valued at over $6.8 million. California has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California’s Real Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.  gov.ca.gov


Retail Theft 'One of the Most Contentious Issues' in California
State lawmakers working quickly on retail theft bill package

California Democrats push retail theft bills
Democratic leaders’ public safety ballot measure flamed out when Gov. Gavin Newsom shockingly withdrew the proposal at the last minute.

Now, legislators are pushing ahead with a retail theft bill package in their continued opposition of Proposition 36 — a November ballot measure backed by law enforcement groups and Republicans (and some Democrats) that would roll back parts of 2014’s Prop. 47.

The major bill is the Retail Theft Reduction Act, authored by Assemblymember Rick Zbur, a Los Angeles Democrat and chairperson of the select committee on retail theft.

Assembly Bill 2943 would create a new felony charge for thieves who steal more than $950 worth of property with the intent to “sell, exchange, or return the merchandise for value.” The value of the stolen items can also be totaled together if the person committed thefts within two years, or acted with someone else who also had the intent to sell.

Currently under Prop. 47, thefts of goods worth less than $950 can only be charged as misdemeanors, not felonies — a provision that critics blame for retail thefts.

Zbur, in a statement to CalMatters: “The Legislature will move forward quickly in August to deliver effective solutions to retail theft that protect our store owners and businesses and keep workers and shoppers safe. These proposals are the culmination of months of hard work involving retailers, small businesses, law enforcement, workers, community advocates, and other key stakeholders who need solutions now.”

Retail theft has been one of the most contentious issues of the session, so it’s understandable why legislative leaders are trying to finish the bills well before the pressure cooker leading up to the Aug. 31 adjournment.   calmatters.org


Prop 36 Seeks to 'Right the Wrongs' of California's Prop 47
Editorial: Voters should pass Proposition 36 to undo the damage of Prop. 47
Voters this November have the opportunity to right a monumental wrong in California’s criminal justice system by passing Prop 36.

The safety of our communities should be our top priority. Solving our public safety issues starts with the simple acknowledgement that criminal offenders must be held accountable and victims deserve justice.

Prop 36 would take immediate and necessary steps toward doing just that by protecting public safety and cracking down on organized retail theft, among other things, and begin to undo the damage caused by the state’s top Democratic leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and their progressive allies like Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon.

The decision has been left to voters because Democrats in the Legislature blocked every meaningful attempt to make these reforms over the years, including bills I authored, in total disregard for the disastrous consequences unfolding in our communities and businesses.  taftmidwaydriller.com


Cities & Towns Across America Creating Theft Task Forces
Lock ’em up: Why stores are putting diapers and deodorant behind glass
The situation is concerning enough that one local municipality is joining forces with its big-box stores to stem the tide. The Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Kohl’s stores in Mantua have joined police to create a special task force on retail theft, according to a recent story in The Sun.

Officers have communicated with the affected retailers on how they can team to prevent theft and recover goods, including a meeting with Lowe’s employees last month. According to Mayor Robert Zimmerman, the township fielded more than 20,000 theft calls last year, a fact that has been addressed in part with the hiring of seven new officers in 2023, added The Sun.

Why is store theft so bad? Some experts claim the crime may be exaggerated to benefit the retail bottom line, but data from Capital One updated in 2024 shows that individual and organized thievery cost stores nationwide $121.6 billion in 2023. The average shoplifting incident cost retailers an average of $461.86.

The most prolific shoplifters are likely organized, according to the National Retail Federation, part of a coordinated effort to steal items and then illegally resell them online through such sites as Amazon, eBay and Walmart Marketplace. The most recent Capital One data showed that organized retail theft involving multiple perpetrators increased by as much as 26.5% between 2020 and 2021.

So what are solutions to the problem? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has focused on those since defining retail crime as a national crisis in 2022. Among them are coordination between retailers and police, as in Mantua; changing state laws to create a separate offense for the repeated stealing of certain amounts or products within specific time periods; and more aggressive prosecution of retail theft. thesunpapers.com


NYC's Eighth Avenue plagued by crime, drugs, violence: 'This part is getting bad'
Eighth Avenue in Manhattan is getting attention, but for all the wrong reasons. From slashings to stabbings, to carjackings and robberies to clusters of illegal mopeds, scooters and e-bikes – there have been plenty of recent signs of how bad things have been getting.

It's not just residents who are at wits-end, but businesses also, including the Garment District Alliance, which has been documenting widespread drug use along the corridor. Police data from the neighborhood shows grand larcenies are down, but assaults are up. Robberies are also down, but drug arrests are up. yahoo.com


Stanislaus County, CA signals to would-be thieves: We will arrest you!

Kansas City, MO: Deadly mass shooting on Prospect Avenue escalates safety concerns
 

The Summer Surge in 'Wardrobing'
Why ‘wardrobing’ retail fraud soars in the summer

“Wardrobing,” in which a shopper buys an expensive item, wears it with the tags on, and then returns the item for a refund, picks up as shoppers bolster their closets for summer vacations.

A particular type of retail fraud soars during the summer season. “Wardrobing,” in which a shopper buys an expensive item, wears it with the tags on, and then returns the product for a refund, picks up as shoppers bolster their closets for summer vacations, according to returns management software company Optoro.

“During the summer and cruise season, from July to September, we see wardrobing and overall return rates spike by two-to-three times, with swimwear alone making up between 5% and 15% of returns,” said Amena Ali, CEO of Optoro. “This highlights the fine line between habitual returners and fraudsters.”

Forty percent of 18-to-29-year-olds wardrobe, according to Optoro data. In a November 2023 Optoro returns survey, 30% of shoppers admitted to buying an item for a specific event, only to return it after the occasion ended.

The challenge for retailers is handling the items when they get them back.

“For seasonal items like cruisewear and swimwear, quick, yet thorough, inspection and restocking are imperative to retain as much value as possible before the season ends,” Ali said. “Time sensitivity is crucial in this fight – ideally, you catch fraud in the moment, or better yet, before it happens.”

Ali warned if products linger in the return process, the delay can lead to significant markdowns or the need to send items to secondary retail channels such as stores like TJ Maxx, discounters, or liquidators. cnbc.com


Pharmacy Chains Testing Smaller Locations
Overbuilt market - increased competition - surging theft all driving smaller format push

Here's why you may start seeing smaller Walgreens and CVS drugstores
You may start seeing smaller Walgreens and CVS drugstores. Walgreens and CVS are going through rounds of closures, and thousands of other independent drugstores have shuttered over the past five years.

These closures are leaving communities without pharmacies nearby. In response, the companies are trying out new, mini stores that focus on health and wellness. The stores are less expensive to run and allow companies to serve areas where the population cannot support a full store.

America's drugstores are testing smaller locations and more ways to offer care as price-sensitive shoppers look elsewhere.

Customers may see Walgreens stores that are one-fourth the size of a regular location or CVS drugstores with entire primary clinics stuffed inside. If these experiments succeed, the new stores might improve access to care and create a more lasting connection with customers, analysts say.

Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said recently that his company could close a "significant portion" of underperforming stores in the next few years. CVS Health is going through a round of closings. Rite Aid has filed for bankruptcy. Thousands of independent drugstores have closed over the past five years.

There are still more than 30,000 drugstores scattered around the country, but even Walgreens executives admit that the market is overbuilt.

The stores have struggled with increased competition from Amazon and lower-price options like Walmart or Dollar Tree. They're also dealing with theft, growing costs and thinner prescription reimbursement. abc7news.com

 
More Supply Chain Snags Coming?
Time growing short to avoid labor disruptions at East Coast, Gulf ports
Retailers are urging parties to return to the negotiation table to avoid a potential strike that could disrupt operations at 36 ports on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts just as the peak retail season approaches.

The September 30 expiration date for the master port labor contract between the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) is rapidly approaching, with little positive progress being reported, warned the Retail Industry Leaders Association. The ILA-USMX contract covers 36 ports on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, and the ILA reportedly represents over 85,000 workers overall.

Recent signals from the ILA suggest the union has tabled the issue for another month and is preparing its members to strike.

RILA noted that with holidays and peak shipping season approaching, now is not the time for either party to create another supply chain disruption.

“Particularly with the ongoing Red Sea conflict, extreme weather conditions, and global unrest, a labor stoppage would add yet another layer of uncertainty to retail supply chains, at a time when they are expected to be operating at full capacity to deliver for consumers,” RILA said.  chainstoreage.com


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