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Indiana trying to pass ORC legislation
With all of the states surrounding Indiana having ORC laws authorities say their
ORC is spiking because the criminals know the punishment is less. To combat the
trend, he said the Indiana Retail Organized Crime Coalition is working with
state lawmakers and county prosecutors to pass legislation that would make
boosting a more severe crime. The goal is to strip some of the low-risk,
high-reward appeal. The 2013 National Retail Federation survey lists 28 states
that have passed or enacted legislation related to organized retail crime,
including all of the states surrounding Indiana. That's our golden goose right
there," Thompson said of the legislation. "We're looking at the language in the
(organized retail crime) laws of our bordering states to draft legislation for
Indiana, and we hope to have it introduced in time of the next legislative
session." The tougher state laws help, said Mellor of the National Retail
Federation. But the patchwork of state-by-state laws motivates thieves to cross
state lines in search of less severe punishment should they get caught. With
Indiana being surrounded by states with organized retail crime laws, criminals
in the Midwest could be drawn to the Hoosier state. The National Retail
Federation has been lobbying for organized retail crime to be defined as a
federal crime with appropriate sentencing guidelines. "We've been advocating
for a number of years, so the federal lawmakers are tuned into it ,and they know
how serious it is," Mellor said. "The problem is they have other priorities, and
we just keep trying to get on the priority list." (Source
indystar.com)
 Tucson police create team to go after serial - ORC offenders
Two detectives and 24 plainclothes officers are working stores where shoplifters
strike most to build felony cases against repeat thieves, said Capt. Paul Sayre
of the property crimes division. Some of the officers are working undercover in
hopes of catching habitual offenders in the act. Steady growth in shoplifting,
along with the realization that many thieves were hitting stores over and over,
resulted in the concentrated effort involving police, the business community and
prosecutors. It is really important that Tucson police, the city and county
prosecutors work closely together in a coordinated effort on this issue that is
significantly impacting our community,” said Baird Greene, deputy city attorney
of the criminal division. He said each group plays a role in making solid cases
so offenders are locked up, rather than repeatedly receiving probation or being
referred to diversion programs. Also, by targeting shoplifters police expect a
drop in violent crimes because some of the thieves are tied to burglaries,
robberies and carjackings. Last year there were nearly 15,000 shoplifting
incidents in the city, police records show. That’s up from about 12,500 in
2012. The state’s Organized Retail Crime Association meets monthly and works
with law enforcement to make a dent in thefts. Retailers are losing millions of
dollars each year,” said Carlos Estrada, loss-prevention manager for the
Arizona Division of Circle K Stores and a founding member of the state
association’s Southern Arizona Chapter. “When the bad guys take our product, it
hurts all of us and minimizes our government because of the loss in tax revenue.
There are groups that hit stores in Phoenix, along the Interstate 10 corridor,
and in Tucson — and on their return trip to Phoenix, they do the same thing.”
(Source
azstarnet.com)
 Fraudster gets 4-year sentence for credit card scheme in Newfoundland, Ca.
Mouneimneh, along with his partner in the scheme Michael Soliman, arrived by
ferry the province in February and proceeded to use stolen or fake credit cards
to buy gift cards or prepaid credit cards, allowing them to steal thousands of
dollars from individuals and retailers. He committed the crimes in this province
while out on a conditional sentence from Quebec for similar crimes. There is
also an ongoing investigation by police in Edmunston, New Brunswick. Chalker
said the fact that Mouneimneh shipped the cards from province to province and
owned a machine to perform the fraud meant his intention was clear.
(Source
cbc.ca)
ORC female duo hits Dillard's in Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City for $17,000
in Michael Kors watches
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ORC Takes Center Stage - An in-depth look at the national epidemic
From meat
to razors to Tide Detergent "Liquid Gold," organized retail crime
gangs are boosting everything and anything these days. To combat the
ever-growing problem, LP investigators have developed new methods to
counteract the criminals invading their stores. These videos offer
insight into the ORC epidemic and what retailers are doing to fight
it.
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