ORC teams formed in Las Vegas - Metro cops on hunt for shoplifting gangs Las Vegas's South Central Area Command rolls out a new undercover initiative the Retail Apprehension and Prevention team, or RAP for short. Plainclothes officers work in teams, blending in as customers while scouring stores for the crime rings. The RAP team, Metro’s first planned effort to combat organized retail theft, has arrested 11 people and recovered nearly $12,000 of stolen merchandise since its debut shortly before Thanksgiving. The undercover operation formed after Las Vegas retailers told police organized theft was becoming a bigger problem — a point the National Retail Federation solidified with its 2011 Organized Retail Crime Survey. The retail trade association cited Las Vegas for the first time in its list of top 10 metropolitan areas affected by organized retail crime. (Source lasvegassun.com)

Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Retail Anti-Theft Teams (RATT) on the hunt  Teams of Fairfax County officers are working in shopping malls and retail businesses in both uniformed and plain-clothes capacities. They are targeting all shoplifters but particularly the "professionals" that distract store employees while associates across the store attempt to conceal and steal merchandise. (Source privateofficerbreakingnews.com)

Knoxville Area Law Enforcement Retail Theft (ALERT Task Force) team racks up arrests Thirty-seven arrests have been reported since a new Knox County Sheriff's Office task force beefed up holiday season patrols at area shopping centers and malls. Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones formed the task force to monitor major shopping areas to help combat theft, car burglaries, car thefts, shoplifters and other criminal activities prevalent during the holiday season. The task force will be monitoring major shopping areas until after the holidays. (Source privatofficerbreakingnews.com)

Accidental pocket dialed 911 call gave police the whole story and even their location after stealing DVD's and computer games.  Two men couldn't stop talking after hitting a Target store and trying to decide where to sell their stolen DVD's and games. One of the men had accidentally hit 911 on his cell and the police listener recorded the play by play and even had the police meet them at the store they were going to sell their loot. Both men were dumbfounded by how police knew exactly where they would be, not knowing one of them had pocket dialed 911 on his cellphone when they got into the SUV after the theft. When the pair pulled into a parking lot near the Video X-Change, they noticed a couple of squad cars. The next thing they knew, several officers, a couple with guns drawn, were yelling, "Police! Show your hands!" (Source twincities.com)