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As Retail Crime Surges, NRF PROTECT Becomes More Vital
NRF PROTECT: Retail’s Frontline Defense Against Crime & Violence

By the D&D Daily staff

As retail crime and violence escalate, NRF PROTECT (June 23–25, 2025, in Grapevine, TX) stands as the industry’s most vital annual gathering. Organized by the National Retail Federation, it brings together asset-protection leaders, law enforcement, cybersecurity experts, and retail executives to share tools, strategies, and tech that protect both people and profits.

Integrating Physical and Cyber Security

Today’s threats span in-store theft, online fraud, and data breaches. NRF PROTECT uniquely merges these conversations, focusing on how security teams can move from reactive to proactive through integrated strategies that blend physical surveillance with digital defense.

Tackling Organized Retail Crime Head-On

With organized retail crime on the rise—and more violent than ever—this year’s sessions drill into ORC networks, investigative tactics, and legal strategies. From mass shoplifting to coordinated smash-and-grabs, retailers need scalable solutions, and NRF PROTECT brings them to the table.

Showcasing Cutting-Edge Solutions

The Expo floor, with over 200 vendors, highlights AI video tools, RFID tagging, panic buttons, body cams, and more. These innovations are designed not just to prevent theft, but to do so without sacrificing the customer experience.

Cross-Sector Collaboration

Retailers from national brands like American Eagle and Signet join forces with law enforcement, cybersecurity analysts, and prosecutors to share insights and best practices. With no competition on the floor, companies can have honest conversations about what’s working—and what’s not.

Driving Legislative Change

NRF PROTECT also plays a role in shaping public policy. With support growing for federal legislation to crack down on ORC, the event equips leaders with the knowledge and connections needed to push for meaningful legal reforms.

Why It Matters Now

In a time when theft is more organized, violent, and sophisticated than ever, NRF PROTECT offers more than just a conference. It’s a battle plan. With fresh data, tested strategies, and real-world collaboration, it gives retailers the tools they need not just to endure the current wave of retail crime—but to fight back.


The Fight Against ORC Has Real Momentum
Retail Crime Crackdown: Steps Forward, But Far from Over
Organized retail crime (ORC) has been a growing issue for retailers, hitting supply chains and bottom lines hard. Last month, we talked about the increasing urgency to tackle cargo theft and large-scale retail crime. Since then, some movement has happened—but it’s clear there’s still a long road ahead.

States Are Taking Action, But Is It Enough?

Nine states have recently passed new laws aimed at ORC networks, and while it’s a step in the right direction, the real test is whether these measures will have lasting impact. Laws in Maryland, Montana, and Nebraska have increased penalties and given prosecutors more tools to go after repeat offenders, but criminals are constantly adapting. Tougher laws are one thing—enforcement is another.

Maryland’s approach, which allows prosecutors to combine theft cases across jurisdictions, could help prevent offenders from slipping through legal loopholes. Montana, on the other hand, has raised fines and jail time, signaling a firmer stance against retail crime. These measures sound promising, but retailers know firsthand that legislation alone won’t stop highly organized crime rings.

Among the notable bills enacted this year has been in New Jersey.  Earlier this month, Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed a comprehensive ORC bill (NJ SB 3587 & AB 4755) into law that creates higher penalties for repeat offenders, assaulting retail employees, and leaders of retail theft enterprises. In addition to New Jersey, comprehensive bills were also enacted in Tennessee and Utah.

Mass Arrests: A Disruption with Staying Power?

Law enforcement agencies have been valued partners in the fight against ORC. Last month retailers, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors joined together to conduct a coordinated retail crime crackdown — resulting in hundreds of arrests across 28 states. This wasn’t just a one-off effort; it was a nationwide operation that relied on retailers and investigators working together to pinpoint large-scale theft rings.

Of course, sustaining this momentum will be the real challenge. Without continued funding, coordination, and political backing, these victories could lose impact over time. But for now, this crackdown is proving that when law enforcement, legislators, and businesses work together, meaningful disruption can happen—and that’s something worth recognizing.

Looking Ahead: rila.org


Shopping Cart Laws Hitting Thieves Across the U.S.
Walmart and Target shoppers in 9 states face up to $2,500 fines from ‘cart’ law

Shoppers at major retailers such as Target and Walmart are subject to hefty fines up to $2,500 if they violate certain shopping cart laws.

While consumers in nine key states should be wary of the legislation, there are three ways to avoid the fees.

Shopping carts are a hot commodity according to statistics, with a shocking two million carts stolen on an annual basis. This costs US retailers roughly $175 million in annual replacement and repair costs, per The Food Marketing Institute, and retailers around the world around $800 million.

With one shopping cart stolen every 90 seconds, according to Supermarket News, the widespread issue burdens stores with both financial and operational challenges. Consumers who steal shopping carts are often driven by factors such as personal use, convenience, resale, and homelessness.

They don't always walk away unscathed, however, as three actions constitute illegal cart use and are subject to civil and criminal charges. It is illegal to take shopping carts off store premises without permission, as it constitutes theft.

Leaving a shopping cart on sidewalks or roadsides or at apartment buildings is also against the law, as is modifying a cart for personal use, such as turning it into a grill or cart bike. Those who violate any of these three are subject to fines, as taking a shopping cart is generally considered illegal in most states, although the specific details and penalties vary by state. the-sun.com


Six ways to crack down on retail crime
With two-thirds of retailers taking steps to protect themselves from theft and violence, NFU Mutual examines how the sector can successfully tackle shoplifting

Telaid Launches Integrated Security Strategies to Balance Retail Theft Prevention and Customer Experience

Baltimore crime data: Despite citywide drop, violent crime up in 30% of neighborhoods
 

Massive Takedown of Dark Web Drug Market
Police shut down long-running dark web drug market
Law enforcement authorities across Europe have dismantled Archetyp Market, the most enduring dark web drug market, following a large-scale operation involving six countries, supported by Europol and Eurojust.

Between 11 and 13 June, a series of coordinated actions took place across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors, and technical infrastructure. Around 300 officers were deployed to carry out enforcement actions and secure critical evidence.

Archetyp Market operated as a drug marketplace for over five years, amassing more than 600,000 users worldwide with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million. With over 17,000 listings, it is one of the few darknet markets that allowed the sale of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids, contributing to the growing threat posed by these substances in Europe and beyond.

As a result of the action, the platform’s infrastructure in the Netherlands was taken offline and its administrator – a 30-year-old German national – was arrested in Barcelona, Spain. In parallel, measures were taken in Germany and Sweden against one moderator and six of the marketplace’s highest vendors, and assets worth €7.8 million seized.

This operation led by the German authorities marks the end of a criminal service that enabled the anonymous trade in high volumes of illicit drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, and synthetic opioids. The platform’s endurance, scale and reputation within the criminal community place it alongside now-defunct darknet markets such as Dream Market and Silk Road, both notorious for their role in facilitating online drug trafficking. helpnetsecurity.com


Cyber Requirements Rolled Back?
SEC scraps proposed cybersecurity rules for investment advisers, market participants

The commission offered no rationale for removing rules that would have imposed security requirements on financial services providers.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has withdrawn proposed cybersecurity regulations for investment advisers and companies participating in securities markets.

The decisions, announced on Thursday with no explanation, mark potentially significant reversals of the commission’s plans to subject major financial entities to cyber requirements for the first time.

The rollbacks also raise questions about the now Republican-led SEC’s commitment to a cyber incident disclosure rule for public companies that the agency adopted in 2023 under Democratic leadership.

The SEC had proposed the now-scrapped rules over concerns that financial advisers and securities-market participants — like investment funds and clearing agencies — weren’t taking cybersecurity seriously enough, leaving their computer systems vulnerable to intrusions that could cost vast sums of money or profoundly undermine confidence in the U.S. financial system. cybersecuritydive.com


U.S. Companies at Risk
US critical infrastructure could become casualty of Iran-Israel conflict

Researchers warn that Iran-aligned threat groups could soon target U.S. companies and individuals in cyber espionage or sabotage attacks.

Security researchers are warning that the outbreak of direct hostilities between Israel and Iran may soon lead to malicious cyberattacks against critical infrastructure sites in the U.S. from state-linked actors, hacktivist groups and cyber criminals.

State-backed and hacktivist cyber threats against Israel and the U.S.’s Middle Eastern allies are escalating, according to researchers at Radware. Experts have seen a spike in pro-Iran threat activity on Telegram and other public channels.

Threat actors have warned Saudi Arabia and Jordan to expect attacks on their critical infrastructure if they help Israel in its conflict with Iran, and activist groups have claimed to have disrupted Israeli radio stations. cybersecuritydive.com
 

Why banks’ tech-first approach leaves governance gaps

Oakbrook, IL: Police search for 3 suspects in grab-and-run theft at Alo Yoga at Oakbrook Center Mall
Police in Oak Brook, Illinois, were searching Monday for three men in a grab-and-run theft at a store at Oakbrook Center Mall. Around 11 a.m., Oakbrook Center security called police by radio for a burglary at the Alo Store in the mall. Oak Brook police units found the suspects' vehicle headed north on Spring Road from 16th Street in the west Chicago suburb as it sped off. Inside the getaway car was $9,600 worth of stolen merchandise, and several items of evidentiary value, police said. The suspects are believed to be involved with other Alo store burglaries in the Chicago area, police said.  cbsnews.com


Crawford County, KS: Second suspect in Jake's Fireworks theft turns himself in
I told ya we'd make more arrests," states authorities online after a suspect turned themselves in Monday morning. The Crawford County Sheriff's Office says a suspect turned himself in for his involvement in the burglary at Jake's Fireworks. Authorities say the burglary happened when suspects cut through a fence at the fireworks store and stole fireworks, tools and other items. The crime was reported on June 3 to authorities. Deputies identified suspects in the case and got search warrants for three homes in Pittsburg and Frontenac. During the execution of those warrants, officers recovered the stolen goods and made one arrest, Andrew Habjan.  koamnewsnow.com


Detroit, MI: A Detroit retail crime blitz just led to 23 arrested, merchandise worth thousands of dollars seized
A crackdown on shoplifting in Canton, a western suburb of Detroit, Michigan, in early June has led to the recovery of thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods. Local news station WXYZ-TV Detroit reports that officers from the local Canton police department, alongside Northville and Plymouth Township police, arrested 23 people during a sting operation conducted over a two-day period at 36 stores. Shoplifting and organized retail crime is a major issue in Canton, local law enforcement told WXYZ. Lt. Michael Andes of the Canton police department said, "It’s in the billions nationwide, but it’s millions just here in Canton Township alone. So, our large stores like Walmart and Meijer and Sam’s Club, they’re losing millions of dollars each year.” Loss prevention investigators from 16 different retailers worked with the officers in the sting operation. They kept tabs on suspicious shoppers and relayed information to the cops waiting outside.  moneywise.com


Port St Lucie, FL: 'Glam bandit' on the loose after Ulta has $1,600 in products stolen

Riley County, KS: Ulta in Manhattan lost $1,400 in merchandise theft

Clarion, PA: Woman Accused of $1,400 Walmart Self-Checkout Scheme Faces Hearing

Prince Albert, SK, Canada: ‘Thousands of dollars’ worth of watches stolen during downtown robbery

Innisfail, AB, Canada: Police searching for 4 involved in jewelry store theft in central Alberta