ICE Could Lead Federal ORC Response
Congress Might Give ICE the Power to Go After Shoplifters

A bill intended to halt the supposed threat of “organized retail crime” would put ICE in charge of the federal response.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, or CORCA, was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, last year with wide bipartisan support. The bill is aimed at limiting coordinated retail theft and shoplifting, which lawmakers allege is happening at “unprecedented levels” as organized criminal gangs steal merchandise from stores and resell the goods online.

According to the legislation, the perpetrators “are often polycriminal organizations, using profit from the reselling of stolen goods to support crimes involving drugs and weapons trafficking” while facilitating “human smuggling,” all of which is “funding nefarious groups and activities and threatening the integrity of the international economy.”

The bill would give Immigration and Customs Enforcement authority to coordinate federal efforts against large-scale shoplifting. ICE would establish a so-called “Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center” that would bring under one roof analysts and agents from myriad agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Secret Service. The goal is to centralize investigative data and establish “a secure system for sharing information regarding organized retail and supply chain crime threats by leveraging existing information systems at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.”

It’s unclear if ICE agents themselves would have the authority to confront alleged suspects. DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite sustained opposition to DHS and ICE under Trump’s second term by congressional democrats, CORCA was co-sponsored by 13 Democratic members of the Senate, including Amy Klobuchar, Mark Warner, and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin.

In May, the House passed CORCA and referred it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley and Durbin are now hoping to turn it into law as an amendment to the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon’s annual funding bill that historically passes easily with bipartisan support. Despite the fact that CORCA is intended to protect store shelves from thieves, and not the United States from foreign militaries, both senators are urging the acceptance of the amendment on the grounds that it will “reduce violent crime.” theintercept.com


Arizona's War on ORC
How Maricopa County Attorney is cracking down on retail theft rings
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is pushing to crack down on organized retail crime. “Organized retail crime funds other criminal behavior,” Mitchell said. “So in my way of thinking, it’s cutting off the head of the snake. It’s cutting off the money that funds other criminal behavior.”

Mitchell became Maricopa County Attorney in 2022 and launched an organized retail theft task force that same year. Since then, her office has added a dedicated investigator, begun requesting higher bonds in court and lowered the threshold for cases it accepts.

“I want Maricopa County to be unattractive to people who are going to commit those types of offenses,” Mitchell said.

David Lake, a former Phoenix police detective sergeant who specialized in organized crime and now serves as CEO of the Center on Shadow Economics, said not all departments share that focus. Lake said compared to violent crimes, many departments just don’t have or put enough resources toward retail theft.

In 2021, law enforcement submitted 536 organized retail theft cases to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. After the task force launched, submissions rose to 900 in 2024, followed by 738 in 2025 and 344 through the end of June this year.

“We have said we’re going to prioritize this,” Mitchell said. “And so law enforcement has really stepped up to that and is working very well with us to submit cases, but it is a lot.”

In Arizona, organized retail theft is a class four felony. Since 2023, nearly 1,000 cases of organized retail theft in Maricopa County have ended in convictions, with more still active. azfamily.com


Law Helping Investigators Pursue Theft Rings
New central Ohio task force targets organized retail theft under state law
A new central Ohio law enforcement task force is targeting organized retail theft after a state law expanded investigators' ability to pursue theft rings operating across county lines.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is leading the Fraud & Organized Retail Crime Engagement Task Force, or F.O.R.C.E., which was established in March under the Ohio Attorney General's Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

The task force was created following the passage of House Bill 366, known as the FORCE Act. The law allows law enforcement agencies and prosecutors from multiple jurisdictions to work together to investigate organized retail theft rings and combine related thefts over a 12-month period into a single case, leading to tougher felony charges in some cases.

According to the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, organized retail theft costs Ohio businesses an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion each year. Retail leaders say those losses ultimately contribute to higher prices for consumers. yahoo.com


Toronto's ORC Crackdown Yields Results
More than 500 arrests, 4K charges by Toronto retail crime unit since formation
The Toronto Police Service is touting the results of its organized retail crime unit, saying it has led to more than 500 arrests and 4,000 charges since its inception two years ago.

In total, police have made 546 arrests, laid 4,033 charges and found more than $1.6 million in stolen merchandise linked to investigations, according to a news release.

“Every year it’s estimated that Canadian retailers lose billions of dollars to retail crime,” Chief Myron Demkiw said. “This hurts big chains and mom and pop shops, it hurts the economy, and it’s made people feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods.”

The specialized unit was formed in 2024 after a rise in retail crime at businesses in north Etobicoke.

Police describe the unit as creating a “direct and consistent point of contact for retailers,” and said it also introduced a streamlined reporting process. globalnews.ca

   RELATED: Crime is down in Toronto. So why is retail theft on the rise?


NYC Mayor Backs Crime-Fighting Over Defunding
As crime plummets in NYC, Mayor Mamdani makes clear he’s at odds with DSA policing platform
Mayor Mamdani, a vocal and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America, drew a sharp line Thursday between his views and the party’s platform on the contentious issue of public safety and policing.

“Especially when it comes to public safety, I’ve been very clear that we have our police force, we have prisons, we have jails. The purpose of these is also to ensure that we are delivering safety and justice hand in hand,” Mamdani told host Clay Cane at a SiriusXM taping on Thursday.

The official DSA platform calls for the defunding of police and freedom for “all incarcerated people.”

Earlier this week, the NYPD touted new crime stats revealing that the city has seen the fewest shootings, shooting victims and murders in the city’s recorded history for both the year-to-date and the month of July.

In his first months in office, Mamdani has done little to change how the NYPD operates. He kept on Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who was first appointed to the role under ex-Mayor Adams, and has not made progress of several of his key policing campaign promises, like pledges to ban the gang database and disband the controversial Strategic Response Unit. nydailynews.com


Chicago Targets Irresponsible Gun Sellers
Opinion: Taxpayers can end up funding gun violence. Chicago is trying to stop it.
The No. 1 purchaser of firearms in this country is the American people. Each year, cities and states across the country spend more than $5 billion purchasing firearms for law enforcement. Too often, this means taxpayer dollars are fueling the very gun violence that plagues neighborhoods and communities nationwide.

Public dollars should advance public safety, not undermine it. Full stop. As the largest institutional purchaser of firearms in the United States, governments have tremendous power to shape the market. When governments don’t align practices with commitments, everyday taxpayers end up funding gun violence.

Gun sellers play a critical role in preventing firearms from entering the illegal market. Responsible dealer practices are the first line of defense against gun trafficking, straw purchases and other illegal sales.

Under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s leadership, Chicago is using the power of public procurement to raise the standard for responsible firearm sales. Rather than allowing irresponsible sellers to profit twice — first by selling firearms that are diverted into crime and violence, and then by receiving taxpayer-funded contracts from the very communities harmed by that violence — the city is taking steps to ensure public dollars support responsible business practices while encouraging higher standards across the firearm industry. chicagotribune.com


New Mexico: ORC law yields its longest sentence yet

Utah lawmakers work to address fraud targeting elderly, retail theft across state lines