ORC’s Hidden Advantage:
Retailers Still Operate in Silos

By the D&D Daily Staff

Organized retail crime groups have one significant advantage over the companies trying to stop them: They don't operate within organizational boundaries.

An organized group can target several stores, cross jurisdictional lines, sell stolen merchandise online and move into another market before investigators fully recognize the pattern. Meanwhile, the information needed to connect those incidents may already exist — just in different places.

One store reports a suspicious return. Another documents a large theft involving the same merchandise. A third captures a vehicle associated with repeat offenders. An e-commerce team notices unusual resale activity. Individually, none of those events may warrant significant attention. Put them together and they could reveal something much larger.

That's increasingly the challenge for retail asset protection teams. The industry has invested heavily in cameras, analytics, case management platforms and other investigative tools, but technology is only as valuable as the information flowing through it.

Internal silos can still separate store-level AP, corporate investigators, supply chain teams, fraud departments and e-commerce operations. Outside the organization, information can become even more fragmented across retailers, law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions.

Organized offenders don't have those restrictions.

For AP leaders, that makes information sharing an increasingly important part of the ORC fight. The next major case may not begin with a dramatic theft or a single investigative breakthrough. It could begin when someone recognizes that three seemingly unrelated incidents share the same vehicle, product, individual or method.

That also means smaller incidents shouldn't necessarily be dismissed as isolated losses. A relatively minor theft at one location could provide the missing piece investigators need to connect activity occurring across an entire market.

Retailers certainly need better technology, stronger partnerships and effective legislation to combat organized theft. But one of the industry's most valuable resources may already exist inside its own systems.

The challenge is connecting it.

Because while retailers continue working to break down silos, organized criminal networks have already figured out something important: information becomes considerably more powerful when it's shared.


The Theft 'Trump Effect'?
DC retail theft debate intensifies after Pirro video, official CVS response

"When you lock up criminals, goods like toothpaste and razors are unlocked for law-abiding citizens," Pirro stated, attributing the shift to the "Trump Effect."

A viral video regarding retail security in the nation's capital has drawn a direct response from pharmacy retail giant CVS, highlighting an ongoing conversation about public safety and the shopping experience in Washington, D.C.

The discussion began following a public statement and video by U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, who asserted that public safety initiatives are visibly changing the local retail environment. "When you lock up criminals, goods like toothpaste and razors are unlocked for law-abiding citizens," Pirro stated, attributing the shift to the "Trump Effect" unfolding to make D.C. safe and beautiful.

In response to the commentary surrounding the locked display cases shown in the video, CVS Senior Manager of Corporate Communications and External Affairs, Roslyn Guarino, issued an official statement addressing the company's approach to balancing store security with customer convenience.

"We always strive to deliver a convenient and safe experience for our customers and colleagues," Guarino stated. "We understand that locked cabinets can be frustrating, and we are actively taking action to improve the experience across our national retail footprint."

The exchange highlights the tension between public commentary on local crime enforcement and the practical steps national retailers are taking to navigate customer dissatisfaction with physical security measures. wusa9.com


Theft Surging Despite Violence Drop
Fewer shootings, more thefts: This year’s Minneapolis crime trends diverge

Homicides and shootings are down, but property crimes like theft are climbing.

Homicides are down and fewer people have been wounded by gunfire in Minneapolis so far in 2026, leading some residents to notice their neighborhoods quieting down. But increased thefts and the frequent car window-breaking sprees are complicating the city’s progress compared to last year.

The city has had 29% fewer homicides through September 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, while the number of gunshot victims has dropped below pre-pandemic levels in 2019. However, vehicle thefts and other thefts have increased, leaving some residents and business owners frustrated despite the reductions in violent crimes.

Minneapolis’ shrinking homicide numbers match other cities across the country. A nationwide study of 36 large cities by the Council on Criminal Justice found a roughly 31% drop in homicides through the first six months of the year.

While violent crime is down, theft and vandalism are up — particularly as it pertains to vehicles. All larcenies are up 6%, driven in part by a roughly 50% spike in thefts of vehicular parts. And after two years of declines in auto thefts, those are up 9% from last year. startribune.com


The Debate Over Warrantless Surveillance
Federal judge rules warrantless Flock camera searches may violate 4th Amendment

A federal court ruled that a warrantless search of historical vehicle movements through Flock’s licence plate reader is unconstitutional.

An Oklahoma federal judge ruled Friday that warrantless searches using AI-powered surveillance camera data — such as what Flock Safety’s hallmark technology collects — may violate the Fourth Amendment without adequate probable cause.

“Freedom from persistent, dragnet-style surveillance while in public is not a foreign concept in our society, and it is a reasonable expectation that society already accepts,” U.S. District Judge Sara Hill wrote in her ruling.

Hill, an appointee of former President Biden, continued: “But it becomes constitutionally problematic when law enforcement can indiscriminately and passively catalog your whereabouts over an extended period of time and then use that information for any purpose whenever convenient.“

Flock offers a system of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), which use recording devices to log plate numbers and identify what the company calls a “vehicle signature” — including a car’s make, model and other identifying features. The cameras do not collect the biometric data of a vehicle’s occupants.

The ruling concerned the role of ALPRs in a Tulsa County deputy sheriff’s traffic stop that resulted in a drug arrest. In this case, the deputy began following a driver after noticing she had an out-of-state license plate and ran her vehicle through an AI-powered camera database — allegedly before the officer had identified any traffic violation or other criminal activity. thehill.com


Durham police provide crime data update: Violent crime up, property crime down

San Francisco’s car crime has plunged. How much credit does Flock deserve?
 

The summit featured a diverse agenda of speakers and panel discussions, providing attendees with valuable insights and networking opportunities. As cargo theft, distributed operations, and regional risk vectors grow increasingly complex, today’s event provided actionable strategies to build connected, proactive, and resilient security frameworks. Key themes examined throughout the day included:

• Cargo Theft & Supply Chain Protection: Emerging trends and preventative strategies to reduce operational vulnerabilities across transit routes.

• Artificial Intelligence & Cloud-Based Physical Security: How AI and centralized cloud platforms accelerate threat detection, streamline incident investigations, and transform video metadata into actionable intelligence.

• Crisis Management & Operational Resilience: Protocols for maintaining business continuity and rapid incident response during supply chain disruptions.

• Public-Private Collaboration: Strengthening intelligence sharing between private sector security teams and local authorities.

Byron Smith CFI, LPC, President & Chairman of the ISCPO, remarked on the event’s success. “Managing supply chain risk in today’s environment requires more than static defenses—it requires real-time visibility, intelligence sharing, and integrated technology. The Summit brings leaders together in Mexico City to discuss modern approaches that protect not only physical assets and inventory, but also the workforce supporting these critical networks.” iscpo.org


AI & Inflation Will Shape Holiday Shopping
A deeper dive into Accenture’s holiday survey – inflation, AI loom
Accenture data shows that the holiday shopping season is shaping up to be centered around consumers using artificial intelligence and feeling financial pressure.

Chain Store Age recently interviewed Accenture global retail lead Kelly Askew about consumer attitudes toward inflation and next-gen AI, and how they will affect the upcoming holiday shopping season. In this article, we will examine the results of Accenture’s 20th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey more closely, starting with consumer spending expectations.

Accenture predicts U.S. holiday budgets will $737, a nearly 12% increase year over year and a 9.6% three-year compound annual growth rate. That number jumps to an average of $829 for millennial respondents but goes down to $696 for Gen Z respondents. 

However, financial pressure is impacting where consumers shop, with nearly half  planning to buy gifts at mass merchants and warehouse clubs. Accenture’s Macro Foresight analysis shows that as of June, prices remained approximately 15% higher than they would have been absent from inflation shocks that began in 2020. chainstoreage.com


Starbucks Facing Backlash After Opening Stores in China
U.S. Lawmaker Demands Starbucks Close Retail Stores in Xinjiang, China

Starbucks is facing political heat over its newest stores in China. A US lawmaker wants the company to close them.

Starbucks opened its first two stores in Xinjiang this week. Both are in the capital, Urumqi. One is at the Grand Bazaar in the city center. The other is at the international airport.

John Moolenaar chairs the House Select Committee on China. He called the move "morally bankrupt." He said Starbucks should "immediately reverse course and close its stores." He also said more than a million Uyghurs have been detained in the region.

China denies the abuse claims. Its Foreign Ministry called the U.S. allegations "naked lies." It said Xinjiang has a stable society and religious harmony. It also said China will offer foreign firms more investment opportunities. finance.yahoo.com


Fall Protection Remains Top OSHA Violation
Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2024

A look at the most frequent areas where workplace safety is lacking.

The more things change, the more nothing seems to have changed at all. Yes, we’re talking about OSHA’s annual reveal of the most frequent workplace safety violations. The 10 categories on last year’s list all appear on the list again this year—the violations haven’t changed; only their relative position on the Top 10 list.

And once again, as per usual, the number one violation was Fall Protection—General Requirements (and in fact, another category related to fall protection, focusing on Training Requirements, finished in 7th place, up one position from 8th place last year. And Ladders retained its hold on 3rd place again this year). ehstoday.com


Fiserv: Small business sales see uptick in September

How GLP-1 users are forcing retailers to rethink everything