Shoplifting Still 48% Higher in CA Than Pre-COVID
Violent crime rate dropped by 5.5% and property crime rate fell by 10%

Overall Crime in California Fell Last Year, but Shoplifting Continued to Rise
Violent and property crime rates decreased in 2024, most notably homicide, car break-ins, auto theft, and theft of car accessories. Most crime categories are now at or below pre-pandemic levels and California’s property crime rate is at its lowest level in three decades. However, despite decreases last year, aggravated assaults are still above 2019 numbers, and shoplifting continued to increase and is now 48% higher than it was before the pandemic.

The California Department of Justice recently released 2024 crime numbers. Some caution is warranted when comparing this new data to 2023, a year in which an unusually large number of law enforcement agencies in the state did not report data for all months of the year, and Oakland Police Department’s data included a substantial error in the reported number of aggravated assaults. Our analysis makes adjustments to address these issues.

The latest numbers point toward decreases in most crimes compared to 2023, with the violent crime rate dropping by 5.5% and the property crime rate falling by 10%. All four violent crime categories (homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assaults) saw decreases in 2024. However, the violent crime rate is still 9.6% above the pre-pandemic level, and is driven by aggravated assaults.

The property crime rate is now at its lowest level since at least 1985. Notably, auto thefts fell by 16.8% in 2024, the first year-over-year decrease since 2019. But auto thefts remain 19.1% higher than 2019 levels.

A look at monthly crime numbers gives us an opportunity to identify possible recent swings in crime trends. The data shows that commercial burglaries continued to decrease in 2024 and were slightly below pre-pandemic levels in the second half of the year. The notable increase in shoplifting, however, appears to have continued through last year. With a 13.8% increase in 2024, shoplifting is up by 47.5% compared to 2019. Combining reported shoplifting and commercial burglary incidents shows that retail theft increased by 3% in 2024 and is now 22.8% higher than in 2019. ppic.org
 

Streamlining ORC Investigations
Collaboration and Evidence-Sharing Solutions Help Combat ORC
To help retailers combat organized retail crime (ORC) and repeat offenders intending to resell stolen goods, federal lawmakers recently reintroduced the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025. The bill aims to establish new tools to mitigate retail theft, recover stolen goods, and deter future attacks across the enterprise.

While legislative efforts may help bolster collaboration and maximize efforts to combat ORC, retail organizations can maximize those initiatives by using their security systems to simplify data sharing and streamline investigations.

Easily Collect Evidence

Gathering forensic information for investigations is key to fighting ORC. With a unified security system, retail loss prevention teams can easily gather evidence, spot theft patterns, identify suspicious activity, and share evidence from multiple sources.

A unified system's components use shared core building blocks, such as maps, schedules, users and privileges. Events and data from all connected sensors and systems are aggregated and visualized in a single user interface. The result is a security solution that looks like a single system and brings applications and sensors from multiple providers onto one platform.

Securely Share Data … With a Few Clicks

Video and other evidence that retailers gather help build strong cases for investigations and prosecutions. Forensic data sharing must be simple, secure and cost effective. To combat ORC with an eye on efficiency and effectiveness, retailers need:

• easy-to-use technology to securely share video and other evidence with law enforcement;

• the capacity to retain evidence for the minimum standards of criminal and civil cases; and

• the ability to maintain privileged access and verify the integrity of evidence.

Digital evidence management systems (DEMS) can remove the pain points of data sharing and collaboration. With DEMS, you can use a web-based platform to store and share video or other data securely.

Combating ORC Through Unified Solutions: mytotalretail.com


ORC Bill Picking Up Momentum After Senate Hearing
CORCA gains bipartisan support to tackle organized retail crime in US

Backed by 260+ businesses, 38 attorneys general, and major industry groups, CORCA seeks swift passage to protect supply chains, workers, and public safety across the US.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) is gaining momentum following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

CORCA aims to enhance collaboration between law enforcement and the retail industry, improve data sharing, and provide stronger tools to investigate and prosecute retail and supply chain crimes. With 26 bipartisan Senate co-sponsors and endorsements from 38 state attorneys general, the bill has garnered wide support from over 260 businesses and numerous national associations, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary said in a press release.

Retailers, law enforcement agencies, and logistics leaders have come forward to urge the swift passage of CORCA. The National Retail Federation and its business coalition called the legislation a ‘commonsense’ and ‘essential’ step in protecting public safety and safeguarding consumer access to goods. Similarly, the National Association of Attorneys General noted that the bill would supply necessary resources to combat this ‘nationwide epidemic’.

Law enforcement backing was echoed by the National Police Association, which praised CORCA for enabling unified efforts between the public and private sectors. The American Trucking Association highlighted the growing risk to truck drivers from cargo theft and endorsed the bill as a tool to bolster federal enforcement.

State-level stakeholders expressed similar sentiments. Brenda Neville, president of the Iowa Motor Truck Association, commended the bill’s impact on securing freight and protecting Iowa workers. In Illinois, a state ranking among the top three in cargo thefts, Matt Hart of the Illinois Trucking Association called on Senator Durbin to back the legislation, while California’s trucking industry also voiced strong support. fibre2fashion.com


Trucking Industry Calls Cargo Theft a 'Crisis', Demands Action
Skyrocketing cargo theft: US trucking pushes Congress for solutions

A leading, nationwide trucking company has told the United States Senate Judiciary Committee that cargo theft is a crisis impacting the entire supply chain – to the tune of USD 35 billion annually – that requires immediate action from Congress.

IMC Logistics Chief Strategy Officer Donna Lemm has testified on behalf of IRU member the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in support of the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act. This act would establish a coordinated multi-agency response and equip law enforcement with new resources to address a surge in cargo theft incidents happening across the country.

“Rising cargo theft is affecting the trucking industry across the United States. We cannot stay silent,” said Donna Lemm. “Cargo theft will continue to metastasise unless Congress recognises the severity of the problem, law enforcement devotes sufficient time and resources, and the federal government takes a leading role in coordinating enforcement efforts.”

Senators on the subcommittee launched the hearing to investigate these proliferating criminal enterprises that are costing the supply chain up to USD 35 billion annually while raising consumer prices and insurance costs. Strategic theft – a form of cargo theft that involves deception, fraud, cybertheft, and other sophisticated tactics – has risen 1,500% since the first quarter of 2021, and the average value per theft is over USD 200,000.

Lemm provided numerous examples of the challenges that motor carriers are facing, not only as they struggle to thwart the onslaught of cargo theft, but also the difficulty of reporting incidents when they occur. Local police typically classify cargo theft as vandalism and consider it an insurance matter. As a result, patterns of lawbreaking behaviour across jurisdictions and connections to transnational criminal organisations are often missed. iru.org


Neighbors frustrated by violence even as DC police data shows crime is down

What the data — and SAPD chief — say about San Antonio crime
 

Cyberattacks Ramp Up Against Retailers
Are Retailers Doing Enough To Prevent Cyberattacks?
The acceleration of cyberattacks from Marks & Spencer to Harrods and Victoria’s Secret in recent months have led to calls for retailers to step up their investments in cybersecurity and digital resilience.

Retailers remain prime targets due to their online presence and the high volume of transactions involving billions of customers’ sensitive data. Retailers catering to high-end clients are seen as particularly vulnerable. Other retailers recently involved in attacks include Adidas, Cartier, Co-Op, Dior, and The North Face.

Risks to retailers include shutting down systems during breaches, with both Marks & Spencer and Victoria’s Secret temporarily taking down their websites in response to such attacks. United Natural Foods — North America’s largest publicly-held wholesale food distributor and the main distributor for Whole Foods — said last week that a breach, discovered June 6, shut down its systems for three weeks, leading to $350 million to $400 million in lost sales for the year.

Retailers May Downplay Security Breaches Out of Caution

Retailers also risk stock price hits and regulatory fines as a result of data breaches.

Firms hit by breaches have further been found to underreport incidents to avoid bad press, ultimately risking customer trust. A survey from Vercara found two-thirds of consumers would not trust a company following a data breach.

James Maude — field CTO at BeyondTrust, which develops intelligent identity and access security solutions — believes creating seamless online purchase platforms could be opening doors for cyber attackers. Maude told Security Magazine, “In general, the retail sector can find themselves caught in tradeoffs where their focus is on making it as easy as possible to buy an item not making it as secure as possible.”

He noted that requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for online consumers may make them hesitant to make an impulse purchase. Maude added, “Similarly, rewards points and loyalty schemes have become a frequent target for attack as attackers launch credential stuffing campaigns fueled by other breaches to access and cash out rewards and points into untraceable gift cards or goods.”

Beyond prioritizing MFA, industry experts are increasingly recommending zero-trust architecture, which requires continuous verification of all user identities and device integrity, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access. The latest breaches targeted third-party relationships within a supply chain. retailwire.com



"Do As I Say, Not As I Do" is Risky
How IT leaders infuse cyber hygiene into daily work

For technology chiefs, a "do as I say, not as I do" stance could lead to a security breach. Instead, cyber awareness can be taught by example.

Cybersecurity leaders are tasked with protecting their organizations from external and, sometimes, internal threats. But if CISOs and other technology leaders are not adhering to the same standards that they extoll to fellow workers, then the cybersecurity message might fall on deaf ears.

For technology leaders, a "do as I say, not as I do," stance could lead to a security breach. These professionals are in a position to lead by example, sticking to cyber hygiene best practices in their day-to-day work.

“You think more like a cop in terms of how people are trying to get one over on me and what tools are they using to do that,” said Andrew Marshall, CIO of Campus Apartments. “It gives you a situational awareness that you probably wouldn’t have if you weren’t engaged in it on a daily or frequent basis.”

Here’s how technology professionals can infuse cybersecurity into their daily routines.

Practice password precaution

Not all cybersecurity leaders follow their own advice. A study from Constella Intelligence found in 2021 that one in four IT security leaders re-use the same password for work and personal logins, and 39% hadn’t changed their work email passwords in the last 30 days.

Repel phishing — at work and at home

Educating employees about phishing is critical to any security-cautious company. Being skeptical can be taught.

Don’t mix personal and work devices: cybersecuritydive.com


Head of Cybercrime Hub Arrested
Mastermind behind Russian-speaking cybercrime hub arrested in Ukraine
The suspected administrator of xss.is, one of the world’s most influential Russian-speaking cybercrime forums, was arrested in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 22 July. The takedown followed a long-running investigation led by the French Police and Paris Prosecutor, in close cooperation with Ukrainian authorities and Europol.

With over 50,000 registered users, xss.is functioned as a major marketplace for stolen data, hacking tools and illicit services. It played a central role in facilitating, advertising, and recruiting for some of the most active and dangerous cybercriminal networks.

The arrest was part of a series of coordinated enforcement actions aimed at collecting evidence and dismantling the forum’s underlying criminal infrastructure. helpnetsecurity.com


What the law says about your next data breach

Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 “quick recovery” feature