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?
 

Security Leaders Tackle Supply Chain Risks
Top Security Executives Gather at ISCPO México City Summit to Strengthen Supply Chain Resilience
On October 1, the International Supply Chain Protection Organization (ISCPO), in partnership with Verkada, hosted the ISCPO 2026 Mexico City Supply Chain Security at Club Piso 51 in Mexico City. The 2nd annual summit convened senior executives and operational leaders across security, logistics, loss prevention, and corporate risk management to tackle the most critical supply chain security challenges facing organizations operating in LATAM today.

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.