CORCA: The Sprint Toward Passage
NRF brings asset protection leaders to Capitol Hill to push CORCA past the finish line

By David Johnston, National Retail Federation Vice President of Asset Protection & Retail Operations

As the federal legislative session approaches year-end, asset protection leaders will come together on Capitol Hill on Nov. 17 to meet with key congressional offices to advocate for the final passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA).

Led by NRF and supported by its Loss Prevention Council, more than 20 invited retail leaders plan to meet with key House and Senate offices to share their stories and perspectives on the importance of CORCA and the realities of retail theft, violence and organized retail crime.

CORCA is currently included in the Senate managers’ package for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As Congress returns from recess following the mid-term elections, it is expected that House and Senate leadership will meet soon and include CORCA in their final negotiations around measures in the package. The timing of these meetings and of this advocacy is both timely and critical.

NRF appreciates the asset protection professionals, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who continue to press forward in supporting the final passage of CORCA to protect the retail industry employees, supply chain stakeholders and consumers. We cannot allow critics to shift attention away from the true victims of organized retail crime and must remain focused and committed during these final weeks of legislation to getting the bill passed.

NRF and a broad array of industry stakeholders, law enforcement and bipartisan members of Congress who support CORCA remain committed to this effort. Let’s keep up the fight and continue working together to keep retail safe and secure.


Property Crime Victimization Drops 19%
Violent crime victimization fell 25% in 2025 over prior year, DOJ survey shows
A preliminary survey released on Monday found that the rate of violent crime victimization in 2025 fell by about 25% compared with the prior year, a significant drop that the Justice Department claimed represents the largest decline since 1973.

The National Crime Victimization Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau and released by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, found that there were an estimated 669,000 fewer violent crimes, excluding simple assaults, committed in 2025 compared with 2024.

Aggravated assault victimization dropped an estimated 31%, with about 390,000 fewer incidents in 2025, compared with the prior year.

The data for the survey comes from a sample of interviews in U.S. households of people who are 12 or older. The interviewees were asked questions about the frequency, characteristics and consequences of criminal victimization.

The survey for 2025 consisted of 101,980 household interviews. Overall, 53% of eligible households completed interviews, the Bureau of Justice Statistics said.

Other findings from the preliminary results of the survey showed that robbery was down 27% in 2025, property crime victimization was down 19%, burglary and trespassing were down 25% and motor vehicle theft was down 29%.

The preliminary results from the survey bolster findings from earlier this year in the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which showed that violent crime rates plummeted in 2025 with the country's murder rate reaching a 20-year low. cbsnews.com


European Retailers Reeling from Unrest
Retailers in France and Italy Tally the Cost of Lost Business After Second Round of Protests
At a time when Christmas lights have started appearing in London, retailers in France and Italy boarded up their stores and curtailed opening hours on Saturday in preparation for another day of major protests, following the previous weekend’s demonstrations during which thousands of stores were damaged or looted.

Although Saturday’s marches in both countries were mostly peaceful, with isolated pockets of violence, the retail sector was left tallying the cost of lost business in the runup to the crucial holiday season — not to mention additional expenses linked to increased security measures. The lost business came on top of the costs of repairing the damages from the Oct. 17 marches.

The federation, whose members include Galeries Lafayette Group, sporting goods retailer Decathlon and supermarket chains including Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Monoprix, said it remained “particularly vigilant” ahead of Nov. 5, when French unions have called for nationwide strikes.

Authorities were determined to avoid a repeat of the scenes of chaos that unfolded on Oct. 17, deploying 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, Sentinelle military personnel and elite commandos such as the RAID and GIGN, in addition to helicopters and armored vehicles.

Nationwide, “several” stores were damaged and 24 looted, compared with the 1,522 businesses affected the previous week, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Sunday. Police made 1,314 arrests, down from 2,628 the previous week.

Trade Minister Serge Papin estimated more than 3,000 stores were damaged or looted on Oct. 17. In Paris alone, local authorities had tallied 451 vandalized retailers, including 228 stores that were stripped bare, ranging from mom-and-pop groceries to luxury boutiques. wwd.com


Crime Plummets in Michigan
Whitmer says Michigan's violent crime rate has reached a seven-year low
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that violent crime in the state is the lowest it's been in seven years.

The governor's office said Monday morning that murders are down more than 40% since 2021, robberies have been cut in half since Whitmer took office and more than 1,000 illegal guns were seized as part of Operation Safe Neighborhoods.

“Every Michigander deserves to feel safe in their home, their neighborhood, and their community,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We’ve invested nearly $2 billion in public safety to put more officers on the street, support proven violence intervention programs, and take illegal guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. I’m grateful to the law enforcement officers and community partners who work every day to keep our communities safe.” wxyz.com


ICYMI: Retail Loss Goes Beyond Theft: Report Reveals Broader Sources of Loss

Austin’s homicide rate remains above pre-pandemic levels
 

AP's Growing Role Beyond Shrink
Retail Asset Protection's Expanding Role in Store Operations

By the D&D Daily staff

Retail loss prevention and asset protection teams are increasingly being asked to look beyond traditional loss prevention responsibilities and contribute to broader operational performance, employee safety and the customer experience.

As retailers navigate rising operating costs, changing consumer expectations and tighter labor resources, AP professionals have an opportunity to provide valuable insights into how stores function and where everyday processes can be improved.

One area receiving greater attention is operational efficiency. Inventory discrepancies, damaged merchandise, inconsistent procedures and gaps in employee training can create financial losses that have little to do with criminal activity. Identifying these issues requires collaboration between asset protection, store operations, merchandising and supply chain teams.

Technology is also reshaping the department's responsibilities. Video analytics, inventory management systems and reporting platforms can provide greater visibility into store conditions and operational trends. However, the value of these tools depends on how effectively retailers translate information into practical improvements.

For AP leaders, that means moving beyond simply identifying problems and helping develop solutions that store employees can realistically implement.

Employee engagement is another important component. Frontline associates are often the first to notice recurring operational challenges, whether it's merchandise arriving damaged, inventory being placed incorrectly or procedures that create unnecessary delays. Encouraging employees to communicate these concerns can help retailers address small problems before they become costly.

At the same time, AP teams must balance oversight with the realities of store operations. Recommendations that look effective on paper may be difficult to execute during peak shopping periods or when staffing levels are limited.

Measuring success also requires a broader perspective. While shrink remains an important performance indicator, improvements in inventory accuracy, employee compliance, operational consistency and workplace safety can demonstrate additional value.

Ultimately, the future of retail asset protection may depend as much on its ability to strengthen everyday store operations as its traditional responsibility to protect merchandise and reduce losses.

For retailers, the opportunity is to position AP as a strategic partner that helps stores operate more efficiently, supports employees and contributes to stronger overall business performance.


Customers Overcharged at Dollar General
Dollar General accused of overcharging shoppers, settles for $1.9 million

Investigators found customers paid more than advertised prices at several Dollar General stores.

Discount chains such as Dollar General have built their business around offering everyday essentials at prices shoppers can afford. But what happens when the advertised price isn’t what customers actually pay at checkout?

A New York investigation found that Dollar General repeatedly charged customers more than advertised, sometimes by as much as 39% on individual items.

Now, the retailer has agreed to a $1.875 million settlement and major changes to its pricing practices. The discount retailer has denied any wrongdoing. However, those who were overcharged will not receive direct refunds under the new agreement.

According to the original settlement agreement, investigators reviewed 913 government price-accuracy inspections involving 287 Dollar General stores between fiscal 2021 and 2023.

They found that 43% of those inspections failed to meet the state’s requirement that stores should price at least 98% of inspected items accurately.

They also conducted an undercover investigation during which officials purchased 114 items at 11 Western New York stores. They were overcharged on 16 items, or approximately 14% of those purchases.

The four largest overcharges were 39%, 38%, 26%, and 22% above the lowest advertised prices. thestreet.com


Retailers Pull Out All The Stops To Attract Workers
UK: Retail leads the way on paternity leave as government urged to improve offer

M&S and Tesco are among employers offering six weeks, highlighting gap with construction and agriculture

Being able to take six weeks’ paid paternity leave, flexibly, made a huge difference to me and my family, giving me the time to support my partner and settle into being a new parent,” said Marks & Spencer employee Joe Erskine.

The food and clothing retailer increased its paternity leave offering from two to six weeks at full pay in 2024, meaning Erskine benefited from the new policy when his second child was born 17 months ago.

M&S and Tesco are among the retailers leading the way in offering enhanced paternity leave to their staff, new research has shown, highlighting the widening gap between the more family-friendly policies offered to new fathers working in the retail sector compared with those in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

Privately owned companies Ikea, Lego and Virgin Media O2 now also offer more weeks of fully paid leave to new fathers.

The enhanced paternity leave offered by retailers including Asda, Waitrose and Lidl in recent years means that just five employers are responsible for upgrading parental leave for nearly 650,000 workers. theguardian.com


Psychological Safety:
The Overlooked Risk in Workplace AI Adoption

Psychological safety enables employees to question AI outputs and speak up without fear, reducing risks and improving decision quality.

As AI becomes more embedded in everyday work, organizations are rightly focused on data security, privacy and responsible use. But AI adoption is also changing how employees work, make decisions and assess their own roles. That human impact introduces another risk that deserves greater attention: psychological safety and employees’ ability to perform at their best.

Recent Gallup research found that while 15% of U.S. employees say they use AI daily, 30% use it a few times a week or more. As adoption grows, employees are being asked to adapt quickly, which can raise questions about job security, confidence and their willingness to speak up when something goes wrong. LRN’s 2026 Ethics and Compliance Program Effectiveness report found that 39% of organizations use AI in at least one aspect of their programs, yet fewer than half can explain how it improves outcomes. That gap can create additional risk if employees don’t feel comfortable questioning how AI is being used or speaking up when something goes wrong.

That’s where culture matters. Culture takes more than creating a code of conduct or policy to enforce and maintain an ethically sound, safe working environment for employees and the organization. Policies set expectations, but consistently reinforcing those expectations is what helps turn them into responsible behavior. ehstoday.com


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