Professional organized retail crime is a leech on society and communities and it’s growing. It is shifting from high-crime urban areas, to quiet neighborhoods where it is rare to see any criminal activity. “The perpetrators are migrating to low crime neighborhoods,” said Ben Dugan, past President of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR), “because those stores will have less employee coverage and the police response may be slower. They are taking advantage of the retail business model and hitting suburban stores along major highways.
Stealing to Meet Demand
The truth is professional ORC thieves have a quota to meet—they have a certain amount of product that they have to steal in order to keep up with the demands set by the criminal organizations that employ them. Most of the time, a single store won’t keep a high stock of items popular with thieves, whether that’s beauty products, baby formula, over the counter medications, or other highly desirable items.
Unlike local, opportunistic shoplifters, Dugan points out that professional thieves are going from store to store, stealing as much as they can, as quietly as they can. They aren’t concerned with the felony limits which can be different across jurisdictions, and they normally keep a low profile. “Most ORC goes undetected,” said Dugan. “They aren’t committing the violent smash and grabs that you see on the news. Most of the time they look like normal shoppers and are purposefully nonviolent.”
Dugan says the thieves need to be inconspicuous because they are targeting up to 20 stores per day, often in multiple states, and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars per week. They can’t afford to make a scene and have law enforcement looking for them if they are going to reach their quota.
“These are not the same as the opportunistic, the unorganized, or the violent thieves,” said Dugan. “The networks are very sophisticated and savvy.”
Leveling the Playing Field
Dugan said that retailers, law enforcement, and prosecutors are turning the odds more in their favor recently. During the pandemic, he said, property crime investigations ground to a halt—there wasn’t time or the manpower to support thousands of investigations. But thanks to new resources and task forces, and efforts to educate consumers and legislators, law enforcement has reengaged at a much higher level.
“Retailers should be focusing on repeat offenders,” said Dugan. “They are driving 80% of the problem.”
“Investigators in both the public and private sector are beginning to uncover patterns in this type of criminal behavior,” said Dugan. “Professional thieves almost always follow specific routes, unlike those who steal for personal use. This has allowed for ORC investigators to proactively share intelligence that is leading to stronger cases that eliminate significant threats.”
Building a Case
The challenge of creating a compelling case against professional thieves is time and logistics. “We’ve got to build a case with the career criminal in mind,” said Dugan.
Linking offenders to multiple incidents and events is key to supporting charges that will stick and a punishment that will deter criminal behavior. If you can prove the same people aren’t just stealing one or two things but thousands of dollars of product, Dugan says it will make it easier for prosecutors to file charges. “We have to be calculated and appropriately aggressive in our approach,” he added. “Let the criminals essentially build the case against themselves.”
Another key is sharing intelligence across jurisdictions without delay. For example, Dugan has had teams surveil thieves from New York to Las Vegas, documenting their actions along the way before arresting them. Just as the thieves have networks that span the country, so do the good guys. “A lot of retailers have specialized teams that can gather ORC intelligence across multiple jurisdictions and states,” said Dugan. In fact, some of the new resources include networks and forums for law enforcement and retailers to share intel expediently and safely.
Moving Forward
In the last couple of years, Dugan said they have seen a significant increase in case closure rates. Professional thieves are getting arrested and charged at significantly higher rates. “We have a lot of positive momentum,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but the investments we have made to educate consumers, law enforcement, and prosecutors has given us some of the resources we have needed for years. It’s now time to put our foot on the gas.”
