WASHINGTON, D. C. - Citing a rise in brazen “violent attacks in retail stores throughout the country” by organized retail crime, U.
S. Rep. Dave Joyce last week led a bipartisan letter urging the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the fight against criminal networks responsible for the thefts.
The South Russell Republican’s letter, which was signed by dozens of Republicans and Democrats, noted the department’s congressionally approved 2024 spending bill contained language that urged it to consider establishing an Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Coordination Center. It asks the department for an update on its efforts to fight the problem. “The risk of ORC is not only due to the violence oftentimes displayed during the act of retail theft, especially to retail workers, but also health risks posed by consuming stolen goods like baby formula or pharmaceuticals, which may be improperly stored or tampered with prior to the final purchase by a consumer,” the letter says.
“Beyond public safety, ORC also endangers Main Street businesses and the economy.” The Department of Homeland Security says it has launched a program to fight organized retail crime called “Operation Boiling Point.” It says that unlike typical shoplifting, organized retail crime organizations systematically target retail establishments by using professional thieves known as “boosters.
” Boosters travel in crews throughout the country using aliases, rental vehicles, and tools such as “booster bags” and illegally acquired security keys to steal high-value merchandise. Although some sell stolen goods themselves, most sell to middlemen who buy from the thieves at a fraction of retail value and sell them through avenues including e-commerce websites, social media, or wholesale/trading/distribution companies. Pharmaceuticals, building supplies, groceries, electronics, household goods, health and beauty supplies, and apparel are some of the more commonly targeted items for the crime rings.
Catalytic converters stolen from motor vehicles because they contain precious metals are also targets of organized theft groups, DHS says. The congressional letter praised Operation Boiling Point but said lawmakers continue to believe that establishing a formalized Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center would enhance the ability of law enforcement and businesses to mitigate the threats posed by these sophisticated criminal networks. “This Center could facilitate better information sharing, resource allocation, and strategic planning, ultimately leading to more effective prevention and enforcement actions,” the letter says.
The letter noted that a Retail Industry Leader’s Association report indicated ORC caused nearly $70 billion in financial losses due to stolen goods from U.S. retailers in 2019, and said the numbers are increasing every year, impacting businesses of all sizes.
It said costs associated with ORC, due to stolen merchandise or heightened security measures, trickle down directly to American families, costing them more than $500 annually according to an estimate from DHS. “ORC is widespread and impacts every state,” the letter says. “Ohio’s Franklin County Sheriff’s Department has an ongoing investigation into a retail theft ring occurring across central Ohio and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Organized Retail Theft Section recovered over $300,000 of stolen merchandise last year.
These efforts underscore the importance of coordination among multiple levels of law enforcement to address ORC effectively across the country.” Stories by Sabrina Eaton Biden urges stop to attacks on Haitian immigrants as Trump threatens to deport those in Springfield, Ohio ‘I think of scammers like spiders’: Cuyahoga County consumer affairs chief warns Senate committee of rising fraud Akron’s U.S.
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