Hundreds of arrests across 28 states were made last week in what officials are saying is an unprecedented national effort to curb rising rates of organized retail theft.
The initiative, led by the Cook county regional organized crime taskforce in Illinois, brought together more than 100 law enforcement agencies and over 30 major retailers, CNBC reported Wednesday. The retailers include Target, Macy’s, Home Depot, Walgreens and Kroger.
The retailers also played a key role in the crackdown by supplying critical information. Ulta Beauty participated in nine states, sharing data on criminal activity with law enforcement.
Marty Maloney, director of media relations at Walgreens, told CNBC that organized retail crime “remains one of the most significant challenges” in the retail industry. He added that during the crackdown operation, the company “worked closely with law enforcement partners across nearly 20 cities and at over 40 locations to help curb this trend”.
Organized retail crime involves groups of individuals stealing merchandise in coordinated operations, often reselling the goods for profit. Authorities say this form of crime has become more sophisticated and widespread in recent years.
A 2024 survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that, compared with 2019, retailers saw a 93% spike in shoplifting incidents and a 90% rise in the financial losses tied to those thefts. The NRF previously claimed that organized retail crime accounted for “nearly half” of the shopping industry’s $94.5bn inventory losses in 2021, but later retracted those claims.
“When you give specific focus to a crime, it reverberates,” the Cook county sheriff Tom Dart told CNBC. “When they see it is being prosecuted and taken seriously, it deters conduct. They don’t want to get caught.”
Eileen O’Neill Burke, the Cook county state’s attorney, made combating retail theft a priority since she took office in December. She announced that felony charges would be pursued whenever the value of stolen goods exceeds $300, or when suspects have prior felony shoplifting convictions, standards that align with state law.
