Local Theft Crackdowns Aren't Enough
San Diego DA testifies in Congress, urges federal help to combat organized retail theft rings

San Diego DA Summer Stephan told Congress that local prosecutors can't stop theft rings alone, as stolen goods cross state lines and disappear overseas.

District Attorney Summer Stephan returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance about the growing threat of organized retail theft and why local law enforcement needs federal coordination to stop it.

Stephan, who chairs the National District Attorneys Association, appeared for the second time this year to support the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. The legislation would create a national coordination center and improve data-sharing between local, state and federal agencies to track theft rings that cross state lines.

"Criminals travel across county lines and state lines and international lines," Stephan told lawmakers. "So the only way that you can defeat a big monster like that is to come together and leverage our individual power set to take care of our communities."

Since forming an Organized Retail Theft Task Force several years ago, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office has prosecuted 336 defendants tied to organized retail crime, documenting more than $3.2 million in losses. Major retailers, including Target, Ulta Beauty, Home Depot and jewelry stores have been hit repeatedly.

But Stephan told Congress that local task forces can make arrests without being able to recover stolen goods or reach the kingpins running the operations. "By having a database, you will learn information, connect the dots and be able to go after organized crime," Stephan said. "There's really no other way to do it."

Stephan emphasized that federal involvement would be a partnership, not a replacement, for local law enforcement. The proposed law would create data-sharing tools to connect cases across jurisdictions before evidence vanishes. cbs8.com


Lawmakers Feeling the Heat
Trucking, retail pressure lawmakers to pass anti-theft bill

Federal oversight key to stopping cargo theft originating overseas, lawmakers told

Without federal oversight and the ability to coordinate and share information, cargo theft – particularly high-tech “strategic theft” directed by organizations operating outside the U.S. – will continue to surge, trucking and retail officials told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“This goes way beyond the hit-and-run type of straight theft that we’ve seen for over a hundred years with trucks,” American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear told House Judiciary committee lawmakers.

“This is a very complex, digitally-driven renaissance. These groups are operating out of Eastern Europe, Russia, South Africa, China – places where if you have a laptop, you can go into a bill of lading and redirect freight as it’s in motion. That freight’s long gone before the company figures out that it was taken.”

Strategic theft, Spear said, has risen 1,500% since the first quarter of 2021, with the average value per theft over $200,000.

Solving the problem, he told the committee, will require a “federal fabric” that closes a current law enforcement gap that currently undercuts the ability to understand where threats are coming from and how to prevent them.

It’s a key piece of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), bipartisan, bicameral legislation that has a combined 230 cosponsors between House and Senate companion bills. freightwaves.com


Crime & Safety Crackdown Ahead of Super Bowl
Super Bowl LX: Santa Clara to restrict street vendors, illegal merchandise sales in ‘clean zone’ around Levi’s Stadium

The zone will be activated from 8 a.m. on Feb. 1 through 10 p.m. on Feb. 10 at 10 p.m.

In the week leading up to Super Bowl LX and several days after, Santa Clara will restrict certain activities in the area surrounding Levi’s Stadium in an effort to protect public safety in case of a disaster.

The Santa Clara City Council recently approved the special event zone, which the NFL requires as part of the city’s hosting agreement. The map mirrors the one enacted the last time Santa Clara hosted the Super Bowl in 2016, with the area bounded by State Route 237 to the north, Calabazas Creek to the west, Highway 101 and Montague Expressway to the south and the Guadalupe River to the east.

Also known as a “clean zone,” the restricted area aims to manage congestion, keep sidewalks clear of street vendors and ensure first responders have easy access to the stadium and surrounding streets.

Santa Clara officials first unveiled the zone last month, but the mayor and much of the council felt the restrictions were too narrow and would have unintended consequences.

The zone will be activated at 8 a.m. on Feb. 1 and run through 10 p.m. on Feb. 10. During that time the following will be prohibited: outdoor food or beverage sales except those within a businesses’ normal operations, outdoor merchandise sales and mobile vending or advertising. Sidewalk vending permits will also be paused, temporary structures will need permits in order to be erected on non-residential properties and promotional giveaways will be limited except on private property by businesses operating in the area.

The city is also warning individuals without a ticket to the Big Game to stay away. mercurynews.com


Progress in the Global War on Retail Crime
Retail crime falls in ‘important milestone’

The “significant problem” of retail crime in New Zealand is reducing, according to research from the global retail crime intelligence company, Auror.

Between January and October 2025, Auror said the use of weapons fell by 12 per cent, violent events dropped by 6 per cent, and threatening events for retailers were down by 5 per cent.

The figures juxtapose the trends in Australia, where the use of weapons rose by 12 per cent, violence by 17 per cent, and threatening behaviour by 20 per cent.

“While both violent and non-violent crime targeting retailers remains a significant problem, we are now seeing retailers record fewer incidents involving weapons, violence and threats of violence,” Auror co-founder and CEO, Phil Thomson, said.

“This is an important milestone in the work being done to get on top of this issue as a country, and shows New Zealand is leading the way.” Auror’s findings also show that the top 10 per cent of offenders cause over 60 per cent of all retail crime.

“There is still much more to be done – violence in retail is still a huge challenge and is impacting frontline workers,” Thomson added. insideretail.co.nz


Riding along with LASD's Retail Theft Task force
With holiday shopping in full swing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has stepped up efforts to curb retail theft by partnering directly with stores to catch thieves in the act. CBS Los Angeles rode along with deputies on Tuesday as their Retail Theft Task force conducted an operation, which law enforcement believes is a more efficient way to catch criminals.

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