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2012 Archives
Excerpts from
GAO-11-675: Efforts to Combat Organized Retail
Crime
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ORC report
June 2011
Law Enforcement Agencies Collaborate with Retailers
to Investigate ORC, and Federal Agencies Are Taking
Steps to Improve ORC Case Tracking
State and Local Efforts:
Local law enforcement typically becomes aware of
potential ORC cases through retail investigators but
law enforcement may also identify suspicious
activity, such as the discovery of large quantities
of retail merchandise, during routine calls or
traffic stops. If law enforcement decides to
initiate an ORC investigation, it will routinely
work closely with retailers to develop the case,
which may include conducting additional surveillance
or undercover "buybacks," and attempting to "flip"
lower level boosters to build a case to higher level
entities, as applicable. If ORC activity spans
across multiple jurisdictions, the investigation may
be worked in conjunction with other law enforcement
entities, potentially to include county or state
level resources. For example, one state law
enforcement official we interviewed noted that
investigators may be able to leverage the resources
of specialized units at the county level dedicated
to burglary or economic crimes. According to
officials from four of the law enforcement agencies
we interviewed, linking multiple retail theft events
across jurisdictions is often essential to build an
ORC case large enough to be considered for felony
prosecution by a district or state attorney’s
office. For example, after identifying a similar
pattern of thefts occurring across San Diego County
in 2008, a detective with the San Diego police
department helped establish a task force with law
enforcement partners from neighboring jurisdictions
to investigate an ORC group suspected of stealing up
to $1 million in merchandise. This group, which was
run by two brothers, included a network of highly
sophisticated boosters, as well as accomplices who
would pre-sort sizes and position merchandise to
facilitate theft. The group would routinely target
malls in different parts of the county to reduce the
chance of law enforcement connecting the events. As
a result of the joint investigation, one of the
brothers was convicted and 78 individual theft cases
were closed. As discussed later, federal entities
may also play a role if a retail crime case develops
substantially in scope or complexity. (Source
gao.gov)
|
 The
Secret World of Shoplifting Every single day in the US and Canada, there are more
than 600,000 shoplifting incidents. Eighty percent of us
admit to having stolen at least once in our lives. One out
of every 10 of us shoplifts often. And now, organized crime
has discovered that it's a low risk way to turn a handsome
profit.
This 44 minute video looks at the rise in retail crime,
featuring security camera footage, the latest crime-fighting
technology and interviews from both sides of the law.
(source
youtube.com) |
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