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2012 Archives
High end watches running out the door; 3 Florida
suspects escape with $215,000 worth of Rolex and
Breitling time pieces.
Sales people are trained to
control the number of pieces taken out of a showcase. This sales person broke the rule. (source
sun-sentinel.com)
Excerpts from
GAO-11-675: Efforts to Combat Organized Retail
Crime
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ORC report
June 2011
Merging Regional Networks Helping Retail and Law
Enforcement Partners Share ORC Information and Build
Potential Cases
Continued from yesterday:
All of the law enforcement
stakeholders we interviewed recognized the regional
networks as an important tool to consolidate ORC
stakeholder contacts and share information among
members in a timely manner. According to three law
enforcement officials we spoke with, these types of
regional networks can be particularly helpful
because—through the theft incident
alerts—investigators may identify suspects who are
wanted for other potential crimes. As a result,
these networks may help ensure that multiple cases
involving the same individuals are linked together
to better leverage resources and avoid duplication.
In Albuquerque, for example, a law enforcement
official stated that hundreds of cases have been
linked through the information-sharing network in
that region since its inception in 2008, including
one involving a retail-theft ring connected to over
$400,000 in stolen merchandise.
To date, individual law enforcement agencies have
taken the lead to develop these regional networks
but retailers have played a major support role and,
in some cases, have served as the primary funding
sources for site development and maintenance. While
some regional networks have taken advantage of free
technology platforms such as Google Groups, more
developed networks have entailed dedicated funding
and contractor support. For example, the Los Angeles
Police Department fully funded the initial
development of the LAAORCA system, which was among
the regional networks that we reviewed with more
advanced capabilities. However, this project
included participation from major retailers, as well
as the National Retail Federation. Although the Los
Angeles Police Department provides the majority of
funding for ongoing operation of the network, a
non-profit entity was established to receive
financial support from members to help fund ongoing
meetings and conferences. More importantly, it
appears that other law enforcement agencies may be
able to build upon the success and investment of the
regional networks already established. For example,
a law enforcement official responsible for
establishing the BAORCA system in Northern
California noted that he worked with the same
contractor that developed the networks in
Albuquerque and Los Angeles, and was able to utilize
the same technology platform for minimal development
cost. According to this official, the BAORCA network
was developed and implemented for less than $2,000
plus additional annual operating and maintenance
costs of approximately $1,500. Initial and ongoing
costs have been fully supported by four member
retailers. The Cook County State Attorney’s office
was similarly able to utilize existing technology
platforms to develop its Web site, for which initial
funding was provided by Target. These examples
illustrate the potential to leverage resource
investments and an opportunity to develop
partnerships between law enforcement agencies and
retail stakeholders to help sustain these regional
networks in the longer term.
(Source
gao.gov)
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