California Atty. General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday new partnerships between the Department of Justice and more than a dozen retailers and online marketplaces to combat organized retail crime in the state.
Partners such as Target, Albertsons and Amazon join forces to aid prosecution signed the oath This results in “increased information sharing” between law enforcement agencies, stolen retailers, and online marketplaces where stolen goods are resold.
“Organized retail crime will not be tolerated,” Bonta said at a press conference. “Not by business, not by law enforcement, not by me. Today we make that very clear.”
The agreement provides concrete commitments to signatory brick-and-mortar merchants, such as maintaining thorough records of incidents, filing police reports, and training personnel to collect appropriate evidence. is also determined.
“There have been lengthy discussions between law enforcement agencies and markets and retailers, but no consensus has always been reached,” Bonta said. “We have reached an agreement, and we are committed to further action.”
The Department of Justice also new online portal Here, members of the public can submit complaints and information about crimes they may have witnessed.
The effort targets organized retail crime rather than shoplifting, employee theft and fraud, which account for a significant portion of all retail losses.
“We’re not talking about the occasional run-in at your local big box store,” says Bonta. “This is about a multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise — a complex, organized, incredibly organized criminal scheme.”
In recent years, organized theft in retail stores has received national attention, with stores and government officials sounding alarm bells alike. Widely circulated footage of “burglary robberies” of gangs smashing shop windows and collecting carts full of merchandise has led to speculation that organized crime syndicates are rampant and operate complex resale businesses. Concerns are growing.
In response, many retailers have increased security measures, often to the point of angering paying customers. Basic household items such as toothpaste and allergy medicine are the new normal, stored behind plastic fences and safety devices, and must wait for an available employee to retrieve them. it won’t work. More items have been moved behind the cash register.
Some critics argue that the issue is exaggerated and that complex gangs are not responsible for retailers’ massive losses.
Some argue that retailers are using consumer fears to justify discriminatory policies and increased crackdowns in stores. A November study of drugstores in the Los Angeles area by The Times found that stores in high-income neighborhoods had fewer locks on commonly stolen items, even though property crime rates were high in the area. It was suggested.
Estimates vary widely as to how much a store may lose in a organized retail theft event.a report A report released last year by the National Retail Federation estimated that at least $35 billion worth of goods were stolen in 2021, but the report made no distinction between shoplifting and organized crime.
The report added that Los Angeles was the metropolitan area with the highest number of victims of organized retail theft in the nation, surpassing San Francisco and Oakland.
On a May quarterly earnings conference call, Target executives attributed losses in the fiscal year ended March 2018 to increased theft. $700 million and $800 million The retail giant estimates that related losses could increase by up to $500 million further in 2023, reaching $1.2 billion.
Some stores in California have permanently closed their doors, subtly referring to theft.
Nordstrom announced last month that it would be closing two stores in San Francisco’s Union Square, following dozens of other high-profile stores in what was once a bustling shopping district. While not explicitly citing crime, store manager Jamie Nordstrom blamed shifting power in downtown San Francisco for the closure.
This month, the owners of the Westfield San Francisco Center Mall announced that they would surrender the property to lenders after losing Nordstrom as a tenant.
A Univile Rodamco Westfield spokeswoman said in announcing the company’s exit that it cited “difficult business conditions in downtown San Francisco that have led to declines in sales, occupancy and foot traffic.”
Bonta said tackling retail organized crime is “one of my top priorities” as attorney general. “The door is open” for other retailers and online marketplaces that want to join the deal, he said.
