Today we will be talking about Organized Retail Crime. It is not just shoplifting; it is a large-scale effort to steal retail merchandise and resell it for financial gain. It is not a new topic; it has been a problem for the retail industry for many years.

Although reliable statistics is a challenge, there are indications the problem has increased in recent years. The results of a 2023 National Retail Federation national survey of 63 retailers showed that losses from shrink was $112 billion in 2022. In increase of 20% over 2021. External theft accounted for 36% of the losses and internal theft 29%.

A recent case in North Carolina illustrates the challenge in dealing with organized retail theft. When authorities entered the home of a couple they were investigating, they discovered over a million dollars in stolen merchandise from Lowe’s home improvement and other retailers in the area. The couple was selling the merchandise online that several others had stolen for them – which is typically how organized retail theft works. The couple was convicted of the thefts and served 9 months in prison.

In June 2023 the Fairfax County Police Department announced they were focusing on retail crime as a part of their Summer Crime Initiative.

We are fortunate to have with us today the Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department - Kevin Davis. He was appointed Chief in April 2021. Previously he served as the City of Baltimore’s police commissioner from 2015 to 2018, chief of the Anne Arundel County, MD, and as assistant chief of the Prince George’s County, MD police department where he started his career in 1992.