In response to the scope and severity of organized retail crime concerns across the country, there has been an increased effort on the part of retailers and law enforcement agencies to share information regarding organized retail crime at the local, state, and regional levels. Organized retail crime associations (ORCAs) have helped provide that vehicle, opening doors to improve legislation, enhance investigations, and build cooperative relationships in the battle against organized retail crime.
In direct support of these efforts, LP Magazine hosted the first national ORCA Leadership Conference on August 12, 2020, a virtual event attended by organized retail crime associations from across the United States. With the aim to further encourage the ORCA mission, drive innovation, open new doors of communication, and increase networking opportunities between the ORCAs in the ongoing battle against organized retail crime, this inaugural meeting was met with tremendous enthusiasm and support by the ORCA leadership.
Bringing ORCA leaders together in a closed session proved to be a productive and successful means to discuss various topics of interest as determined by the leadership teams while opening additional networking opportunities for all participants. Every state and regional ORCA was invited to attend, leading to a robust conversation regarding the ongoing needs and challenges faced by these important organizations.
Every ORCA across the country currently operates independently and faces both unique and common opportunities in their efforts to fight organized retail crime, meet the demands of educating their communities regarding the true nature of the ORC pandemic, and managing the responsibility of keeping the ORCA running smoothly and effectively. By offering a venue for new ideas and discussion, the meeting proved productive in furthering open dialogue, ideas, and information sharing that could benefit everyone.
The objectives of organized retail crime associations would include but are not limited to:
- Providing a web-based platform for organized retail crime information and intelligence-sharing between retail investigators and law enforcement
- Facilitating meetings, seminars, webinars, and conferences specific to ORC-related topics
- Providing a forum for networking and collaboration between retailers, law enforcement, and other partners involved in combatting ORC-related issues at the local, regional, and national levels
- Supporting law enforcement, retail investigators, and prosecutors by providing continuing education through various training opportunities
- Educating the general public on organized retail crime issues, to include victim prevention, response, and awareness.
Successful organized retail crime associations are typically independent, multi-jurisdictional, customer-centric, and a recognized non-profit to be best positioned to lead the public/private partnership and combat organized retail crime. To operate most effectively, ORCAs need to cultivate good partnerships, high levels of cooperation, and a strong commitment from everyone involved to be most effective.
According to the 2020 National Retail Security Survey, the toll of organized retail crime continues to be a serious problem for retailers, with the average loss topping $700,000 per $1 billion in sales. Over two-thirds of the retail respondents to the survey report that they’ve seen an increase over the past 12 months, with more than 7 in 10 seeing the need for further federal legislation to combat organized retail crime.
For the complete list of active organized retail crime associations and the role they play in supporting the retail loss prevention industry and the law enforcement community, go to
Organized Retail Crime Associations: The Complete List
Stay tuned to LPM for more updates in the weeks and ahead – and feel free to reach out to Jac Brittain at LP Magazine to see how you can get involved and help support the organized retail crime association in your area.