The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023 and the Organized Retail Crime Center Authorization Act were introduced today in the US Senate. The bills aim to create new tools to assist in federal investigations and prosecution of ORC and help recover lost goods and proceeds.
“Retailers face security-related challenges on many fronts, and ORC continues to be a formidable threat in communities across the country,” said Retail Industry Leaders Association Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French. “These brazen crimes endanger employees and customers, and also contribute to total shrink, costing the industry nearly $100 billion in 2021, as reported in NRF’s 2022 National Retail Security Survey.
“While retailers continue to adapt to rapidly changing criminal tactics, federal support is also needed. This legislation is a critical step to increase collaboration between federal law enforcement agencies, retail investigators, and state agencies to more effectively combat these increasingly violent criminal activities.
“We are grateful to Senators Chuck Grassley and Catherine Cortez Masto for their leadership on legislation to curtail one of the most urgent problems facing retailers and the communities we serve.”