Organized Retail Crime (ORC)

Despite official crime stats suggesting retail theft is down, new research shows it's actually rising—underreporting, shifting policies, and strained police resources are masking the true scale of the problem and fueling a misleading public narrative.

Strategic cargo theft is a growing, global threat exploiting supply chain vulnerabilities, demanding stronger collaboration and updated protections.

The adaptive, predictive, and networked behavior of dragonflies offers a striking parallel to how organized retail crime groups assess risk, communicate, and evolve—especially through tools like social media—to exploit weaknesses in retail systems.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) continues its mission to advance evidence-based retail crime prevention through collaboration, innovation, and rigorous research—growing from a bold idea in 2000 into a global leader in loss prevention strategy.

ThinkLP’s AI-powered crime linking platform helps retailers connect and analyze dispersed theft incidents to uncover and disrupt sophisticated organized retail crime networks through collaborative, data-driven investigations.

After a five-year break, the 2025 MI ORCA Conference returned with renewed energy, uniting law enforcement, prosecutors, and retail professionals to share strategies, highlight successes, and strengthen partnerships in the fight against ORC across Michigan and beyond.

Is retail theft up, or is it down? Is the problem as rampant as many retailers claim it to be, or are the claims of devastating losses, organized retail crime, violent confrontations, and their impact on store safety and retail profits over-exaggerated in an attempt to cover poor performance and corporate mismanagement?

Shoplifter's Arrest Foils Potential Mass Casualty Event in Minnesota | Pawn Shop Owner, Workers Arrested in Multi-Million Dollar Retail Theft Ring | California Gov. Newsom Announces 14,133 Prosecution Referrals in the Fight Against Retail Theft

Available on-demand now, this eye-opening webinar delves into the complex world of investigating internal losses within the retail industry.

Retail violence can be prevented or averted by using strategies, solutions, and technologies throughout the LPRC’s Five Zones of Influence.