The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police have announced a new partnership to address retail crime. Together, RILA and IACP will develop educational resources, facilitate information sharing, and enhance collaboration between leading retailers and law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail crime, prolific theft and disorder, and restore vibrancy to communities across the country.
Central to the RILA-IACP partnership is addressing under-reporting of retail crime and deepening collaboration between retailers and law enforcement. RILA and IACP will work together to develop training, best practices, resources, and guidebooks for retailers and law enforcement on retail crime topics.
“Through our work with the Vibrant Communities Initiative, retailers and law enforcement have experienced firsthand the power of collaboration in addressing complex community challenges like organized retail crime. As we broaden our ecosystem of stakeholders committed to working together in the fight against retail crime, IACP represents a vital partner in this groundbreaking effort to restore vibrancy to our communities,” said RILA Senior EVP of Retail Operations Lisa LaBruno. “We’re confident that through this partnership, both retailers and police leadership will find value in our collective resources and expertise and the result will be a united and effective community front against retail crime.”
“Perpetrators of ORC often move from store to store, across jurisdictions, stealing anything from everyday commodities to high-end merchandise. Operating across multiple jurisdictions makes it difficult for any single law enforcement agency to recognize the extent of their operations and highlights the need for cooperation between police agencies and retailers,” said IACP President Wade Carpenter. “We look forward to working with RILA to develop new resources and training that will allow our combined memberships to successfully combat this growing challenge.”