In late January and early February, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (S. 140/H.R. 895) was introduced in Congress to reduce rising retail crime and target organized crime gangs. The legislation seeks to stop those who sell illegally obtained goods in physical or online marketplaces.
The bills have been assigned to their respective Judiciary committees.
Organized retail crime remains a persistent threat to the retail industry, accounting for more than $94.5 billion in losses in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. These sophisticated crimes permeate the entire retail ecosystem, impacting consumers, employees and communities nationwide.
The legislation:
- Seeks to make amendments to Title 18 of the U.S. Code, including adding a dollar value threshold of $5,000 or more in a 12-month period.
- Establishes a Center to Combat Organized Retail Crime to be led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Center is tasked with coordinating federal-level ORC investigations and intelligence sharing and supporting the retail industry and state and local law enforcement in their ORC-related investigative activities.
- Requires the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to review their existing training and technical assistance programs and find ways to increase their prioritization of ORC within these programs.
>> NRF news releases – House | Senate
>> Congressional releases – House | Senate
This article is part of the Alabama Retail Report, a communication for Alabama Retail Association members. Not a member? Join us!
Reprints or republishing are welcomed but require permission. Contact us for permission.