3 reasons why Congress should pass organized retail crime-fighting legislation this year

Organized retail crime continues to impact the retail industry at alarming rates. In response to this growing challenge, NRF is advocating for passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act — CORCA (S. 140/H.R. 895), a bill that would increase federal coordination with state and local law enforcement to fight retail crime.

Momentum is gaining in Congress to pass CORCA, thanks to NRF’s advocacy efforts — including Fight Retail Crime Day, which mobilized the retail industry to raise awareness of the urgent need for Congress to act. While the momentum from this day was positive, retailers and local communities need Congress to finish the job and pass CORCA before the end of the year. Here are three reasons why Congress should pass CORCA this year.

Federal legislation to address ORC cannot wait

Organized retail crime is a dangerous and widespread problem and addressing it through federal legislation cannot wait. These crimes not only have an economic impact on retailers, but also a broader effect in terms of the safety of store employees and customers. According to NRF’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey, more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they experienced an increase in violence and aggression from ORC perpetrators compared with a year ago. Organized retail crime groups extend into other criminal activities, including transnational groups involved in human, weapons and drug trafficking.

Increased federal coordination is critical to fight retail crime

Law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions often lack sufficient resources to quickly catch and prosecute retail criminals. That’s why CORCA establishes a new Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center to combine expertise and resources from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and retail industry representatives to curb organized retail crime. This increased coordination will equip law enforcement agencies with the tools to adequately address retail crime.

CORCA is widely supported

CORCA is broadly supported both by the retail community and Congress. Virtually all (93%) retailers are in support of federal ORC legislation, as reported in NRF’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey. In Congress, CORCA has the growing support of more than 130 bipartisan co-sponsors who have been recognized by NRF as Congressional Retail Crime Fighters. In a political landscape where consensus is often hard to come by, CORCA stands out with its bipartisan backing, making it ideal legislation to build agreement and advance to a vote.

Join NRF in pushing for passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act through our grassroots alert.