With a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing under our belt and a majority of House Judiciary Committee members backing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (H.R. 2853/S. 1404), NRF, its members and other stakeholders are building momentum toward a national strategy to disrupt and dismantle organized retail crime networks.
Organized retail crime is on the rise. Join us and tell Congress to act now.
This month, the National Retail Federation celebrated two major milestones in the fight against ORC: David Johnston, NRF’s vice president of asset protection and retail operations, was named a Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail’s ORC Advocate of the Year, and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act now has more than 200 bipartisan co-sponsors across both chambers of Congress, reflecting strong across-the-aisle commitment to a coordinated federal response to support state and local law enforcement to address ORC.
What began as isolated incidents of shoplifting has evolved into large-scale, coordinated criminal activity that stretches across county, state and national borders. These organized theft groups use sophisticated logistics and online networks to move stolen goods and launder illicit profits, often funding broader criminal enterprises.
These are not victimless crimes. The consequences are far-reaching. Safety, trust and community well-being are among the casualties. No employee should ever fear coming to work and every customer deserves a secure shopping experience. “The narrative surrounding ORC is not merely about product loss,” Johnston told attendees at the CLEAR conference. “It is fundamentally a crisis of public safety and our national retail economy.”
New findings underscore how serious this challenge has become. According to “The Impact of Theft & Violence 2025,” a joint study by NRF and the Loss Prevention Research Council sponsored by Sensormatic Solutions, retailers reported an 18% increase in shoplifting incidents. Violence is also on the rise, with 17% reporting an increase in threats or acts of violence associated with those incidents from 2023 to 2024.
Learn more about theft and violence in today's retail crime landscape in this study, conducted in partnership with the Loss Prevention Research Council and sponsored by Sensormatic Solutions.
The report shows criminal groups are diversifying their tactics, moving beyond physical theft into digital and supply chain crimes. Over the past year, more than half of retailers surveyed reported increases in phone scams (70%), digital and ecommerce fraud (55%), merchandise theft (52%), and cargo or supply chain theft (50%) tied to ORC networks.
“Retailers are contending with rising levels of theft, fraud and violence, while continuing to refine security measures, utilize technologies and partner with law enforcement in efforts to curtail loss,” Johnston said. “While some progress is apparent, organized theft groups have expanded their scope, taking advantage of retailers’ strained resources and lagging prosecutorial support nationwide.”
The threat is also increasingly global in scope: 67% of retailers said transnational ORC groups were involved in thefts against their company last year. Respondents to the study said that a shortage of law enforcement and prosecutorial resources remain major obstacles. They indicated that many cases require coordination across jurisdictions, retailers and agencies, all of which record incidents differently.
“Without shared data, it’s difficult to fully understand the scope of theft, fraud and violence or to measure the impact of prevention efforts.”
“Reliable, industry-wide metrics are critical to addressing these challenges,” says University of Florida Research Scientist and LPRC Executive Director Read Hayes, Ph.D. “Without shared data, it’s difficult to fully understand the scope of theft, fraud and violence or to measure the impact of prevention efforts.”
Retailers are responding by investing heavily in multi-layered security strategies from advanced cameras and lighting to license plate readers, locking cases and redesigned store layouts. Technology is “the crucial link in enabling asset protection teams to thwart these pervasive crimes,” says Sensormatic Solutions President Tony D’Onofrio.
NRF continues to lead the charge to protect retailers and consumers through advocacy, research and industry collaboration. At the heart of that effort is the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, a bill that would streamline information sharing among key law enforcement, agencies and the private sector.
To build momentum, NRF has led Fight Retail Crime Day three consecutive years by rallying retail associates, convening asset protection executives, hosting press events, organizing support from over 200 organizations and recognizing more than 200 members of Congress as Retail Crime Fighters for their leadership.
In accepting CLEAR’s ORC Advocate of the Year award, Johnston credited the honor to the collective commitment of the retail and law enforcement communities: “I do not see this award as a personal achievement. It’s a recognition earned through the collective efforts of many — from the incredible team at NRF to our partners in law enforcement and the asset protection professionals on the front lines.”
That collaboration continues to strengthen safety across the retail ecosystem. Together, retailers, law enforcement, and policymakers are advancing a shared goal — ensuring every retail employee and customer can feel safe in their stores and communities. As Johnston said, this progress “signals that our work is vital, and our mission is just.”
