The missing link in fighting organized retail crime

Retail theft, violence and fraud continue to impact retail brands, workers, customers and communities across the United States. Criminal organizations have become increasingly sophisticated, operating across multiple jurisdictions and employing a growing range of tactics that extend far beyond traditional retail store theft.

The threat landscape is complex and evolving, and one message from NRF’s recently published 2026 “Impact of Retail Theft & Violence” report is clear: While retailers are making meaningful progress reducing theft and protecting employees, ORC groups remain a national problem. Federal legislative action is a missing piece in the fight against organized retail crime.

According to the report, retailers remain concerned over repeat offenders, ORC-related shoplifting incidents, supply chain theft, phone scams, loyalty fraud and gift card fraud. But despite these challenges, this year’s report presents some encouraging signs. For the first time in several years, the average number of in-store shoplifting and merchandise theft incidents has declined as retailers continue to invest heavily in store loss prevention and safety initiatives. 

Retailers have expanded exterior and interior security measures, strengthened merchandise protection strategies, enhanced employee safety programs and increased training efforts across their organizations. They are also focusing attention against violence through enhanced management training, employee preparedness programs and the use of risk intelligence tools — all focused on a proactive approach to preventing violence. 

The report indicates a slight decrease in in-store violence associated with theft events and increases in certain types of violence involving disgruntled customers or homeless populations. 

Retailers’ progress, criminals’ evolution 

These efforts and investments against theft and violence demonstrate the retail industry’s commitment to keeping customers and employees safe, while recognizing that safety and loss prevention are inseparable components of retail operations. 

Yet even as retailers strengthen their defenses, organized retail crime groups continue to evolve. Retailers report growing involvement of ORC networks in phone scams, gift card fraud, cargo theft and supply chain crime. ORC groups are increasing their engagement in cybercriminal tactics, utilizing AI tools and capabilities to improve criminal methodologies and pivoting their positions to criminal activity that often goes beyond resource capabilities of local law enforcement or individual retailers. 

ORC activities continue to cross state lines and, in many cases, involve larger criminal enterprises that extend beyond state and national borders. Retailers consistently identify limited law enforcement resources, lack of coordination between various agencies and insufficient prosecutorial support as major obstacles to successfully investigating and disrupting these criminal organizations. 

Federal support and resources are a missing link 

This year’s report demonstrates that retailers continue to invest, innovate and collaborate. It also supports greater collaboration among retailers, local law enforcement and even state policymakers to address crime in their communities. But throughout this report and continuing conversations with these partners, there remains a missing link. 

That missing link is comprehensive federal ORC legislation to strengthen information sharing, provide coordination with investigative resources and assist local and state law enforcement and prosecutors by focusing on the identification, disruption and dismantling of these ORC groups that operate beyond local borders and even beyond our nation’s borders. 

The House of Representatives passed the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 in May, demonstrating through a strong and overwhelmingly bipartisan vote that ORC is a national problem that requires stronger federal resources and coordination. As an almost 40-year veteran of the retail asset protection industry, my message to the U.S. Senate is: Let’s finish the job and pass CORCA now! 

By delaying passage, ORC continues to grow in scale, sophistication and impact. Its effects reach far beyond retailers, harming supply chains, communities, consumers and the broader economy. 

This is not about federalizing shoplifting or expanding federal authority. It is about providing retailers and supply chain partners with the tools and support they need. It is about giving state and local law enforcement additional resources to combat criminal organizations that operate across jurisdictions and state and national lines. Most importantly, it is about protecting communities and strengthening our nation's economic security. 

The Senate must pass CORCA and help create the coordinated national response needed to disrupt organized retail crime, support law enforcement and keep our communities safe.