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Combatting Organized Retail Crime

The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) is proud to partner with the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to address the growing threat of organized retail crime (ORC) and its impact on public safety, local economies, and community trust. This cross-sector collaboration brings prosecutors and retail leaders together to build stronger relationships, improve communication, and develop coordinated strategies to prevent and respond to retail crime.

Retail crime doesn’t just affect store shelves; it threatens worker safety, contributes to violence, and drains resources from communities. Through this partnership, NDAA and RILA are advancing innovative solutions and engaging local leaders to address these challenges head-on.

NDAA | RILA Retail Theft Partnership

More Than Organized: Addressing Retail Theft  
Passcode: R$vM&%3j
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has partnered with the Arizona Retailers’ Association to identify trends, individuals, and groups creating substantial losses for Arizona retailers. In this webinar, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Arizona Retailers Association Executive Director Michelle Ahlmer discuss how county prosecutors are working with local law enforcement, city prosecution agencies, and retail loss prevention professionals to address this serious community issue.

How Seattle is Driving Down Habitual Theft  
Passcode: 1&mDu4qV
Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison shares results from her office’s High Utilizer Initiative, which identifies and reduces the impact of individuals responsible for persistent criminal activity across Seattle.

Fighting Back Against Retail Crime: Retailer & Prosecutor Partnerships Expanding Across the Country   
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In this kickoff to the 2024 RILA-NDAA Vibrant Communities Webinar Series, you’ll get insight to the multi-faceted and evolving retail crime programs at Target and Nordstrom as well as the recently launched program at the Cabarrus County (NC) District Attorney’s Office.

FASTPASS to Prosecution Webinar
Yolo County/CDAA's FASTPASS to Prosecution Webinar discusses the program's details, applications, and future goals.

Prosecution Case Study: Retailer Gift Card Tampering
In this webinar, Alachua County (FL) Assistant State Attorney David Margulies shared how
his office’s approach to prosecuting gift card tampering has led to justice for victims of
these scams. You’ll also learn how these crimes are carried out, their nexus to domestic
terrorism and other dangerous criminal activity and how HSI is collaborating with retailers
to stop these criminals in their tracks.

Investigating & Testifying: Helpful Tips when Proceeding through an Investigation
Passcode: K%21v%#E
Knox County Sheriff's Office's Crime Analyst Jennifer Ward and Knoxville District Attorney's Office's Jeannine Guzolek share their teams' helpful tips for ensuring retail witnesses are doing the job you need them to do.

Legislative Attempts to Combat Organized Retail Crime and Habitual Theft  
A discussion on how prosecutors and retailers can work together to advocate for strong public policies aimed at combatting organized retail crime.

Comprehensive Strategies to Tackle ORC, Prolific Theft & Violence in Stores 
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Nordstrom, Target, and Cabarrus County (NC) District Attorney's Office share their holistic approach to combatting retail crime.

How Philadelphia and San Francisco District Attorneys' Offices Are Tackling Retail Theft
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Prosecutors Partnering with Retailers to Identify Habitual Offenders & Prosecute Organized Retail Crime.

Prosecution Panel: Successes and Challenges that Can Help Your Office Combat Retail Crime in your Community
Passcode: Q$Y#+Y0U 

As greater focus is placed on the impact of retail crimes in communities, prosecutors are emphasizing effective and innovative programs to deter retail crime and get at the root causes. In this webinar, a distinguished panel of prosecutors will highlight their respective efforts to address these challenges, how they are overcoming them and helpful tools and strategies that can help other prosecutor offices implement new programs tailored to meet the needs of their jurisdictions.

Retailers & Prosecutors Working Together to Combat Cargo Theft
Passcode: 3=32$Pmc  

Cargo theft continues to be a major concern for retailers in all sectors from general merchandise to electronics to groceries, and sporting goods. With techniques becoming more sophisticated to include identity theft, fictitious pickups and brokering scams; it has never been so difficult to keep product safe while in transit.

Hear from industry experts who will explain the scope of the problem, the different types of cargo theft, mitigation strategies and steps to take towards the prosecution of these crimes.

Gift Card Fraud: What You Need to Know About Current Scams & Model Legislation

Passcode: 167^!qR4

Gift card tampering and related crimes are emerging as a new threat attributed to the Organized Retail Crime (ORC) phenomenon sweeping North America. These types of scams are frequently carried out by multinational criminal rings and are often connected to broader illegal activities. Attendees will gain insight into the latest gift card crimes targeting retailers, the model legislation that has been introduced in 22 states and signed into law in 11 states, and how retailers, prosecutors and state legislators can work together to combat gift card fraud.

These are examples of practices prosecutors/retailers have in place to enhance collaboration with retailers and streamline prosecutions.  It’s up to each DAs’ Office/retailer to determine the value of the resource to its organization, whether the resource is compliant with relevant local/state laws and the extent to which they want to leverage the resource, if at all.

Business Records Affidavit Notary
Affidavit to be notarized on the validity of the business records (video, reports, etc.) being presented as evidence.

Checklist for Retail Theft Reports and Video Evidence
Example checklist of the most significant items to address before contacting law enforcement.

Custodian Certification - Annuity Records
Insurance company notarization document to confirm validity of evidence.

Evidence Checklist for Retail Crimes
Example checklist of evidence a prosecuting attorney’s office may obtain.

Retail Store Theft Case Process: Suggested Report Format for Retail Theft
Report outline suggestion and examples of report narratives.

ORC Crash Course for Prosecutors & DA Office Investigators
On Demand ORC Course. 

Local Asset Protection Contact List

Vibrant Communities Initiative
Our initiative to promote actions to reduce unlawful activity in and around retail environments that threatens the vibrancy of these areas and surrounding communities. Learn more about our pilot communities. 

Store Walk Initiative
By connecting in stores, retailers and prosecutors have the opportunity to exchange insights, foster understanding, and identify ways to work together on making communities safer. 

Vibrant Communities Initiative 

National Store Walk Month

At the heart of this partnership is the Vibrant Community Initiative, a national effort designed to build stronger relationships between prosecutors, retailers, law enforcement, and community partners.

The initiative fosters collaboration at the local level to ensure stakeholders are working together to:

  • Identify and disrupt organized retail crime rings
  • Promote fair and effective prosecution
  • Reduce recidivism and retail-related violence
  • Improve safety for store employees, customers, and communities

Through roundtable discussions, shared best practices, and coordinated outreach, the Vibrant Community Initiative serves as a model for holistic crime prevention that strengthens the safety and vitality of neighborhoods across the country.

National Store Walks

Strengthening Community Safety Through Collaborative Action

National Store Walk Month is a signature component of the partnership between NDAA and RILA. Typically held annually in the Fall, prosecutors and retail leaders across the country participate in join store walks to witness firsthand the challenges retailers face and the steps they are taking to deter crime. 

These walks:

  • Foster open dialogue between prosecutors and retailers
  • Identify opportunities for local collaboration
  • Build mutual understanding and trust
  • Highlight innovative loss prevention and safety measures

Together, NDAA and RILA are leading the charge to ensure safer communities, smarter enforcement strategies, and a united front against organized retail crime.