KOLO: Lawmakers crack down on Organized Retail Crime

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Federal, state and local officials across the country are taking action to crack down on organized retail crime that is burdening American cities and neighborhoods.

Congresswoman Susie Lee from Las Vegas is introducing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Organized retail crime puts all of us in danger while hurting consumers, taxpayers, and businesses of all sizes. And the stolen goods fund human trafficking and terrorism,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Our local and state law enforcement are doing incredible work, but we need coordination at the federal level to investigate and prosecute these crimes. Our bipartisan legislation will support law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on these criminal operations.”

Organized retail crime is when groups coordinate large-scale thefts and typically resell the items for profit. It’s not only a problem nationwide, it’s a problem right here in Nevada.

“We had one retail grocery store lose over $200,000 of goods in a 6-month period,” said Wes Duncan, Sparks City Attorney.

The legislation designates Organized Retail Crime as a federal offense and allows federal judges to order convicted defendants to turn in stolen merchandise. It would also provide resources for law enforcement and prosecutors, and establish an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations at the Department of Homeland Security.

“Thieves are pretty intentional and they’re pretty savvy. They know where they can go up to the thresholds of the amount they can steal,” said Duncan.

Duncan is passionate about backing businesses and protecting consumers.

The City Attorney’s office works directly with Senator Cortez Masto and the Sparks Police Department. “Since we launched our Back Our Business initiative in December of 2023, we have actually seen over 200 convictions for petty larceny.”

Under Lee’s legislation, some of those petty larcenies can turn into felonies.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports ORC caused an estimated loss of $85 million in tax revenue, over $466 million in the total amount of goods stolen in 2021, and costs business owners and consumers $1 billion in lost products, higher insurance, increased prices of goods, and unrealized wages in Nevada alone.