PA Attorney General Touts Organized Retail Crime Unit's Year Of Achievements

Broad & Liberty ran my piece on organized retail crime.

You can read the piece via the link below or the text below:

Paul Davis: PA Attorney General touts organized retail crime unit’s year of achievements

I was recently discussing shoplifting with a store manager in South Philadelphia.

He was complaining about shoplifters, especially organized crews of shoplifters, who are creating havoc in his store. He said that he has spoken to other store managers, and they too are frustrated with the way shoplifters don’t fear any kind of retribution for their crimes. 

“The thieves think that shoplifting is a petty crime, and they think they can get away with taking items from stores. We have to lock up various products to stop the shoplifters, and our clerks have to take the time to unlock the glass cabinets for legitimate customers,” the manager told me. 

The manager said that the cost of shoplifting and the clerks’ extra duties are passed on to the customers. He also fears that his store might be closed due to lost revenue and higher costs. 

“I remember when a gang of young people came barging into my store. They planned and organized the robbery. They smashed things, disrupted store operations and they scared our customers and employees.” 

“Lone shoplifters are bad enough, but when you see organized gangs raid your store and do mass shoplifting, that’s enough to throw up your hands and quit.” 

But according to Dave Sunday, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, things are looking up.    

On June 25, Sunday held a media event in Norristown to announce the first year’s achievements of the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime Unit. He spoke of how collaboration with other law enforcement agencies resulted in more arrests, prosecutions and recoveries of stolen goods.

According to Attorney General Sunday, the Organized Retail Crime Unit was launched on July 1, 2024, following the enactment of Act 42 (of 2023) and a new criminal statute that made retail theft of goods over $50,000 a first-degree felony. Sunday noted that in its first year, the unit opened more than 65 investigations, charged more than 40 alleged thieves, and recovered nearly $2 million in stolen goods.

The Organized Retail Crime Unit responds to high-dollar thefts, typically perpetrated by multiple thieves who manipulate gift cards and the stores’ return and exchange policies — or, in many cases, enter retail stores in packs and steal as many items as they can as quickly as possible.

“This unit is aggressively pursuing thieves who operate in packs, oftentimes terrorizing purely innocent store employees and shoppers,” said Sunday. “The perception that retail theft is a petty crime is outdated, as these crimes are violent in nature and designed to menace and frighten bystanders. With the help of our partners, we have made big strides in stopping these criminal enterprises and sending a strong message to anyone thinking of committing these crimes.”

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the Pennsylvania legislature took action as law enforcement noticed a trend in violent, pack-style thefts at stores — typically high-end retailers or stores with expensive items, like smart phones and other electronics, small appliances, or luxury brand clothing. Many thefts occur in the Philadelphia area, home to many retail stores and high traffic areas.

“As the prime sponsor of the legislation which created the Organized Retail Crime Unit, I’m pleased to see how effectively this unit has pursued and stopped criminal organizations across Pennsylvania. Theft at the scale we see in these cases does not just hurt employers – it results in the loss of jobs and makes our communities less safe,” said Pennsylvania Senator Dave Argall.

Alex Baloga, the President/CEO of Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, added, “We could not be more proud of the work we have done together. For a long time, it felt like businesses were fighting losing battles alone. This media event does not signal a let up of our efforts.”

Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore noted that retail theft is down thirteen percent in Philadelphia and the arrest rate in the city is up 40 percent. “We knew we had prolific offenders that we had to get off the street. We want to thank the Attorney General and all the retail partners and law enforcement partners. It is working in Philadelphia.”

“These organized retail theft groups are sophisticated, coordinated and causing significant financial losses to major retailers, who then pass the cost on to consumers in higher prices,” said Kevin R. Steele, the Montgomery County District Attorney. “We have worked hard to aggressively investigate these groups with our local and state partners, to not only arrest the low-level operatives in the store, but to also work our way up to the leaders and the fences. I want to thank Attorney General Sunday for his partnership on this issue.”

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes an online Crime Beat column. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com  

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