It’s an appalling sight: thieves loading up shopping carts and bags and walking out of stores without paying. Clerks are instructed not to stop them, and most are not arrested. If they are, in many major cities, district attorneys have pledged not to prosecute.
Organized Retail Crime (ORC) was the headline of a recent summit called by Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) and attended by more than a dozen officials and business reps. “What the roundtable made clear was that organized retail crime is a huge problem and one that’s costing corporations and consumers billions of dollars over the years. It must be stopped,” D’Esposito said.
Fellow Long Island Rep. Nick LaLota joined the congressman in announcing his bill targeting the problem, called the “Supporting Law Enforcement Officers’ Ability to Combat Organized Retail Crime Act.” The legislation directs Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to develop guidance, outreach, training, programs, and materials to educate law enforcement on threats posed by organized retail crime, according to D’Esposito.
“The introduction of this legislation comes as a result of careful conversations with law enforcement and corporate professionals and is an important first step in curtailing the damages caused by ORC,” said Rep. D’Esposito. “Education and communication between law enforcement professionals is paramount, and I look forward to Congress’ passage of my bill, which does exactly that.”
Assembled at the David Mack Center for Training and Intelligence, a police facility in Garden City, were Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney; Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly; Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Special Agent in Charge George Ioannidis, Suffolk Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr., Suffolk Deputy Police Commissioner Belinda Groneman, Home Depot Sr. Manager of Asset Protection Investigations Sean Browne, Walgreens Director of Asset Protection Solutions Joseph Stein, and Walmart Senior Analyst Matthew Walsh.
“I want to be clear to everyone that we’re not talking about petit shoplifting,” Home Depot’s Browne said. “Not theft for need, but theft for greed, and in many cases, to fund ongoing criminal enterprises.” He attributed the increase in crime to the need for cash to drive drug addictions, as well as the rise of third-party online marketplaces that facilitate the anonymous sales of stolen goods. Long Island officials blame cashless bail and the pro-criminal policies of the state’s Progressive Democrats for fostering the crime wave. Shoplifting incidents reported to county police departments on Long Island last year rose nearly 20%, according to reports, with Macy's, Target, and Walmart in Westbury posting the most incidents.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders repeatedly refuse to amend the disastrous cashless bail system but did earmark $40.2 million in this year’s budget for dedicated retail theft teams and approved up to $5 million in tax credits for businesses to enhance security. Hochul previously vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have established a New York State Organized Retail Crime Task Force.
“Ultimately, consumers bear the brunt of the lax policies of the Democrats as retailers are forced to raise prices to cover the losses,” said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano (R,C-Medford), who has fought in Albany to reform the criminal justice system. “Either that or they close up shop, leaving many communities without options for even the most basic products,” DeStefano said, pointing out that many stores are forced to keep more valuable items under lock and key.
“We demand stricter laws to combat this issue, and we are committed here in Long Island to protect not only our residents but also our businesses,” Suffolk DA Tierney said. Back in 2022, after busting four Newark, NJ, residents for stealing nearly $100,000 in high-end handbags from luxury stores in the Hamptons, Tierney commented: “I cannot emphasize this enough: retail theft in Suffolk County will not be tolerated, and if you attempt to steal property that does not belong to you, we will catch you and send you to prison.”
Law enforcement in Buffalo recently won a guilty plea from a 38-year-old man for running a retail theft operation responsible for stealing $1 million in goods from Erie County stores, and in California, a retail theft task force busted a crime ring that was found with a half million dollars in merchandise stolen from Lowe's, Home Depot, and Harbor Freight.