WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A study from retail interest groups, the National Retail Federation and the Loss Prevention Research Council, states that shoplifting is more common today than before the pandemic.
It reports that the average number of shoplifting incidents per year increased by 93% in 2023 compared to 2019. The report claims that the “underlying” challenge behind this increase is organized retail crime.
The group is using the study’s findings to advocate for federal legislation that would make it easier to prosecute theft as a federal felony and establish a task force within the Department of Homeland Security to share resources between state and local agencies.
“Retailers continue to navigate a rising retail theft landscape that has evolved significantly over time,” NRF Vice President for Asset Protection and Retail Operations David Johnston stated in a press release. “Protecting store associates and customers, coupled with reducing today’s levels of violence and retail crime, requires a whole-community approach and collaboration across all stakeholders.”
WPTV has reported on various shoplifting plots and organized retail theft rings over the past few years. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new legislation in April 2024 related to shoplifting and organized retail theft.
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The law lowers the threshold for charges of more serious felonies, adds penalties if people collaborate with more than four individuals to steal items or use social media for communication, and enhances penalties for individuals with prior convictions.
Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody created a statewide task force to combat retail theft in 2021 and a new interactive database to help identify trends, suspects, and facilitate arrests. In a press release, Moody mentioned that the database assisted in making an arrest of a woman who caused more than $100,000 in losses to stores across five counties.
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“Working with our law enforcement partners and our Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange Task Force, we dismantled a massive organized retail theft ring with a third arrest this week," Moody said. "Criminal organizations be warned — in Florida, we have the tools and talent to investigate and take down your criminal enterprise, and you will pay for your crimes."
Other interest groups, such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, argue that organizations like the National Retail Federation use outdated data to create a fear-over-fact narrative.
They contend that this narrative is then used to enact “punitive policies” that further criminalize poverty and potentially cause disproportionate harm to vulnerable communities.
