Why it matters

Organized retail crime is no longer just physical theft. The real leverage now sits in how stolen goods are converted to cash and moved globally through cryptocurrency.

The big picture

International disputes lawyer Mahmoud Abuwasel argues that smash and grab is only the front end. The real sophistication is financial. Crypto allows syndicates to move profits across borders, fund operations, and scale faster than traditional banking systems would allow.

Where enforcement struggles

The biggest gap is jurisdiction. Technology and blockchain analytics are strong, but cross border legal coordination is slow. That delay gives criminals time to move funds again.

Bottom line

Follow the money. Disrupt the financial layer and you weaken the enterprise.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

Why it matters

Organized retail crime in Arizona is coordinated, profit-driven, and increasingly mobile — making shared intelligence the key to stopping repeat offenders.

The big picture

Detective Mark Holtzen, Vice President of AZ ORCA, says the state’s strategy hinges on uniting law enforcement, retailers, and prosecutors to connect cases in real time and treat ORC as organized crime not isolated theft.

Policy backdrop

Arizona recently strengthened tools, including a new gift card fraud statute, and prosecutors are pursuing ORC cases as felony-level organized crime, including extradition when necessary.

What’s next

The biggest opportunity for 2026: expand training beyond specialists so patrol officers, retail employees, and prosecutors recognize ORC earlier and build stronger cases from day one.

Bottom line

ORC operates as a network. Arizona’s response is building one to match.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

What’s happening:

Leaders across retail, law enforcement, and policy shared what is actually working in the fight against organized retail crime.

The takeaways:

1. Slow down and verify: Fraud depends on urgency. Pausing disrupts the scam.
2. Let experience drive policy: Laws work best when informed by real enforcement and retail realities.
3. Align expectations: Public and private partners need clarity on goals and roles.
4. Consequence matters: Task forces, funding, and legislation must reinforce accountability.
5. Stay centered in policy: Extreme swings weaken impact. Balanced approaches earn support.
6. Layered defense: Combine people, technology, sensors, and intelligence.
7. People first: Education, awareness, and safety power prevention.
8. Smarter surveillance: AI, license plate readers, GPS, and pattern detection are changing the game.
9. Partnership is the baseline: Without collaboration, progress stalls.
10. Be the hub: ORCAs that convene retailers and law enforcement drive results.

Why it matters:

Organized retail crime thrives when systems are fragmented and uncoordinated.

The bottom line:

Trust and coordination are the foundation of effective ORC prevention.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

Why it matters

Organized retail crime has evolved into a coordinated, data-driven business, forcing retailers to elevate loss prevention from a back-office security function to a strategic, cross-functional priority tied directly to profit protection.

What’s changing

• Retailers are moving from reactive responses to predictive ORC models.
• Disparate systems are being unified across POS, video, loyalty, and location data.
• Early, non-confrontational customer engagement is proving to be a powerful deterrent.
• AI is translating complex data into clear risks and recommended actions.

How it works

Hawkins outlines a four-layer analytics model:

• Descriptive: What’s happening across stores, products, and regions.
• Diagnostic: Why losses are occurring, including methods and networks.
• Predictive: What’s likely to happen next based on patterns and risk scoring.
• Prescriptive: What actions store teams and leaders should take.

Bottom line

Loss prevention is no longer about catching shoplifters; it is about using data, analytics, and AI to protect margins, employees, and customers at scale.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

Why it matters:

Gift card fraud is one of the easiest ways organized retail crime quietly drains money from shoppers and retailers—and it’s often connected to much larger criminal operations.

The big picture:

On Retail’s Most Wanted, Scott Glenn, VP of Asset Protection at The Home Depot, explains how ORC has evolved from visible theft into coordinated, cross-border crime that’s hard to detect and harder to prosecute.

Key points:

• Gift cards are a prime target: Anonymous, fast, and easy to launder, they’re often drained before victims know a crime occurred.
• This isn’t petty theft: ORC is “shoplifting for greed,” used to fund broader criminal activity.
• Education + coordination work: Training shoppers and associates, stronger state task forces, and federal action are starting to make a difference.

What’s next:

Criminals will keep adapting—but growing collaboration between retailers, law enforcement, and lawmakers is finally narrowing their advantage.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

Organized retail crime continues to pressure retailers nationwide, and the role of private security is changing fast. In the latest episode of Retail’s Most Wanted, WGS Group CEO Marcus Skeen breaks down what’s shifting on the ground and why deterrence still matters.

Why it matters

Even with tougher penalties in some states, ORC remains a daily operational issue. Shrink, safety concerns, and store disruptions continue to ripple across the industry.

What Skeen is seeing

Threat levels may have dipped slightly, but complexity hasn’t.

He notes that many security providers drifted into passive roles—observing and recording incidents rather than actively deterring them.

The shift back to deterrence

Skeen argues the industry needs a reset.

That includes better training, clearer expectations, and tools that support professionalism, like body-worn cameras monitored in real time and supervisors who can respond quickly when situations escalate.

What retailers often underestimate

Visible, confident security presence influences more than theft.

It affects how employees feel at work, whether shoppers choose to stay in the store, and how likely repeat offenders are to target the same location again.

The bigger picture

Retailers frequently hesitate to leverage stronger security measures due to liability concerns.

Skeen’s view: risk grows when expectations aren’t clear, and training isn’t consistent.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

The big picture:

Retailers and law enforcement are collaborating in ways they weren’t just a few years ago. On the latest episode of Retail’s Most Wanted, Marty Carpenter talks with Matt Kelley, SVP at LV, about how real-time data and smarter partnerships are reshaping the response to organized retail crime (ORC).

Why it matters

ORC continues to rise, but the industry’s ability to respond is strengthening. Kelley says momentum is picking up as retailers, police, and solution providers share information more quickly and more openly.

Inside the new collaboration model

Summits like the Utah Organized Retail Crime Alliance (UTORCA) gathering are accelerating progress. Leaders leave aligned on priorities, expectations, and proven tactics. That clarity turns conversation into action.

Tech is the turning point

Real-time data is giving retailers and law enforcement a shared view of what’s happening. LV’s tools serve as “eyes and ears” where traditional surveillance doesn’t exist, helping teams deploy resources faster and more precisely — especially during retail blitz operations.

What’s ahead

Kelley sees the future in “data stitching” — seamless information flow from solution providers to retailers to law enforcement. The goal: faster insights, quicker case building, and more efficient outcomes.

Utah helped set the national standard with one of the first ORCAs. The next opportunity is deeper collaboration across states.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.

West Jordan, Utah, is growing fast — and so is its exposure to organized retail crime (ORC). With new developments, big-box clusters, and major highways cutting through the area, law enforcement faces a challenge that extends far beyond city lines.

Why it matters:

ORC isn’t about one-off shoplifters. It’s organized networks targeting retailers across jurisdictions, and the costs ultimately reach consumers through higher prices and tighter margins.

The challenge:

West Jordan’s retail corridors attract professional theft crews who move quickly between neighboring cities. Rapid development means new retail centers open faster than police resources can expand, creating opportunities for repeat offenders who exploit the gaps.

The response:

The West Jordan Police Department is focused on specialized training, technology, and cross-city coordination to stay ahead. Investigators are being trained specifically in organized retail crime and are embedded in regional task forces that share intelligence and resources across Utah’s Wasatch Front. The city also works closely with retailers through the Chamber of Commerce to maintain open, fast communication when new threats emerge.

Tech advantage:

Improved surveillance systems, merchandise tracking tools, and store design updates are making a measurable difference. Stronger evidence means faster prosecutions and better deterrence, while visibility upgrades help stop theft before it starts.

What’s next:

As development continues westward, collaboration will be the key. Utah’s law enforcement and retail leaders are building a model based on information sharing and mutual support — proving that interdependence, not independence, is how communities keep retail crime in check.

Retail's Most Wanted is presented by LVT and the Attorney General Alliance.