Organized Retail Crime (ORC)
Organized retail crime (ORC) not only harms communities and retail centers but also threatens the safety of consumers and retail workers alike. ORC involves a criminal enterprise employing a group of individuals (2 or more) who steal substantial quantities of merchandise from a retailer. Inventory loss in 2022 reached $94 billion and 75.9% of retailers reported ORC resulted in the physical assault of an employee.
ORC Issue Brief
Federal Actions
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The ICSC-supported Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act was signed into law in December 2022 by President Biden as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill.
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ICSC strongly supports S. 140/H.R. 895, the bipartisan “Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023,” introduced in the 118th Congress by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO-04), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Susie Lee (D-NV-03) and David Joyce (R-OH-14).
In the States
Thirteen states have enacted similar versions of the federal INFORM Act over and strengthening law enforcement’s ability to target organized retail criminal operations continues to be high priority. Eleven states have established an ORC task force within the Attorneys General offices to provide increased funding to support coordination among law enforcement, prosecutors and businesses to focus on stopping multi-jurisdictional retail crime operations.
Other Resources
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