What’s happening: Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam says organized retail crime (ORC) is keeping officers busy and driving up costs for consumers — even if it doesn’t always make headlines.

Why it matters: ORC drains local police resources and impacts prices across communities. With major retailers like Target and Walmart in Taylorsville, Cottam says the issue is both local and regional — requiring coordination across city lines.

Big picture:

• Collaboration across jurisdictions and with retailers has improved thanks to shared radio and report systems.
• But the biggest challenge? Staying focused amid competing priorities like violent crime.
• Cottam calls for an “old school” approach — more community awareness and willingness to speak up.

The takeaway: Combating ORC isn’t just a police issue — it takes partnerships, technology, and a watchful public to make a real dent.

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

Why it matters:

Organized retail crime (ORC) isn’t petty theft — it’s a complex, fast-evolving threat that touches everything from consumer prices to workplace safety. Amber Bradley, founder of TalkLP News, says it’s time for the industry to start talking honestly about it.

The big picture:

Bradley launched TalkLP to cut through decades of “fluff” in loss prevention news. Her mission: give LP professionals quick, unscripted insights that help them stay ahead of evolving threats — and strengthen ties between retailers and law enforcement.

Between the lines:

• LP roles have expanded far beyond shrink and theft. Post-COVID, they now include safety, violence prevention, and legislative awareness.
• Conferences like UTORCA and CLEAR are helping that collaboration become personal and actionable.

The takeaway:

Bradley’s message to retailers is simple — get real, get connected, and get involved. ORC is everyone’s problem, and solving it starts with honest, unscripted conversation.

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

The Big Picture

Organized retail crime (ORC) is evolving fast—blending in-store theft with digital fraud. Retailers making progress through tougher laws, AI, and collaboration, but big gaps remain.

Key Challenges

• Retailers still silo store vs. e-comm investigations
• ORC definition is outdated, focused mainly on physical theft
• Too many platforms for intelligence sharing—no single standard
• AI fraud tactics (deepfakes, social engineering) are advancing rapidly

Emerging Solutions

• AI video analytics for faster theft detection
• Unified commerce + loss orchestration: merge data, teams, and systems
• Federal push for broader fraud/ORC intelligence sharing
• Solution providers teaming up across physical + digital

Bottom Line

Progress is real, but uneven. The future of fighting ORC lies in unifying channels, data, and defenses—and moving from reactive whac-a-mole to proactive, AI-powered prevention.

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

The Big Picture

Former Utah Commissioner of Public Safety Jess Anderson discusses the growing challenges in retail crime and law enforcement's technological gap.

By the Numbers

• Shoplifting has surged 94% since 2019
• 14% increase from 2024 to 2025 alone

Key Challenges

• Government agencies lag 3-5 steps behind criminal elements and private sector
• Legal restrictions on using advanced technology like facial recognition and AI
• Limited ability to share data between private sector and law enforcement
• Increasing violence in retail theft incidents

Solutions Proposed

• Better communication between law enforcement agencies
• Improved collaboration between private sector and law enforcement
• Updates to legislation allowing better use of modern technology
• Environmental design improvements in retail stores

Bottom Line

Success requires aggressive enforcement, better inter-agency communication, and modernized approaches to using private sector technology in law enforcement.

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

Why it matters: Dr. Read Hayes, Director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, explains how modern surveillance technology impacts crime prevention, particularly in retail settings.

Key findings:

• Surveillance platforms offer three core benefits: Deterrence (visible presence), detection (through audio and visual sensors), and documentation (evidence collection).
• Modern systems outperform legacy tech: Higher resolution, day/night capability, and networked integration dramatically improve suspect identification.
• The future is multi-sensor fusion: Hayes predicts advancements will combine visual, digital, and audio signatures with cross-organizational data sharing.

Between the lines:

Retailers facing crime surges are implementing these technologies defensively, balancing loss prevention with maintaining customer access to products.

The bottom line:

Surveillance technology creates both deterrence through visibility and accountability through better detection and documentation capabilities.

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

Why it matters: Utah's Organized Retail Crime Association has pioneered collaborative approaches to combat sophisticated retail theft since 2012, well ahead of the national spotlight on this issue.

By the numbers:

• Established in 2012 when loss prevention officers noticed increasing sophistication in retail theft
• Focuses on repeat offenders and organized crime rather than typical shoplifting
• Will host its annual conference on October 1, 2025

The big picture: UTORCA's success relies on real-time communication systems that allow retailers to alert each other immediately when theft occurs, helping build stronger cases against organized theft rings.

What's next: UTORCA's upcoming conference (October 1, 2025) will feature the state Attorney General, local officials, and specialized training sessions, with a networking event on September 30 sponsored by LiveView Technologies.

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

Why It Matters

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown is building on established foundations to combat organized retail crime through strategic collaborations and enhanced enforcement techniques.

Key Insights

• The Attorney General's office has assigned specific agents to monitor retail crime despite limited resources
• Utah's CASE (Crimes Against State Economy) Task Force coordinates retailers, law enforcement, and policymakers
• Recent legislative enhancements allow for charge aggregation, making prosecution more effective

What's Next

Utah continues to serve as a model for other states through its collaborative approach to combating organized retail crime, with an emphasis on information sharing across jurisdictions.

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

Why it matters:

California, the world's fourth-largest economy, has implemented the most significant retail theft package in state history, with 11 bills designed to combat organized retail crime.

Key achievements:

• Established California's first organized retail crime felony (2018)
• Created statewide ORC task forces through California Highway Patrol
• Expanded task forces from three to five, covering the entire state
• Implemented cross-jurisdictional prosecution capabilities
• Expanded probable cause for retail theft cases

The bottom line:

Through unprecedented collaboration between retailers, law enforcement, and state government, California is seeing positive momentum in combating organized retail crime.

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