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.

In this episode of Retail's Most Wanted, Detective Roland Burk of the Orem Police Department reveals how a Monday morning email led to breaking a major ORC case spanning multiple states with over $100,000 in stolen merchandise.

Why it matters

This case demonstrates how information sharing between law enforcement agencies across state lines can successfully disrupt organized retail crime operations that target multiple locations.

The big picture

• A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert from Michigan connected suspects to similar thefts in Utah
• The crew used specialized backpacks with metal lining to defeat security sensors
• License plate readers helped track the suspects' movements across state lines
• Video surveillance provided crucial evidence linking the cases

Go deeper

Detective Burk's investigation found that seemingly isolated incidents were part of a sophisticated operation with merchandise intended for resale in Mexico.

This episode highlights the importance of retailers maintaining quality surveillance systems and participating in information-sharing networks to combat organized retail crime effectively.

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

Why it matters: ILORCA (Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association) represents a novel partnership between retailers and law enforcement to combat rising retail theft in a state uniquely positioned as a logistics hub.

By the numbers:

• Illinois state law sets felony theft at $300
• Chicago has the third highest volume of cargo thefts in 2025
• Nationwide cargo thefts have more than doubled to 338 reports monthly

What's working: ILORCA uses real-time intelligence sharing platform Auror to connect retailers and law enforcement across jurisdictions, helping identify patterns and build stronger cases.

The bottom line: After early policy missteps, Illinois has created a collaborative model with ILORCA that's helping reverse retail crime trends through intelligence sharing, education, and policy reform.

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

The big picture

Heritage Grocers Group operates 65+ stores across multiple banners in California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and Illinois, taking a localized approach to asset protection while leveraging technology and law enforcement partnerships.

Why it matters

Their multi-layered security strategy balances asset protection with customer experience, particularly in diverse communities with varying security needs.

Key insights

• Focus on individual theft rather than organized retail crime
• Strong emphasis on local law enforcement partnerships
• Multi-layered technology approach including surveillance and case management
• Customer-centric security measures with bilingual communication focus

The bottom line

Heritage Grocers Group's success stems from tailoring security strategies to local needs while maintaining consistent technology standards across locations.

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