The fight against organized retail crime heats up in Washington
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A Washington state unit focused on organized retail crime filed its first case last month, charging a 33-year-old Bremerton man with 11 thefts totaling more than $50,000 from Target stores in Kitsap and King counties.
Why it matters: The unit within the state Attorney General's Office was created this year with the aim of curbing organized retail theft.
- In the Seattle area, Target and Rite Aid are among a string of national retailers that have shuttered stores over the last year, citing pilferage and safety issues.
- That's left consumers with no 24-hour pharmacies in Seattle.
- Residents might find themselves making a trip to Issaquah, Tacoma, or Puyallup in the middle of the night for a child's ear infection or any other emergency.
Zoom out: Organized retail crime has been difficult to measure consistently across the country.
- The nation's largest retail trade group just retracted a key assertion from a recent report that "nearly half" of the $94.5 billion inventory losses reported by retailers in a 2021 survey "was attributable" to organized retail crime.
- Separately, the Council on Criminal Justice notes that Seattle and San Francisco saw the largest decreases in shoplifting incidents between the first halves of 2022 and 2023, based on police data.
Yes, but: Security and retail experts who spoke at a Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce panel discussion last month think retail thefts are underreported.
- Retailers are legitimately afraid that too many reported incidents could cause them to lose their insurance, according to Mark Johnson of the Washington Retail Association.
- But, he said, it's critically important for retailers to report thefts anyway because the criminal justice system increasingly depends on data analytics for law enforcement funding and successful prosecutions.
- "If you don't report it, it didn't happen," said Johnson.
Zoom in: By one measure, Washington state has one of the highest retail theft problems in the nation, according to an online survey commissioned by Forbes Advisor of small business owners with a brick-and-mortar store.
- Theft cost Washington retailers almost $3 billion, said Johnson, resulting in a loss to municipalities of more than $300 million in uncollected taxes.
What they're saying: These crimes hurt Seattle businesses, said Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, because of "compromised ability to attract and retain employees and customers" as well as increased costs to ensure their safety.
The intrigue: Among the most stolen items from Seattle-area shops: Legos, Pokémon cards, power tools, health and beauty products, toilet paper and paper towels, the retail theft experts said at the Chamber of Commerce panel discussion.
What we're watching: State and federal legislators are considering bills to combat retail crime, said Johnson, including one that would provide funding to small businesses for loss prevention tools such as cameras and lighting.