(PRESS RELEASE) WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French regarding the Senate introduction of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2022.
“We applaud Senators Grassley and Cortez Masto for introducing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2022. Organized Retail Crime (ORC) is a multibillion-dollar problem impacting the retail industry and jeopardizing the safety of associates and customers. According to NRF’s 2022 National Retail Security Survey, retailers reported a 26.5% increase in ORC, on average. Perhaps more concerning, retailers also noted an increase in violence and aggression associated with ORC over the past year.
“The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2022 will establish a new Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center to align counter-ORC activities nationally and internationally by developing a national-level ORC intelligence perspective, facilitating information sharing and cross-agency investigations, and serving as a center of expertise for training and technical assistance. This coordination is a critical step for retailers to effectively combat these criminal activities.”