As part of this increased enforcement, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has intensified its laser focus on retailers. As of this writing, since December 1, they have charged 1450 felony retail theft cases. This increased law enforcement attention comes at the same time as this week’s National ORC Takedown Operation – a synchronized effort to crack down on ORC throughout the U.S. On the ground, authorities were able to implement this effort through strong partnerships with over 100 jurisdictions and over 30 retailers.
Under Eileen O’Neill Burke, the Cook County State’s Attorney appointed in December, retail crime has been a top priority. Her office has implemented a new policy that allows for felony charges on retail theft regardless of the value of stolen goods or prior convictions. This change addresses the growing issue of organized retail crime. Relentless Organizing In 2023, retailers estimated a staggering 93% increase in shoplifting incidents on average compared to 2019.
Led by the Cook County regional organized crime task force in Illinois, Operation Overdrive rolled through 28 states and was responsible for hundreds of arrests. Among the retailers that participated were some of the biggest names in retail including Home Depot, Macy’s, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, Kroger and Meijer. Interestingly, one of the teams powering that operation was Ulta Beauty’s, which was active in all nine states.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart underscored the importance of this collaborative approach. He further illuminated that by focusing on a few key crimes, we can make a huge difference in our communities. When you focus a laser-like attention on a crime, it bounces back,” he said.
The purpose of the operation was to stop the rising tide of organized retail crime, recognized as a crucial priority. According to a new survey from the National Retail Federation, retail theft losses have soared to record levels. From 2019 to 2023, these linked dollar losses jumped up by 90%. This alarming increase has retailers and law enforcement scrambling to counteract this crime wave.
On behalf of his company, Marty Maloney, director of media relations at Walgreens, expressed the wildly disproportionate long-term impacts of organized retail crime. It’s no secret that organized retail crime is one of the most pressing concerns facing our industry,” he stated.
Dan Petrousek, Senior Vice President of Loss Prevention at Ulta Beauty, made a clear case for thinking collaboratively. Together, we can move decisively to fill this gap. Partnerships are essential if we want to drive real change,” he explained.
Beyond state measures, local law enforcement agencies played a role in this giant operation. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart formed a strong collaboration from law enforcement partners. Collectively, they implemented the CBP across almost 20 cities and more than 40 sites.
Commander Eileen O’Neill Burke of the Arizona Department of Public Safety called the operation a historic first, emphasizing its unprecedented scale in targeting retail crime across the country. Specifically, we’ll spend a whole day addressing the issue of retail theft. Throughout this period, we’ll be sharing intelligence around what we’ve learned about this network, arming us all with more resources to bring it down.
The initiative’s goal was to round up and arrest people allegedly participating in retail theft. It deliberately went after the networks that organized crime relied on to destroy them entirely. The grand strategy behind all this collective effort is a strategy, a multi-pronged collective strategy to retake safety and integrity in the overall retail environment.