Organized Retail Theft Summit 2023 NR23202jc

Los Angeles: On July 12, 2023, an Organized Retail Theft Summit was held in Los Angeles and it was coordinated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol. The collaboration was in response to a rise in organized retail theft (ORT). The City of Los Angeles alone has experienced a 14.2% increase in retail theft for 2023 compared to 2022. The Summit was attended by over two hundred retailers, along with Criminal Justice personnel as a forum to network and re-establish the Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Association (LAORCA). Topics included engagement between law enforcement and retail security, asset protection, and enforcement operations. Speakers included LAPD’s Chief Michel Moore, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, and representatives from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, California Organized Retail Crime Association, and several retailers.

If you would like to receive information related to ORT, or if you are a retailer or security entity and would like to partner with LAPD or LAORCA, you can contact Lieutenant Michael McComas, Commercial Crimes Division (CCD) ORT at 818-374-9420.

Anyone with information regarding ORT crime is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department’s CCD, Organized Theft Retail Unit, Lieutenant McComas, Detective Prieto, or Detective Franssen at 213-486-5920. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips.”