Illinois retail workers are facing rising levels of in-store violence tied to repeat and organized offenders, according to new data from global retail crime intelligence company Auror.
The data shows that one in seven retail crime incidents involve violence, weapons or threatening behavior, while the top 10 percent of retail crime offenders were responsible for more than 63 percent of reported incidents in Illinois stores last year.
Overall, the rate of violent events increased by 7% last year.
These insights are drawn from some of North America’s largest retailers, which use Auror’s crime reporting and intelligence platform to document crimes after they occur in their stores. The platform helps retailers and law enforcement identify repeat offenders and organized crime patterns across networks and jurisdictions, connecting cases that might otherwise appear isolated, while also safeguarding each retailers’ data and privacy.
The Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association (ILORCA), Illinois’ only statewide intelligence-sharing network dedicated to combating organized retail crime, said the findings underscore the growing risks despite significant investments retailers have made in security and loss prevention.
“Organized retail crime hurts Illinois communities on multiple levels. It puts retail workers in harm’s way and targets local businesses through coordinated, sophisticated operations by criminal groups to fund other illicit activities,” said Anne Sagins, executive director, ILORCA. “Addressing this threat requires strong coordination between retailers and law enforcement, and tools like Auror, which is utilized by ILORCA, are critical to sharing intelligence, identifying repeat offenders, and shutting down these criminal enterprises.”
The data also shows firearms are involved in 39 percent of weapon-related incidents, making them the most commonly used weapon, followed by knives and blades.
“Violence in retail is completely unacceptable. Coordinated reporting and collaboration are key to targeting the small number of offenders that are causing the majority of harm,” said Raul Aguilar, Auror’s head of law enforcement for the Americas and the former assistant director for Homeland Security Investigations responsible for organized retail crime. “Consistent reporting and shared intelligence are helping retailers and law enforcement identify these repeat offenders, who often operate across jurisdictions. These are not isolated incidents, they are part of organized, multi-state criminal operations, which is why coordinated action is essential.”
Organized retail crime continues to drive up costs for businesses and consumers alike. Illinois retailers are estimated to lose more than $2 billion to retail thefts every year, and this impacts their ability to keep doors open and hire more people. These losses drive prices up and impact sales taxes for communities.
“We are all paying more because of organized retail crime. Retailers are investing heavily to protect their employees and customers, but it takes a unified, statewide approach to build on those investments,” said Rob Karr, president and CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “Through the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association, Illinois is bringing together retailers, law enforcement, and policymakers to disrupt these organized crime syndicates and reduce the financial impact felt by businesses and families.”
Illinois is also one of the top three targeted states for cargo theft. ILORCA is the first organization of its kind in the nation to bring railroads, trucking companies, and distributors into the fold to address organized retail crime from every angle of the supply chain.
In addition to engaging with the Auror retail crime intelligence platform, ILORCA remains committed to advancing its mission through strong, ongoing partnerships with law enforcement agencies, businesses, and other stakeholders across the state to build a more effective, unified response to organized retail crime.
More information about ILORCA can be found on www.ILORCA.org.
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About the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association
The Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association (ILORCA) was established as part of the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act, one of the most comprehensive efforts in the nation to combat organized retail theft. Organized retail crime targets all types of businesses through complex, coordinated efforts by criminal groups with the goal of reselling stolen items to fund illicit activities. Funded through a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, ILORCA administers and oversees a statewide intelligence-sharing platform for improved coordination between retailers, law enforcement agencies, loss prevention specialists, and other stakeholders to combat these criminal enterprises. More information can be found here.
About Auror
Auror is a global software company providing a Retail Crime Intelligence platform to the world’s leading retailers to record potential crime in their stores after it occurs, better collaborate with law enforcement on crime, and create safer stores for all.
Auror allows retailers to record events in a secure and structured way, helping them connect the dots to identify prolific and organized offenders. This information empowers retailers to make informed decisions to protect their people, customers, and property, and address the large scale of retail crime impacting our communities.
Globally, Auror is used by more than 85,000 retail stores and in more than 3,500 law enforcement agencies across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Auror Illinois Retailer data:
- The top 10% of offenders are responsible for more than 63% of retail crime. Repeat offenders are driving the most amount of harm in retail.
- 1 in 7 retail crime events are violent, involve the use of weapons or threatening behavior.
- The rate of violent events increased by 7% last year.
- Firearms are the most commonly used weapon, followed by knives and blades.
- Firearms made up 39% of all weapon events.
- Repeat offenders are more than 2x more likely to be violent or use a weapon.
