Washington State — Washington State ranks as the state with the highest incidence of organized retail theft. On Wednesday, business leaders responded with a push for new partnerships to combat the surge in crime.
According to the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the state accounts for $2.7 billion in retail theft per year, the second-highest amount per capita in the nation. This has led to a renewed call to work together to tackle this complex issue head-on.
Clothing stores like Simple Life in downtown Seattle may not experience the kind of theft that affects nearby stores, but employees say merchandise is routinely stolen and drugs are stolen. They say they are being resold in furtherance of customs and other criminal activities.
The problem is widespread, with district attorneys dealing with organized retail theft cases that can cost a single local business hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A group called Challenge Seattle, led by former Gov. Christine Gregoire, brought together various experts in the field to host a public safety summit on organized retail theft on Wednesday. The summit emphasized the need for partnerships that include not only dedicated investigators but also front-line shop owners, police, prosecutors and policy makers.
Organizers say the goal of this joint effort is to accelerate local responses to organized retail theft, which impacts not only businesses but also employees, customers and the larger community. said.
