WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) backed the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 to crack down on flash mob robberies and intricate retail theft schemes. The legislation would establish a coordinated multi-agency response and create new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft.
“Organized retail theft is a growing threat to Arizona’s businesses, workers, and families,” said Senator Gallego. “When criminal rings target our stores, it drives up prices, puts workers at risk, and hurts small businesses just trying to get by. I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation to crack down on these crimes and keep Arizona safe.”
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), more than 84 percent of retailers report that violence and aggression from criminal activities has become more of a concern since 2022, resulting in injuries and deaths among employees, customers, security officers and law enforcement personnel. NRF also estimates that larceny incidents increased by 93 percent in 2023 compared to 2019. In recent years, criminal organizations have increasingly turned to retail crime to generate illicit profits, using internet-based tools to organize flash mobs, sell stolen goods and move money.
In 2022, Arizona retailers lost an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue to theft. The State of Arizona lost out on $84 million in retail sales tax dollars due to theft, reducing funding that provides vital services to Arizona families. In 2024, the amount of organized retail theft cases the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office received almost doubled compared to the year before.
The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 would:
- Establish an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within the Department of Homeland Security that combines expertise from state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as retail industry representatives
- Create new tools to assist in federal investigation and prosecution of organized retail crime, and help recapture lost goods and proceeds
The legislation was introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) andCatherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). In addition to supporting the bill as a member of the House last year, Gallego called for action to combat organized retail crime and introduced the Safer American Family Enterprise (SAFE) Retail Act of 2024 to support small businesses seeking to invest in storefront security.
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
Read a summary of the bill HERE.
4/21/25