The new law also creates a retail crime database similar to an intelligence network created by the National Retail Federation (Washington).

”The establishment of an FBI task force on organized retail theft is a major victory for retailers,” said Joseph LaRocca, NRF’s vice president for loss prevention. “This shows that Congress and the administration have recognized that organized retail crime isn’t just everyday shoplifting and that they are committed to fighting this growing problem.”

House Resolution 3402, the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, requires the Attorney General to establish an Organized Retail Theft task force within the FBI. The law directs the panel to work closely with the retail community to create a national clearinghouse, operated in the private sector, to identify “hot spots” of organized retail crimes to foster more efficient deployment of federal agents and resources.

The legislation also authorizes $5 million annually for law enforcement to participate in the database as well as for special training.

Retailers have been increasingly victimized by professional shoplifting gangs in recent years, according to the NRF. Last fall, in anticipation of the bill’s passage, it launched the Retail Loss Prevention Intelligence Network, a secure computer database that can identify trends by geographic area or type of incident.

Federal law enforcement authorities estimate that theft rings steal as much as $30 billion in merchandise from retail stores each year. [March 2006 PET AGE]