(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The state’s top legal officer announced plans Monday to target what he says is organized retail theft.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday said what appears to be an isolated case of retail theft can be part of a larger crime ring.
“Those arrested are often being used as mules at the lowest level of a larger enterprise,” he said.
According to the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, organized retail theft accounts for $45 billion in annual losses.
Because these crimes are often coordinated by large groups, law enforcement agencies may be investigating the same target from different communities.
That’s why, Raoul said, he has created a new task force. The effort will include state and local law enforcement, retailers and attorneys general.
Raoul’s office said organized retail crime investigations will no longer be limited by county lines.
“It is our goal to disrupt and bring to justice the organizations responsible,” Raoul said. “Not only for the sake of economic prosperity, but for business owners, consumers and workers victimized by acts of theft, fraud and violence.”
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