Seattle looks to crackdown on organized retail theft with new plan

Seattle leaders on Tuesday talked about how they can use a new report to crack down on the growing problem of organized retail theft.

SEATTLE - Seattle leaders on Tuesday talked about how they can use a new report to crack down on the growing problem of organized retail theft.

Police say they cannot handle the amount of shoplifting happening in the city.

In 2022, Seattle Police spent 18,615 hours responding to organized retail crime calls. That equals a year’s worth of work for nine officers.

City leaders say retail crime is becoming more sophisticated with online marketplaces, illegal street markets, and stolen goods getting shipped across the world.

Seattle Police say due to staffing and resources, they cannot properly investigate retail theft organizations, investigate cases or conduct in-custody interviews with suspects.

"Organized retail crime impacted Seattle the eighth-most of any city in the nation," said Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

On Tuesday, the Public Safety and Human Services Committee talked about how they can crack down on this growing issue.

A new report from the city’s auditor provides seven steps to meet this goal.

The steps include working with outside law enforcement, updating antiquated retail theft programs that were created in the 1980s, using new technology, and going after known spots in the city for stolen good sales.

"It helps give us the game plan and to come to terms and to grips with this problem that is facing our downtown and merchants all over the City of Seattle," said Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis.

According to data, some retail areas are constant targets for thieves. Numbers show Rainier Valley Square had 681 calls for service in 2022.

FOX 13 News spoke to Seattle retail workers who say they are constantly dealing with thieves.

"Growing into an exorbitant issue that really we don’t know how to get a handle on," said Derek Pinder.

Derek Pinder is the assistant manager for Simply Seattle. He says on any given day, he’ll have three to five people come into the store trying to shoplift.

"There’s no real consequences for their actions. So, it is just continuing to expand," he claimed.

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Police and retail officials say this organized shoplifting is stealing as much as $40 billion worth of products annually.

Because of that, consumers are seeing an average of $500 in increased costs a year.

Crime and Public Safety Seattle News