AG Launches Retail Theft Task Force As Organized Groups Target IL

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the creation of a new task force to crack down on retail thefts in the Chicago area. At the Monday morning press conference, Raoul referenced a string of looting in the city's downtown area last summer.

The plan, which officials say is the first of its kind, will target the groups behind retail theft. Raoul said his office has discovered many thefts are the work of organized crime groups that are ready to sell stolen items on a black market of sorts.

"Increasingly these incidents are not isolated incidents," Raoul said. "Enforcement can't focus on individuals but on the broader scheme these individuals may be a part of. We have learned there is an organized crime aspect to much of today's retail theft."

According to researchers behind the task force, those arrested are rarely at the top of groups responsible for the estimated $45 billion in losses from retail theft across the country. More often, those carrying goods out of stores are being used as mules to facilitate the exchange.

Representatives from Walmart, Walgreens, Home Depot and the Magnificent Mile Association joined Raoul in the announcement. Online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and eBay will also work with local police departments to detect patterns in sellers.

"Often theft from retail establishments may be connected to human trafficking, money laundering, narcotics, counterfeit products, violent crime and more," Raoul said.

The task force will work across state and county lines to look beneath what may at first appear to be isolated acts, state police partners said.

James Glasgow of the State's Attorneys Association elaborated on the types of charges the state can charge sophisticated criminals with. Burglary, continuing financial crimes enterprise and money laundering are all options that could help law enforcement officials lead to more arrests and more time in jail for offenders, he said.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx was not present at the announcement.