California's Fight Against Organized Retail Crime

In this episode of Retail's Most Wanted, we sat down with Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association. Since taking the helm in February 2019, Rachel has established the CRA as the most significant voice representing the retail industry in California's public policy arena.

Why it matters:

California, the world's fourth-largest economy, has implemented the most significant retail theft package in state history, with 11 bills designed to combat organized retail crime.

Key achievements:

• Established California's first organized retail crime felony (2018)

• Created statewide ORC task forces through California Highway Patrol

• Expanded task forces from three to five, covering the entire state

• Implemented cross-jurisdictional prosecution capabilities

• Expanded probable cause for retail theft cases

The bottom line:

Through unprecedented collaboration between retailers, law enforcement, and state government, California is seeing positive momentum in combating organized retail crime.