How to Get Ahead of Retail Crime This Holiday Season with a Stronger Law Enforcement Partnership

The holiday season is a crucial time for retailers, accounting for a significant portion of their annual revenue. However, the influx of shoppers and crowded parking lots also creates opportunities for theft, as shoplifters and organized retail crime (ORC) groups can take advantage of the increased foot traffic to operate unnoticed. According to the Council on Criminal Justice, shoplifting rates in 2024 were higher in November and December than during the earlier months of the year, coinciding with an increase in in-person retail activity.

Sharing Data with Law Enforcement Strengthens Retail Security

Traditionally, theft investigations require law enforcement to visit the location, gather statements, and request access to security footage, which can delay law enforcement’s response and resolution.

When retailers choose to share their video footage, mobile security trailer feeds, and license plate data with local law enforcement through Flock’s secure platform, they help create stronger situational awareness for law enforcement before and during incidents. With this collaboration, law enforcement can be alerted when vehicles associated with known offenders appear on-site, based on law enforcement databases such as the NCIC or FBI databases. They can then review live camera feeds to assess what’s happening and determine an appropriate response protocol. This secure, controlled video and data-sharing framework provides law enforcement with valuable context in real time, supporting more informed decision-making and enabling them to connect thefts across multiple locations, while helping retailers enhance safety for their customers, employees, and assets. 

The partnership not only accelerates investigations but also strengthens evidence when cases are handed over for prosecution, ensuring that incidents don’t end at apprehension but lead to meaningful accountability and long-term crime reduction.

ORC at a Busy Shopping Center with Limited Security Staff

In one common scenario, a group of organized retail crime (ORC) offenders, previously identified in law enforcement databases for similar thefts in nearby cities, pulls into a shopping center parking lot. 

The shopping center houses 15 stores, but has a limited number of security staff. To help close security gaps across the property, the shopping center’s property management company installed Flock license plate readers (LPRs) and video cameras and chose to share this data with local law enforcement. By connecting through the agency’s Flock system, officers receive instant alerts when vehicles linked to previous thefts enter the property, allowing them to respond swiftly and deter repeat incidents.

Within minutes, officers are dispatched to the shopping center. While store employees continue serving customers, officers monitor the shared video feed and spot the group loading stolen merchandise into the exact vehicle that triggered the alert. Officers intercept the suspects before they can leave the premises, recovering thousands of dollars in stolen goods and preventing additional thefts planned for nearby stores.

Later, the footage and license plate data are used to connect this incident to other thefts in the region, helping law enforcement build a stronger case against the organized crime ring. 

When law enforcement can receive alerts tied to vehicles involved in prior incidents and review live camera footage, they gain context to assess situations more quickly, acting as a force multiplier and reducing the burden on limited in-house security staff. This partnership enables smaller security teams to stay focused on their immediate priorities, knowing their local agency has access to the data and insights needed to support them. 

How Data Sharing Helps Big Box Retailers

For retailers operating in areas where law enforcement partners with Flock, which now includes police departments across 49 states, this level of collaboration offers a powerful way to enhance safety and security. 

For multi-state big-box retailers, Flock’s expansive reach helps connect investigations across store locations, regardless of where they occur. By securely sharing evidence across regions, law enforcement can work with asset protection teams to identify repeat offenders, link vehicles to broader ORC cases, and accelerate investigations that might otherwise remain fragmented. This connected approach supports more efficient case-building and meaningful accountability, which is critical in tackling sophisticated  ORC operations that impact big-box brands during the busy holiday season.

Tulsa Hills Shopping Center Partners With Law Enforcement to Reduce Retail Crime by 70%

Tulsa Hills Shopping Center, the largest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had become a frequent target for “grab and run” retail theft, putting employees, customers, and stores at risk. The shopping center partnered with local law enforcement to install Flock LPRs in the parking lot, creating a virtual security perimeter around the property. 

Within just two weeks, the collaboration with law enforcement led to the recovery of two stolen vehicles, and over the following months, retail theft incidents dropped by nearly 70%. 

“We’ve definitely seen a decrease,” said the Regional Vice President of Property Management, Norine Bowen. 

“We used to have probably 10-15 cars a week that we added to our hot list. And now we’re probably down to maybe 3-5 a week. So I know that the system works.”

Empower Retailers to Protect Their Bottom Line

This holiday season, retailers can safeguard their people and profits by enabling seamless collaboration between businesses and local law enforcement.

By partnering with law enforcement through Flock Safety’s secure data-sharing platform, retailers gain a critical advantage: the ability to deter, detect, and address repeat offenders in real time.

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