Attorney General Ferguson convenes Washington Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force.

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/attorney-general-ferguson-convenes-washington-organized-retail-crime-theft-task

Task force brings law enforcement, prosecutors, retailers together to combat growing problem

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today the creation of a statewide Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force. The Task Force will improve coordination and collaboration among law enforcement agencies to address these multi-jurisdictional crimes that endanger employees and cause significant economic harm to our state.

The task force will focus on sophisticated, organized crime rings that account for almost $70 billion in retail losses across the country.

The Task Force is the first of its kind in Washington. Nine other states have a task force dedicated to organized retail crime.

An analysis from the Retail Industry Leaders Association estimates Washington retailers lost $2.7 billion to organized retail crime in 2021. Federal crime statistics show that the value of items stolen from Washington retailers increased by 151 percent from 2019 to 2020.

The first Task Force meeting will be held on Thursday, July 7. The Attorney General has committed to convening quarterly meetings for at least a year.

“Coordination is key to combatting this growing, and sometimes dangerous problem,” Ferguson said. “These organized crimes cross jurisdictions and cause significant economic harm. I’m committed to working together with law enforcement and retail partners to put help combat this significant and growing problem.”

Organized Retail Crime involves a group of individuals that steal products not for their own personal use, but to resell them for a profit. This do not include general retail crimes like petty theft, shoplifting or poverty-driven crimes.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the thefts that the task force will focus on are often perpetrated by sophisticated criminal organizations, and can involve threats to store staff and the public.

Often, but not always, these stolen goods are then sold on online marketplaces.

Organized retail crime differs from burglary and larceny — such as shoplifting — in that it is not the result of a single individual breaking the law, but rather part of an organized scheme to defraud retailers or to steal products for resale elsewhere. Organized crime can result in intimidation and violence for employees in those stores.

Organized retail crimes impacting Washington

Recent headlines provide examples of organized retail crimes impacting Washington businesses and consumers.

Even before the recent, well-publicized national shortage, baby formula accounted for 13 percent of the most-stolen items from stores, according to the 2020 National Retail Foundation Organized Retail Crime survey. The stolen formula then can appear for sale on online marketplaces.

Parents who buy stolen formula on the secondary market may be putting their babies at significant risk if the thieves failed to store it at the appropriate temperature. Additionally, thieves may have manipulated the packaging, such as changing expiration dates.

Washington’s legal cannabis retailers provide another example. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board has reported more than marijuana retail store robberies through the first three months of this year.

These incidents can be dangerous and traumatic for employees. For example, in March, a suspect took an employee hostage before being fatally shot by the store’s security guard.

At a robbery in Bellevue, police pursued three suspects into a south Seattle neighborhood. Two suspects surrendered, but the third engaged in a standoff with police before opening fire and ultimately being killed by officers.

The task force will bring together prosecutors and retailers from across the state with local, state and federal law enforcement representatives, including the FBI and U.S. Attorneys Nick Brown and Vanessa Waldref. The Task Force will also include the Port of Seattle, small business representatives and workers’ representatives.

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FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELIGATION TO DC;

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Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) voted to support the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – a package of bipartisan proposals aimed at reducing gun violence across the country, investing in mental health and providing support services for children and families, and providing new resources to support schools in their efforts to keep kids safe. The legislation, which passed the House exactly one month after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, marks the first significant gun safety bill passed by Congress in 30 years. 

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LOCAL MEETINGS:

CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:

Clallam County work session for 6/27/22

https://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1321

Clallam County Board meeting for 6/28/22

https://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=7323

Special Port of Port Angeles Commission for 6/28/22

https://www.portofpa.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06282022-601

City of Sequim Council meeting for 6/27/22

https://www.sequimwa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2619

City of Forks Council meeting for 6/27/22

https://forkswashington.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Agenda-20220627.pdf

Clallam PUD meeting for 6/27/22

https://clallampud.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/6-27-22-WEB-Packet.pdf

JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETINGS:

Jefferson County Commission meeting for 6/27/22

https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/881ade88-e539-4865-9673-ca908c1a277b

Weekly devotional

BIBLE VERSE: Jeremiah 23:24 (New International Version)

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.

 

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Hypothetically Speaking, by Chad Sychtysz

via Biblical Insights, v. 10, no. 11, November 2010

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/HypotheticallySpeaking.html

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 This Week's Video:

  

Why We Must ABOLISH the Department of Education NOW | Glenn TV | Ep 206

 

2021 was a turning point for public education in America. Remote learning revealed to parents what public schools were force-feeding their kids — everything from critical race theory to the existence of infinite genders — while performance in subjects like math and reading fell across the board. Now, school boards and teachers' unions are facing a tidal wave of parents who want to take the reins back. But school wasn’t always like this. Glenn takes us back to a time before the Department of Education and asks the question: “Are our schools getting better or worse?” American Federation for Children senior fellow Corey DeAngelis joins to expose who’s actually benefitting from our public school system — and it’s not our kids. And former Secretary of Education under President Trump Betsy DeVos explains why it’s time to abolish the department she once headed, what stopped her from doing so, and how parents can make a big difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMVftprHv84