1 in 8 US retail crime events involve threatening behavior

Safety in retail stores continues to come under threat, and the proof is in the data.

Auror’s latest US Retail Crime Insights Report showed that in 2024 there was also a 28% increase in events involving threatening behavior (e.g. events involving intoxication, erratic behavior, health threats, and more.). That means one in eight events now include threatening behavior. Serious event types such as robbery and harassment also saw a 35% increase compared with the previous year.

Here are the top trends from the report, based on more than two million events reported on Auror’s Retail Crime Intelligence platform. 

Repeat offenders are linked to violence in stores

For the past few years, Auror has seen one retail pattern globally: the majority of loss and harm for retailers comes from just the top 10% of offenders. They are not isolated incidents, but rather feed into Organized Retail Crime (ORC) groups. These groups are frequently involved with other, more serious, crimes.

In the US, our latest data shows 10% of offenders cause 68% of total reported event value. Between 2023 and 2024, we found a 21% increase in events involving repeat offenders. 45% of repeat offenders were found to be offending at more than one store location.

Of all reported events in 2024 with serious behaviors, 28% involved repeat offenders. This was a 25% increase on the previous year. 

Therefore, the focus needs to be on identifying and preventing repeat offenders. Retailers can achieve this by building detailed crime event reports based on real-time intelligence. These should include information such as:

• Repeat offenders’ identities
• Their accomplices
• Methods of offending
• Where and what they target
• Displayed behaviors

More detailed reporting enables retailers to make better decisions around safety measures and how best to allocate resources.

Auror fuels retail crime investigations with comprehensive reporting. These reports provide valuable data that helps identify offending patterns and prevent future incidents. Auror’s Connect the Dots and Investigate modules help retailers focus on their top offenders by connecting repeat offenders and crime events. This helps to uncover and disrupt crime networks. Retailers can analyze data, identify patterns, securely share information, and engage in effective investigations.

Half of all vehicles of interest are linked to violent offenders

It’s people, not vehicles, who commit crimes. However, vehicles often play a big role in offenders’ crimes and provide a helpful clue in retail crime investigations.

According to our data, half of all Vehicles of Interest (VOIs) are linked to violent offenders. Of the top 10% of offenders by value of loss, 52% were associated with a vehicle. 

These statistics show the importance of integrating data on offenders’ vehicles into crime prevention strategies. 

Auror’s License Plate Recognition (LPR) capabilities help retailers do this by detecting high-risk vehicles associated with known offenders. This builds a more complete picture of offender activity and helps to identify offending patterns. A more complete picture helps inform preventative security and loss prevention strategies.

Auror Senior Vice President of Customer Bobby Haskins says this strong link between repeat offenders and vehicles is crucial to bringing down ORC groups and retail crime rates.

“Removing the veil of anonymity ORC networks thrive on is critical to our mission. That anonymity can’t be removed in the US without layering in vehicles across the safety and security strategy,” he says.

“ORC networks span retail organizations, cities, and even state lines. A siloed approach won’t work at scale to identify and investigate advanced networks of offenders.”

Collaboration powers crime prevention

We need to address the growing problem of retail crime and violence with advanced technology and strong partnerships. These will help inform proactive and preventative strategies.

There was a staggering 60% growth in investigations involving external collaborators in 2024. “External collaborators” includes anyone outside of the retail organization, including other retailers and law enforcement. This means more intel and opportunities to connect the dots on prolific offenders. 

Auror retail partners also saw a 26% rise in intel responsibly shared with law enforcement.

Of all the retail crime events reported on Auror’s platform in the US, 63% were prevented. A “prevention” is defined as an outcome where offenders were apprehended or goods were recovered. It also includes events deterred by additional security measures such as cameras. 

The reason why well over 1.2 million events were prevented in 2024 lies in the network effect of Auror’s platform.

Auror is a connected system of intelligence. Our retail partners are connecting the dots on known dangerous offender groups, collaborating with law enforcement on investigations, and ultimately preventing them from demonstrating these behaviors in the community.

Auror’s Investigate module is designed to facilitate better collaboration on retail crime events. The recent launch of Collaborate means retailers can work together even more seamlessly while maintaining privacy and security.

Working together in this way creates a united front against offenders and ORC. It bridges the gap between the retail industry and law enforcement, allowing for a more coordinated approach to retail crime and safer communities overall.

Building a safer tomorrow for retail

The evidence is clear. Retail crime, notably incidents involving serious and threatening behavior, is on the rise. But, the use of advanced technology, responsible information sharing, and better collaboration have helped the retail industry and law enforcement make strides in preventing retail crimes in recent years. 

Auror’s goal for the next five years is to reduce violent retail crime by 50%. With continued investment in innovative technology and partnerships, the retail industry and law enforcement are well positioned to see that goal become a reality. 

Learn more about our US retail crime findings in our 2024 US Retail Crime Insights Report.