CA Organized Retail Crimes Association Announces New Website and Annual Conference

Sacramento, CA-- The California Organized Retail Crimes Association (CalORCA) unveiled its new website today providing an enhanced and responsive user experience and highlighting the growing partnership between retail and law enforcement in California, which was formally established last year.

This new website equips us to better communicate issues important to our members including loss prevention and asset protection professionals representing business across the state,” said George Torres, CFI, LPQ, President of CalORCA Board of Directors and Director of Loss Prevention for Lamps Plus, the nation’s largest lighting retailer. “In order to continue robust educational outreach around Organized Retail Crime (ORC) and facilitate the connection between law enforcement and the business community when it comes to dealing with crime, we must have a strong foundation, online presence and brand. This website helps us get there.” CalORCA and CRA announced a joint partnership in March of 2021 with the goal of working together to develop new and innovative ways to combat ORC and other crimes impacting the business community. “ORC is on the rise across the country and California is one of the hardest-hit states,” said Rachel Michelin, CRA President and CEO. “It is a growing problem not only for businesses, but our communities. ORC fosters a host of illegal activity, including the recruitment of youth, homeless and others into theft crimes. These networks frequently use their proceeds to finance other illegal activity including drug smuggling and human trafficking. There is no simple solution for reversing this trend, but this collaboration between law enforcement and retail is one of the many steps we are taking toward eliminating ORC that has victimized employees, customers and the communities we serve.” CalORCA and CRA will be hosting a Conference focused on ORC and retail theft on Tuesday, October 4 and Wednesday, October 5 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA. The Conference will bring together policymakers, law enforcement and the business community for “Collaborating on a Safer California”. More details about the Conference including an agenda, sponsor opportunities and registration will be live on the new CalORCA website soon. About the California Retailers Association The California Retailers Association (CRA) is the only statewide trade association representing all segments of the retail industry including general merchandise, department stores, on-line marketplaces, mass merchandisers, restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores, chain drug and specialty retail such as auto, vision, jewelry, hardware and home stores. CRA works on behalf of California’s retail industry, which, prior to the pandemic, operated over 418,840 retail establishments with a gross domestic product of $330 billion annually and employed 3,211,805 people—one fourth of California’s total employment. The state of California collected $48.5 billion in revenue from retail sales and use taxes, representing more than 25% of the state revenue. For more information, go to www.calretailers.com. About CAL-ORCA Founded in 2012, The California Organized Retail Crimes Association (CAL-ORCA) is an organization dedicated to fostering partnerships between law enforcement professionals and loss prevention professionals to provide training, combat Organized Retail Crime (ORC) and other crimes impacting the business community. The partnership will aid in the sharing of cross jurisdictional information to help identify, disrupt and apprehend ORC suspects in California and other states. Learn more at Cal-ORCA.org.

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