AUSTIN, Texas — State lawmakers received an update on Tuesday about efforts to address what officials describe as a growing problem in Texas: organized retail theft.
Following the passage of House Bill 1826 by Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) in 2023, the state launched a task force to combat the issue.
“We saw pictures of warehouses full of stolen goods,” Rep. Turner remarked.
Rep. Turner pointed out that organized crime rings are stealing and often reselling high-value goods.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar noted that while the Lone Star State has seen fewer incidents of organized retail theft compared to other states, it is still affected.
According to the National Retail Federation, theft cost stores across the U.S. $112 billion in 2022.
During an interim hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Turner informed the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee that organized retail theft often crosses city and county boundaries, complicating tracking and prosecution efforts.
The Organized Retail Theft Task Force, led by the State Comptroller’s Office, aims to unify efforts. The 10-member task force includes law enforcement officials, a researcher specializing in organized retail theft, and loss prevention officials from H-E-B, Amazon, Target, and other major companies.
Associate Deputy Comptroller Korry Castillo testified on Tuesday. The task force has held three meetings and five site visits so far, with more planned for the fall, along with discussions with external speakers to broaden the group’s perspective.
Castillo highlighted the challenge of obtaining reliable data.
“Every individual retailer may have data about what’s happening in their shop, but seeing the full scope of retail theft across all sectors is the biggest challenge, even for national associations that investigate this,” Castillo said.
In 2023, state lawmakers funded seven new positions within the Texas Department of Public Safety to combat organized retail theft. DPS assigned three employees to Dallas, three to Houston, and one to Austin.
Cpt. Chris Bowen with Texas DPS’ Criminal Investigations Division informed lawmakers on Tuesday that these new employees have visited retailers and learned that prosecution is a significant challenge.
“When you consider urban areas with violent crime, the DA’s office prioritizes what’s important,” said Capt. Bowen. “As law enforcement, we focus on delivering the best case possible. Once it’s in the DA’s office, it’s out of our hands.”
The task force has until December to release a report with recommendations to enhance transparency and security.
Lawmakers may use these recommendations to draft new bills to combat the problem in the next legislative session starting in January.