NEW YORK -- U.S. retailers have teamed up with the FBI to support a central database designed to track and share data on organized shoplifting, which costs the industry an estimated $30 billion a year.
The effort brings together two powerful industry trade groups - the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association - that had developed separate online databases used by retailers such as Macy's, Sears, and Limited Brands Inc.
But with organized crime rings becoming more sophisticated and a federal law mandating that the FBI work with retailers to set up a national database, the trade groups announced on Thursday they have joined together to support the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network, or LERPnet. It is scheduled to launch on April 9.
While petty shoplifters steal merchandise for personal use, organized rings of shoplifters steal vast quantities of goods to sell on Web sites, at flea markets or in other stores.
They typically operate in gangs that travel along major highways, steal thousands of dollars of merchandise and sometimes rip off 20 to 30 stores in one day.
"This is a problem that's getting worse, not better," said Joseph LaRocca, NRF vice president of loss prevention.
The gangs may be difficult to catch because they move quickly, can cross several jurisdictions or hit different chains.
The retailers expect LERPnet to become the national standard for sharing retail crime data with other companies and with law enforcement about crimes occurring in their stores.
Retailers, which are competitive and notoriously secretive, have been reluctant to share crime information with each other, making it difficult for law enforcement to pinpoint organized crime activity or pick up on emerging criminal patterns.
With the LERPnet secure online database, a retailer can share information about crimes in its stores without having to disclose its identity.
By passing along details such as descriptions of suspects or identification numbers of stolen products, retailers will give law enforcement agencies a better chance of spotting and stopping organized shoplifting, LaRocca said.
He said retailers also can receive e-mails notifying them of crimes in their area, alerting them to be on the watch for similar incidents.
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