Leaders discuss organized retail theft at King County Public Safety Summit [Video]

REDMOND, Wash. – Theft and larceny happen every 3.6 minutes in Washington, according to a King County Police Chiefs study conducted in 2023.

The crime rings escalating Washington’s organized retail theft are so thorough, that they can end up forcing a store to move locations or even go out of business.

Washington was ranked as the state most impacted by organized retail theft, causing billions of dollars in losses. To reduce the threat of this issue increasing, regional leaders, law enforcement, mayors, business owners, organizations, and prosecutors gathered to discuss solutions.

Wednesday was the first ever King County Public Safety Summit on Organized Retail Crime. The event, held in Redmond, focused on creating a long-term public-private partnership to prevent, deter, and hold accountable the thieves involved in organized retail crime in King County. The goal is to expand this partnership statewide.

To allow accessible collaboration, the new Organized Retail Crime Resource Hub was also launched. It’s a website …