A handful of area retailers braved the winter storm Thursday morning to join the Santa Chamber of Commerce for a meeting on how to fight organized retail crime.
The New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association was formed by the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce in partnership with retail member companies and law enforcement across the state.
NMORCA provides an online digital platform for retailers and law enforcement so that they can easily share information in real time to help prevent and prosecute organized retail crime in New Mexico.
Santa Fe Chamber President and CEO Bridget Dixson says the passage of House Bill 284 last session was a big deal when it strengthened retail crime laws.
“Previously if someone was to steal $400 (of goods) from one place and $100 from another place, it would not be considered a felony, but now with this new law that passed it’s now considered a felony,” she said. “So someone could be stealing in Albuquerque and going to Bernalillo and coming to Santa Fe and those are all aggregated so it’s been a big game changer.”
The digital platform allows retailers to submit into the system any information they have regarding retail theft.
Organized retail theft, or ORC describes a group or individual who repeatedly steals high-value merchandise from retailers for the purpose of reselling the merchandise.
According to the Chamber and police, ORC is one of the most common offenses in New Mexico and helps fund other criminal activity throughout the state.
