Bill > HR9177

This bill aims to combat organized retail crime, which involves groups of individuals targeting retail stores, often using violence or threats of violence to steal valuable and easily diverted merchandise. The bill proposes several key provisions: 1. Amending federal laws to strengthen law enforcement's ability to combat organized retail crime, including expanding the definitions and thresholds for certain crimes related to the transportation and sale of stolen goods. 2. Establishing the Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center, a federal agency led by the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate law enforcement activities, share information with state and local agencies as well as the private sector, track trends, and provide training and technical assistance to combat these crimes. 3. Directing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to evaluate and enhance existing federal grant programs and training resources to support state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts against organized retail crime. The overall goal of the bill is to strengthen the federal government's capacity to address the growing threat of organized retail crime, which not only poses a safety risk to individuals but also erodes the retail economy and finances transnational criminal organizations.