Retailers, District Attorneys, Sheriffs and Police Commit to Enforce New Law Effective December 1 to Combat Organized Retail Crime

Raleigh, NC (December 1, 2025) – Organized retail crime (ORC) will not be tolerated in North Carolina. That was the message delivered today by representatives of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA), the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys (NC CODA), the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA), the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police (NCACP), the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center (NC ISAAC), and the Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance (CORCA).

These organizations, and the law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, and retailers they represent, applaud the passage of a new law to combat organized retail theft, to take effect December 1, 2025. Together, they reaffirm their shared commitment to prevent ORC, strengthen public safety, and ensure offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The Impact of Theft & Violence 2025 report, released in October by the National Retail Federation and the Loss Prevention Research Council, highlights the urgency of this effort. Retailers reported an 18% increase in average shoplifting incidents in 2024 compared to 2023, and a 17% rise in threats or acts of violence during theft events. The findings show criminal enterprises becoming more brazen, with organized groups expanding their tactics across the entire retail ecosystem. More than half of retailers surveyed reported increases over the past 12 months in phone scams (70%), digital and ecommerce fraud (55%), shoplifting and merchandise theft (52%), and cargo or supply-chain theft (50%) tied to ORC networks.

The passage of Senate Bill 311 (The Law and Order Act) marks another major step in strengthening North Carolina’s response to ORC. The legislation would not have become law without the bipartisan leadership of Senators Danny Britt (R-Robeson), Dave Craven (R-Randolph), Dan Blue (D-Wake), Buck Newton (R-Wilson), and Warren Daniel (R-Burke), along with Representatives Reece Pyrtle (R-Rockingham), Charles Miller (R-Brunswick), Carson Smith (R-Pender), Robert Reives (D-Chatham), and Laura Budd (D-Mecklenburg). Their diligent work ensured the bill’s successful passage through committees and on the floors of both chambers.

Effective December 1, 2025 – SB 311 makes several key changes to North Carolina law:

• Expands organized retail crime offenses to include gift card theft. Penalties range from a Class H to Class C felony based on the total value of stolen gift cards. The provision targets a growing scheme in which ORC rings remove gift cards from store displays, capture the identifying information, and return them for resale. Once an unsuspecting customer purchases and activates the card, thieves are alerted and immediately use the funds to acquire high-value goods, often for overseas resale, before the customer can access the balance.
• Aligns gift card theft penalties with existing ORC thresholds, with felony levels determined by the aggregate value stolen:
  • Class H Felony for losses exceeding $1,500 but not more than $20,000
  • Class G Felony for losses exceeding $20,000 but not more than $50,000
  • Class F Felony for losses between $50,001 and $100,000
  • Class C Felony for losses exceeding $100,000
• Creates a new offense for entering non-public areas of a building with intent to commit an unlawful act. A first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor; subsequent offenses are Class I felonies. This provision responds to a trend in which offenders target employee-only areas, such as behind checkout counters, to steal cash, locked or restricted products, or other valuables.

“We appreciate the effort of the General Assembly and Governor Stein to help North Carolina’s retailers by recognizing the growing problem of ORC and the financial burden it places on our retailers which, unfortunately, is often passed on to our customers,” said Andy Ellen, president and general counsel of NCRMA. “By establishing stronger tools to charge and deter career criminals engaged in ORC, this law will help keep these offenders out of our stores and off our streets.”

“Our district attorneys now have stronger tools to prosecute large-scale gift card fraud schemes and hold accountable those who target North Carolina consumers, especially our most vulnerable populations. Preventing this activity is essential to maintaining safe communities and supporting a stable, healthy economy.” stated Kimberly Spahos, Director and Chief Resource Prosecutor of NC CODA.

“Organized retail crime rings don’t just steal merchandise – they are often connected to other serious criminal activity, including drug offenses, money laundering, and human trafficking. North Carolina’s 100 sheriffs’ offices understand the gravity of these crimes and are committed to working alongside law enforcement partners and district attorneys to put these brazen offenders behind bars” Sheriff Ricky Buchanan, President of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association stated.

“Police chiefs place a high priority on combating organized retail crime because of its links to the illegal drug trade and other dangerous criminal activity. We are seeing offenders become more brazen and more violent in their attacks on businesses. Our chiefs are committed to working closely with retailers’ loss-prevention teams and our law enforcement partners to keep this activity from taking hold in North Carolina’s cities and towns,” the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police said in a statement.

“As the nation’s attention has focused on organized retail crime, NC ISAAC and its national network of fusion centers will support North Carolina’s local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, law enforcement associations and major retail associations through information sharing and analytical support,” said NC ISAAC Director Steven Holmes.

Organized retail crime is not only a crime against property – it is a crime against people. ORC goes far beyond common shoplifting, bad checks, or isolated acts of fraud. It involves large-scale theft carried out by coordinated criminal enterprises that deploy groups of individuals to steal high volumes of merchandise and convert those goods into cash through resale operations. These organized rings are frequently tied to other serious criminal activity within communities, including narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking. The organizations represented today collectively applaud the passage of SB 311, which takes meaningful action to disrupt these networks, prevent future offenses, and protect both businesses and consumers across North Carolina.

###

 About the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association

The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) is a nonprofit trade association organized in 1902 to improve the business climate for retailers in North Carolina. Over 100 years later, NCRMA remains the voice of the retail industry for North Carolina. NCRMA represents the interests of individual merchants before the General Assembly and serves as a vital link to state government. Its credibility lies in its longevity and commitment to serving the ever-changing needs of its members. The Association’s membership includes more than 25,000 stores from across the state whose business represents 75 percent of North Carolina’s retail sales volume. NCRMA serves both large and small retailers from multi-state chains to local “mom and pops” and all types of merchants including antique, apparel, art, automotive, book, carpet, department, drug, electronics, floral, furniture, grocery, hardware, jewelry, paint and variety stores. For more information, visit www.ncrma.org.

NCRMA Contact:   Andy Ellen  –  NCRMA President and General Counsel  •  919-832-0811  •  andye@ncrma.org

 

About the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys

The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys was established as a state agency in 1983 under General Statute §7A-411, “to assist in improving the administration of justice in North Carolina by coordinating the prosecution efforts of the various district attorneys, by assisting them in the administration of their offices…”

The agency consists of, and is governed by Elected District Attorneys and has a staff in Raleigh to carry out their goals and objectives. Primary responsibilities of the Conference include, but are not limited to, the following: Prosecution Support, Executive Development, Research, and Public Outreach to help District Attorneys educate the public on issues surrounding impaired driving, domestic violence, victims’ rights and others. For more information, visit www.ncdistrictattorney.org.

NC CODA Contact:       Kimberly Overton Spahos –  NC CODA Executive Director •  919-890-1500 •  kimberly.o.spahos@nccourts.org

 

About the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association

The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association serves as the statewide voice for North Carolina’s 100 constitutionally elected sheriffs to protect, promote, preserve, and enhance the Office of Sheriff in North Carolina through education, training, and legislative initiatives that increase public safety and protect the rights of the citizens of North Carolina. For more information, visit www.ncsheriffs.org.

NCSA Contact:     Eddie Caldwell – Executive Vice President and General Counsel •  919-459-1052 • ecaldwell@ncsheriffs.net

 

About the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police

The North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police was created to provide a favorable environment in which the Chiefs of North Carolina may educate and improve themselves professionally; recognize outstanding achievements in their profession and association and its allied groups through researching and distributing information and maintaining a resource contact system of its members; conduct meetings; and retain competent counsel to advise and represent the membership and its interests. For more information, visit www.ncacp.org.

 

About the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center

The North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism and criminal activity by sharing information.
ISAAC develops actionable intelligence on immediate and emerging threats and shares it with its first responders, private sector, emergency management, critical infrastructure, and federal, state, local, and tribal partners in a timely manner. For more information, visit www.ncsbi.gov/NCISAAC.

NC ISAAC Contact:   Steven Holmes – NC ISAAC Director / Special Agent in Charge •  919-716-1111 • sholmes@ncsbi.gov

 

About the Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance

Officially launched in December 2015, CORCA is a partnership between law enforcement and retail loss prevention officers. It is a division of the Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation, within the North and South Carolina State Retail Associations and is supported by the retail associations along with the Carolinas Food Industry Council. Through CORCA, retailers and law enforcement have found a way to bridge communication and fight the growing problem of retail crime on a unified front. For more information, visit http://www.corca.org.