Members of PFMA’s Loss Prevention Committee met leaders at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office to discuss how the organizations can work together to support OAG’s newly created Organized Retail Crime Unit. The unit will focus on organized retail crime, counterfeit operations, supply chain theft (from manufacturer to consumer), and account takeovers (including skimming and phone fraud).
Aaron Vitale, supervisory special agent of the Organized Retail Crime Unit, started the meeting by providing a comprehensive overview of the new legislation. He also gave an update on the creation of the unit, saying they are in the process of hiring 10 agents and five attorneys to cover five districts: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Central.
“We have a lot of really experienced law enforcement people who want to be a part of this,” Vitale said.
Several members of the PFMA committee shared personal anecdotes about the surge in retail crime since 2020. They noted the situation is particularly severe in Philadelphia and the Southeast but is expanding statewide.
“I have never seen the volume that I’ve seen in the last couple of years,” said Wade Hess, manager of asset protection at Wegmans.
PFMA committee members also stressed the importance of balancing loss prevention with providing a pleasant customer experience and ensuring the safety of all involved.
“There is nothing more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of people,” Hess said.
The OAG acknowledged the extent of the issue and initial challenges their agents will face. They hope PFMA will assist in continued dialogue with legislators as needs and budgets evolve.
“We’re going to have success, but we’re going to need growth, too,” said John Kitzinger, chief of criminal investigations at OAG.
Dawn Roller, chair of the Loss Prevention Committee and director of loss prevention and point of sale at Brown’s Super Stores, offered that newly hired agents spend a day in the field with retailers to understand the core issues firsthand.
The committee will meet quarterly with the OAG and other retailers to maintain consistent communication. Meetings will be held at various locations across the state to ensure broad participation. The next meeting will be scheduled for after Labor Day, once the OAG is fully staffed.
