Former Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire addressed the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Task Force yesterday in Seattle. Gregoire, the CEO of Challenge Seattle, an alliance of 23 of the region’s largest employers and most successful innovators, shared plans for an Organized Retail Crime Summit on October 2. WR is partnering with Challenge Seattle to present the summit, which will be hosted by Microsoft at their Redmond campus. Attendance is by invitation only and will include King County mayors, police chiefs, prosecutors, the county executive, sheriff, and retail loss prevention and asset protection leaders.
In addition to Attorney General Bob Ferguson, attendees from WR included President/CEO Renée Sunde, Senior VP of Policy and Government Affairs Mark Johnson, and State and Local Government Affairs Manager Crystal Leatherman. Over 100 individuals attended the event either in person or remotely.
The unit staff provided updates on ORC cases filed and convictions made. A panel of western states ORC task force leaders shared their experiences, best practices, and challenges.
WR appreciates and supports the focus by Governor Gregoire, Challenge Seattle, and Attorney General Ferguson on this critical issue. Together, we are confident in making progress to hold these retail crime rings accountable, sending a message that such activities will not be tolerated in Washington State. This effort aims to create a safer community, a safer working environment for retail employees, and a more pleasant shopping experience.
