New England States Band Together to Fight Organized Retail Crime

Rhianna Daniels in Security Director News reports that retailers, police officers, and state officials recently united to create the Law Enforcement Retailer Alliance of New England. It is the first multi-state group established to fight organized retail crime. Nancy Kyle, president of the Retail Merchants Association of New Hampshire, says organized retail crime in New England is a "huge problem." The alliance will allow retailers and area police to share intelligence using combined databases. When an incident is discovered, it can be broadcast to over 400 retailers and police officials, according to Kyle. "We needed to get everyone together so that when one retailer is hit, we will know all about it," said Chris Picard, executive director of the Maine Merchants Association. The alliance is made up of the Retail Merchants Association of New Hampshire, Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, Vermont Retailers Association, Rhode Island Retail Federation, and Maine Merchants Association.