Organized retail crime conference happening this week

The New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association's second annual conference is on Friday.

The event, which will be held at the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., aims to promote collaboration between law enforcement and the business community.

"You can expect a full day of learning and networking and also practical takeaways for combating organized retail crime," said Alison Riley, director of public policy for the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

She said the event will have practical sessions for investigating organized retail crime, discussions on how it impacts public safety, presentations on common scams and crimes, and an award ceremony recognizing contributions to the fight against organized retail crime.

Riley said collaboration between law enforcement and businesses is at an all-time high and having an impact. She said there's actually been a reduction in retail crime in Albuquerque over the past year.

However, she said, organized retail crime has increased in places like Santa Fe and Los Lunas.

"So we need to advance our efforts in those communities and continue to push this criminal activity out of our stores and communities," Riley said.

NMORCA will unveil a playbook at the conference with a list of tools for both retailers and law enforcement to address retail crime. Riley said it will have tips on how to successfully prosecute organized retail crime offenders.

"It's the first of its kind in the country, and we're hoping that it'll be a model for other states as well," she said.

Riley noted that Tom Wickham, senior vice president of state and local policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Khris Hamlin, vice president of asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, will be speaking at the event.

Registration, which costs $75, can be completed online at https://nmchamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/93.