Criminals, take notice: the federal ORC legislation initiative is still alive and well. A new bill was introduced in the House of Representatives – and that makes five in Congress – to establish the Organized Retail Theft Investigation and Prosecution Act of 2010. The bill defines ORC as “obtaining retail merchandise by illegal means for the purpose of reselling or otherwise placing such merchandise back into the stream of commerce; or aiding or abetting the commission of or conspiring to commit any of these acts.”
Members of Congress involved in the effort believe ORC and e-fencing are serious issues deserving of a federal law enforcement solution due to their multi- jurisdictional nature and overall impact on interstate commerce.
So, you’re probably asking…Is this bill any different? Haven’t we already been down this road four other times?
Answer: Yes and Yes.
Under this bill, the government would create the Organized Retail Theft Investigation and Prosecution (ORTIP) unit within the Department of Justice to include investigators, prosecutors and other personnel as necessary. The unit will investigate and prosecute instances of ORC over which the Department of Justice has jurisdiction, assist state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting ORC, and advise victims of ORC. (Note: The terms ORC and ORT are used interchangeably. That’s a topic for another posting.)
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