Questionable Retail Theft Panic Fuels More Mass Surveillance and Police Militarization
by Jo Ellen Nott
The shoplifting crisis dominating recent news may be exaggerated, but it has delivered major wins for police departments nationwide.
An investigation by The Appeal on March 27, 2025, reveals that fears over so-called “organized retail crime” have given law enforcement a pretext to purchase advanced surveillance and tactical equipment—often far beyond what’s needed for petty theft.
Police in states like California, Illinois, and Oregon secured millions by citing an alleged shoplifting surge. California has committed $242 million through 2027, with agencies requesting facial recognition software, automatic license plate readers, drones, and social media monitoring tools. Illinois allocated $15 million, and Oregon provided $5 million in grants through 2025.
Departments are integrating surveillance networks across jurisdictions and partnering with retailers, embedding law enforcement deeper into the private sector. The equipment sought is striking: Santa Clara police requested over $700,000 for a StingRay cellphone interceptor. Others asked for weapons, riot shields, K9s trained to detect electronics, and real-time crime centers centralizing surveillance feeds. Some forces use AI platforms like Axon’s Fusus, which can identify people by clothing or accessories, or Clearview AI’s facial recognition—despite its racial biases and links to wrongful arrests.
These tools aren’t limited to shoplifting cases. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (“EFF”) warns of “mission creep,” where high-tech gear is repurposed far beyond its original intent. California police have used surveillance drones on homeless encampments and shared ALPR data with anti-abortion states and ICE, violating state law. In 2020, San Francisco police used private cameras to monitor racial justice protesters.
Matthew Guariglia, EFF senior policy analyst, warns that “the more the public’s fears about crime grow, the easier it is for surveillance companies to profit.” Rather than addressing poverty or social inequities driving crime, politicians pour funds into policing.
Yet evidence of a nationwide retail theft wave is thin. In 2023, the National Retail Federation retracted its $45 billion loss claim after experts debunked it. Walgreens and Target later admitted overstating theft losses.
The Council on Criminal Justice reported a preliminary 24% rise in retail theft incidents from 2023 to 2024 but cautioned that this may reflect increased reporting rather than actual thefts. More investigation is needed to understand the trend.
The panic has shaped policy regardless. The Department of Homeland Security plans an Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center to coordinate with local police, CBP, and ATF. In California, Proposition 36 (2024) reclassified petty thefts under $950 as felonies.
As companies like Axon and Flock profit from government contracts, civil rights groups warn of a surveillance state eroding privacy with little accountability. Instead of tackling theft’s root causes—poverty, lack of opportunity, community disinvestment—lawmakers empower police to monitor, detain, and criminalize the poor under the guise of protecting retail.
The retail theft panic, built on questionable evidence, has fueled a dangerous surge in police surveillance and militarization, disproportionately harming marginalized communities. Instead of funding invasive technologies that erode privacy, lawmakers must address poverty and inequity—root causes of crime—to build safer, fairer communities without sacrificing civil liberties.
Sources: The Appeal; Council on Criminal Justice.
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