Retail and Community Safety Enforcement Act (RCSEA)
Targeting Organized Theft. Protecting Communities. Strengthening Law Enforcement.
What This Act Does:
The Retail and Community Safety Enforcement Act (RCSEA) is a federal initiative designed to give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to identify, track, and dismantle organized property crime networks that impact retailers, small businesses, homeowners, and communities across the United States.
It expands federal oversight and enforcement capabilities by:
1. Mandating a National Tracking System for Organized Property Crime
Requires the Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with state attorneys general, to develop a national database for tracking organized property crime rings that operate across jurisdictions.
Covers crimes including:
Organized retail theft
Vehicle theft rings
Catalytic converter theft
Home invasion crews operating across zip codes
Burglaries targeting pharmacies, jewelry stores, or high-end electronics retailers
Data will be accessible to local, state, and federal law enforcement for proactive investigations.
2. Establishing Federal Minimum Penalties for Repeat and Organized Offenders
Defines “organized property crime” under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for crimes involving:
Coordinated theft by two or more individuals with premeditated intent.
Stolen goods exceeding $5,000 in value or crossing state lines.
Use of digital platforms to coordinate fencing or resale.
Imposes mandatory federal minimums for second-time offenders and those caught organizing or recruiting for theft rings.
Strengthens legal tools for asset forfeiture, including vehicles, real estate, and bank accounts linked to the crime network.
3. Requiring DOJ to Release Annual Crime Data and Prosecutorial Outcomes
Mandates the Department of Justice publish an annual public report outlining:
Total number of organized property crime prosecutions.
Conviction and sentencing rates by jurisdiction.
Trends in criminal tactics and law enforcement response.
Provides transparency for the public, supports congressional oversight, and holds prosecutors accountable for failure to act on repeat offenders.
Why It Matters — Especially for Districts Like IL-1:
Chicago and surrounding areas have seen a rise in sophisticated theft operations that are hurting small businesses, terrorizing neighborhoods, and driving job loss and business closures.
Law enforcement often knows who the repeat offenders are, but prosecutors decline to charge or judges let them off with light penalties.
Police morale is declining due to lack of backup from the courts and political leadership.
Small business owners, particularly in historically disinvested areas, bear the brunt of repeated thefts, rising insurance costs, and vandalism.
Communities are losing trust because criminals are operating in plain sight with no consequences.
What This Act Achieves:
Creates a national system to track and prosecute criminal enterprises, not just individual thefts.
Backs local police with federal legal tools, making prosecutions stick.
Establishes real penalties for organizers and repeat criminals—not just slaps on the wrist.
Applies pressure on local prosecutors to act by spotlighting their records in annual DOJ reports.
Restores public trust in law enforcement and ensures victims of crime—businesses and residents—have real recourse.
Section X — Coordination with State and Local Efforts
Purpose:
To ensure that federal resources provided under this Act complement, not duplicate, existing state and local efforts to combat organized retail crime and property-related criminal networks.
Subsection A – State Partnership Requirement
All federal grants or resources made available through the RCSEA shall be distributed in coordination with existing state and local law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to:
State-level organized retail crime task forces;
Local law enforcement agencies participating in anti-theft or retail crime coalitions;
State Attorneys General and County Prosecutors’ offices actively prosecuting organized property crime networks.
Subsection B – Multi-Jurisdictional Strike Teams
The U.S. Department of Justice shall coordinate with state law enforcement agencies to create Multi-Jurisdictional Retail Crime Strike Teams focused on:
Investigating multi-state criminal retail networks;
Sharing intelligence on fencing operations and online resale fraud;
Facilitating joint operations with federal, state, and local prosecutors.
Subsection C – Data Sharing & Integration
To streamline enforcement, any law enforcement agency receiving federal funds under this Act shall:
Report relevant organized retail crime incidents to the National Retail Crime Intelligence Network established under this Act;
Submit quarterly data on case outcomes, including arrests, charges filed, plea agreements, and convictions;
Participate in annual best practices roundtables hosted by the DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
Subsection D – Federal Backstop Authority
In instances where state or local prosecutors are unable or unwilling to pursue organized retail crime cases that meet federal thresholds, the U.S. Attorney for the relevant federal district shall have jurisdictional authority to intervene and prosecute such cases under applicable federal law.
Subsection E – Protection of Local Control
Nothing in this section shall be construed to mandate federal takeover of local investigations. The goal is to support, not supersede, ongoing efforts, with full respect for state sovereignty and community-driven policing models.
