RILA, NDAA Launch National Store Walk Month
Initiative to Strengthen Community Safety, Combat Crime
- By [ Lisa LaBruno ]
- Washington, DC
- 08/02/2023
Throughout the month of September, District Attorneys nationwide will walk retail stores with management teams, exchanging insights, fostering understanding, and working synergistically to reduce retail crime and address other unlawful activity occurring in and around retail stores. This partnership will provide both parties with a comprehensive understanding of their challenges, enabling a unified, effective response.
"National Store Walk Month represents our next leap forward in establishing comprehensive retail crime mitigation strategies and fostering community well-being," said Lisa LaBruno, RILA's Senior Executive Vice President. "This initiative will bridge the gap between retailers and prosecutors, helping us collectively address the complex challenges our communities face."
Large-scale retail theft has profound societal implications, extending well beyond economic harm to retailers—it poses a safety risk to frontline retail workers, threatens jobs, and diminishes the vibrancy of local communities. NDAA Executive Director, Nelson Bunn, highlighted the broader objectives of the initiative: "Our goal extends beyond reducing crime; we're working to foster safer, healthier, and more vibrant communities. National Store Walk Month is a crucial element of that mission."
Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith III, President of the National District Attorneys Association, emphasized the importance of this comprehensive approach: "We need to tackle retail crime with broad, community-centered strategies. Through National Store Walk Month, we're taking a holistic stance to ensure our communities' safety and vibrancy."
National Store Walk Month invites all retailers and prosecutors to participate, fostering a united front against retail crime for a safer, more secure future.
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RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.
RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $2.7 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and hundreds of thousands of stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
Formed in 1950, NDAA is the oldest and largest national organization representing state and local prosecutors in the country. With more than 5,500 members representing over two-thirds of the state and local prosecutors’ offices, NDAA is recognized as the leading source of national expertise on the prosecution function and is a valuable resource for the media, academia, government, and community leaders. NDAA’s mission is to provide state and local prosecutors with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to ensure that justice is done and that public safety rights are protected.
Contacts: Natalie Harrell, Director of Communications, National District Attorneys Association: 703-519- 1644; Jason Brewer, Senior Executive Vice President, Retail Industry Leaders Association 202-869-0156
Tags
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Organized Retail Crime
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Asset Protection
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Keeping Communities Safe
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Leading in the Community
