By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is pushing to crack down on organized retail crime.
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In July, two sisters were accused of stealing $75,000 in cosmetics from several Ulta Beauty stores across the Valley.
Mitchell said impacts of organized retail theft are felt by shoppers who will have to pay higher prices and could find products locked behind cases. But it goes beyond just that.
“Organized retail crime funds other criminal behavior,” Mitchell said. “So in my way of thinking, it’s cutting off the head of the snake. It’s cutting off the money that funds other criminal behavior.”
Mitchell became Maricopa County Attorney in 2022 and launched an organized retail theft task force that same year. Since then, her office has added a dedicated investigator, begun requesting higher bonds in court and lowered the threshold for cases it accepts.
“I want Maricopa County to be unattractive to people who are going to commit those types of offenses,” Mitchell said.
David Lake, a former Phoenix police detective sergeant who specialized in organized crime and now serves as CEO of the Center on Shadow Economics, said not all departments share that focus.
“It’s just not a priority,” he said.
Lake said compared to violent crimes, many departments just don’t have or put enough resources toward retail theft.
“What you’re seeing is elected officials like Maricopa County attorney and the attorney general who get elected, acknowledging to the business community that something should be done,” Lake said. “It’s not translating at scale at the local level yet.”
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In 2021, law enforcement submitted 536 organized retail theft cases to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. After the task force launched, submissions rose to 900 in 2024, followed by 738 in 2025 and 344 through the end of June this year.
“We have said we’re going to prioritize this,” Mitchell said. “And so law enforcement has really stepped up to that and is working very well with us to submit cases, but it is a lot.”
In Arizona, organized retail theft is a class four felony.
Since 2023, nearly 1,000 cases of organized retail theft in Maricopa County have ended in convictions, with more still active.
“I do think prison time does deter the average person who thinks that this is just a property crime,” Mitchell said. “We’ve stopped people who are shocked that they’re arrested, and then the other thing that they’re not used to, from California, is that we set bail here. And that’s one of the things I’ve really emphasized is getting the bail amounts up to the appropriate level.”
If you ever are in a store when a theft occurs that you believe could be part of an organized attack, Mitchell’s office said to follow these steps:
- Stay calm and observe, not intervene.
- Witnesses should discreetly take mental or written notes of key details, including physical descriptions of individuals, the number of people involved, distinguishing clothing or accessories, and any vehicles used. Noting the date, time, and exact location of the incident is also critical for law enforcement to respond effectively.
- If it is safe to do so, witnesses can discreetly capture photos or video of the activity, which can serve as valuable evidence. However, safety should always come first.
- Call local law enforcement and provide them with all observed details and any photographic evidence.
For those who wish to stay anonymous, tip hotlines and online reporting forms are available through many law enforcement agencies and local crime prevention organizations.
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