Franklin County plans to use ‘F.O.R.C.E.’ to target organized retail theft rings

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new multi-agency task force aimed at dismantling organized retail theft rings in central Ohio by bringing together local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies under legislation signed into law last year by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

The Fraud & Organized Retail Crime Engagement task force, known as F.O.R.C.E., operates under the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and is led by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The task force was authorized under House Bill 366, known as the FORCE Act, which expanded prosecutors’ ability to pursue organized retail theft cases across multiple jurisdictions.

“We’re proud to lead this new task force,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a release. “These criminal networks impact businesses, employees, and consumers throughout our communities. By bringing together our law enforcement partners, prosecutors, and retailers, we strengthen our ability to investigate and hold organized crime accountable.”

The task force includes the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Division of Police, the Westerville Police Department, the Grandview Heights Division of Police, the Clinton Township Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. The Franklin County and Delaware County prosecutors’ offices are also participating.

The FORCE Act, signed by DeWine in April 2025, allows investigators to combine retail thefts committed by the same offender over a 12-month period into a single case. Under the law, retail theft totaling at least $7,500 can be prosecuted as a third-degree felony and law enforcement agencies may establish regional task forces to investigate organized retail theft and fraud.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said organized retail crime differs significantly from isolated shoplifting cases.

“Business owners, consumers and communities suffer when organized theft rings target local retailers,” Wilson said. “Established through my office’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, this new task force is stepping up to dismantle these criminal networks and hold thieves accountable.”

Wilson said organized retail theft typically involves coordinated groups targeting high-value merchandise for resale rather than isolated shoplifting incidents.

Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Shayla Favor said the new law allows investigators and prosecutors to pursue organized theft rings that previously exploited jurisdictional boundaries.

“Our Economic Crimes Unit has a proven track record of delivering results in complex retail theft and fraud cases, and this task force gives us the coordinated resources to confront organized theft rings operating at malls and commercial centers across Franklin County,” Favor said. “These are not isolated shoplifting incidents. They are organized operations that drive up costs for businesses, put workers at risk, and destabilize the retail centers our communities rely on.”

According to the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, organized retail theft and fraud costs Ohio businesses an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion annually, driving up consumer prices and creating safety concerns for retailers and employees.

A 2025 National Retail Federation survey found that 54% of retailers reported an increase in repeat-offender theft compared to the previous year, while cargo theft increased 48% and shoplifting incidents rose 46%.

Although the task force was formally announced Thursday, officials said it began operating in March.

Since then, investigators have recovered more than $145,000 in stolen merchandise, secured indictments against nine defendants and opened 14 additional organized retail crime investigations while coordinating with law enforcement agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, according to Detective Sgt. Caleb Loposser.

“For too long, crimes in the retail community have been under investigated. We’ve been sidelined by jurisdictional boundaries,” Loposser said. “Thanks to their leadership and the agencies on stage with us today, we’re going to make a true impact on legitimate commerce here in central Ohio.”