Residents of New Jersey, New York, Chicago, and Palatine Apprehended in Retail Crime Task Force Operation
Illinois’ attorney general Kwame Raoul first announced in September 14, 2021 a crack down on retail thefts in Chicago by creating a new task force to target organized hits on retail stores (Michelle Gallardo/ABC Chicago). YouTube Tips ⓘ
Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 highlighted law enforcement sweeps spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force. Recent operations have targeted retail crimes at suburban shopping malls and led to arrests and the recovery of stolen merchandise, vehicles and illegal firearms.
The Attorney General’s Retail Crimes Task Force collaborated with agencies, including the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, local law enforcement agencies and retail partners, in two recent operations at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and the Gurnee Mills Mall in Gurnee. The sweep resulted in a number of arrests, and the resulting cases will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office, as well as the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office.
“My office is aggressively targeting retail crime and through our Retail Crimes Task Force, is working in tandem with other law enforcement agencies to enhance the public’s safety. I would like to commend our investigators and thank all of the participating law enforcement agencies and retailers for their partnership in these operations,” Raoul said. “These arrests demonstrate the importance of collaborations between state and local law enforcement to better protect communities and hold individuals accountable.”
Tiffany Kindred, 42, of New York state, and Shaneka Monroe, 27, of New Jersey, were apprehended during the operation at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. The women were in possession of over $3,000 worth of products allegedly stolen from numerous Apple Stores. At the time, they were allegedly working together to steal items from the Apple store at the Woodfield Mall.
Amelia Smith, 33, of Palatine, and Arnold Misher, 28, of Chicago, were also apprehended after allegedly stealing items using a theft detection device remover at The Gap retail store. Additional allegedly stolen merchandise was recovered from the car they drove to the mall.
Smith, Misher, Kindred and Monroe were charged with burglary, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison and retail theft, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
“We appreciate the partnership with the Attorney General’s office and the assistance of the Secretary of State Police,” said Schaumburg Police Chief Bill Wolf. “We believe the combined efforts of our organizations will be a deterrent to people wishing to commit retail theft in our communities.”
During an operation at Gurnee Mills Mall Lake County, the Attorney General’s office and law enforcement partners apprehended four masked and armed suspects inside the mall. Three of those suspects were identified as juveniles. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart’s office is handling all of their cases.
“The Attorney General has shown great leadership in initiating these proactive investigations. At Gurnee Mills Mall, law enforcement’s quick thinking and keen observations led to the arrest of these dangerous individuals,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said. “The offenders have been detained on various weapon charges, and we will work to make sure the community is protected from them in the future.”
“We are proud of the partnerships we have built with the Attorney General’s office and our retail stores in Gurnee,” said Gurnee Police Chief Brian Smith “Safety in and around our shopping centers has always been a top priority, and together we were able to enhance those safety measures and take several people into custody.” The Gurnee Mills blitz also recovered two stolen vehicles with the assistance of the Secretary of State’s office.
“I am proud of the Secretary of State Police and the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force for their excellent work in this case,” said Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. “I applaud and commend Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his office’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force on their successful efforts to combat these dangerous criminal activities. This is an outstanding example of law enforcement jurisdictions working together to produce positive results in an effort to target and combat retail theft.”
Earlier in October, investigators from Raoul’s office collaborated with members of the Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force, the Oak Brook Police Department and DuPage County Sheriff’s Office for an operation at the Oak Brook Mall in DuPage County. Two individuals were arrested and are being prosecuted by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office.
The public is reminded that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
These three operations are the most recent collaborations undertaken by the Attorney General’s Retail Crime Task Force. The task force is the first statewide, public-private collaboration of its kind in Illinois and is designed to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces, law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys dedicated to targeting organized retail crime enterprises. The task force allows Raoul’s office to utilize data and tips provided by retailers and partner across jurisdictions with law enforcement agencies, similar to the investigation into today’s retail theft case, to investigate organized retail crimes and trace thefts to the source.
Raoul’s goal in establishing the task force is to improve communication among public and private entities and utilize a multifaceted approach to combatting organized retail theft and related criminal activity.
Gov. Pritzker signed a state bill in May 2022, cracking down on organized retail theft as smash-and-grab heists have been a growing crime trend in recent years, and stores on the Magnificent Mile have impacted (Tara Molina/CBS Chicago). YouTube Tips ⓘ
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