Editor’s note: This article is part of Police1’s Investigation Week, which explores how agencies are integrating drones into daily operations, where the technology is headed and what leaders must consider as their programs grow — from communications and staffing to policy, transparency and community trust. Thanks to our Investigation Week sponsor, Flock.
A shoplifting incident at a grocery store in Redmond, Washington, might have appeared to be an isolated crime. But when investigators connected that incident with information from other retailers and law enforcement agencies, they discovered the suspect was linked to 20 fraud and forgery cases across four counties.
For the Redmond Police Department, the case illustrates the value of connecting information that might otherwise remain scattered among individual businesses and jurisdictions.
Through its Real-Time Information Center (RTIC), the department brings together digital evidence, retailer reports and cross-jurisdictional intelligence to help investigators identify patterns, connect suspects to multiple incidents and uncover larger criminal networks.
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A real-time intelligence center focused on local needs
While larger metropolitan agencies often use real-time crime centers (RTCCs) to support investigations of violent crime, Redmond has tailored its intelligence operations to the types of offenses its officers encounter most frequently.
The department’s RTIC operates out of a shared control room alongside its Drone as a First Responder (DFR) pilots. This arrangement allows analysts and drone operators to communicate directly and relay information about suspect movements to officers in the field.
“We say here in Redmond that we have a very low crime rate, mostly property crimes,” said Jason Fisher, innovation manager for the Redmond Police Department. “So the name RTIC rather than RTCC falls right in our sweet spot as far as shoplifting, other types of thefts for businesses, and organized retail thefts.”
One challenge is that retail theft investigations frequently involve information held by different businesses and police departments. A suspect may steal from one store in Redmond, another in a neighboring city and a third several counties away. Without a way to connect those reports, each incident may be investigated independently.
Redmond addresses that challenge in part through the Retail Crime Hub, a platform developed by Auror that allows participating retailers and law enforcement agencies to share reports and evidence.
Investigators can use information such as suspect descriptions, vehicle license plates and surveillance footage to identify possible connections between incidents across jurisdictions.
Washington law also allows thefts committed by the same person against one or more retailers over a period of up to 180 days to be aggregated for an organized retail theft charge. When the combined value reaches $5,000, the offense can qualify as organized retail theft in the first degree, a Class B felony.
Closing the retail crime reporting gap
Getting usable information from retailers is another important part of the investigative process.
“During COVID and afterwards, it became common for shoplifting thefts to be reported after they happened,” Fisher said. “For retailers, this means that they don’t have to worry about doing it while the crime is in progress. They can keep their employees safer that way by not trying to interrupt the theft. Law enforcement could follow up on it — but only if they give us the information.”
The Retail Crime Hub provides a way for participating retailers to submit loss reports and supporting evidence directly to law enforcement.
“They’re able to provide us still photos, videos, also their statements, and the initial report can be ingested into our CAD system, create a call, and then it can be followed up on if needed,” said Fisher. “Once loaded, the reports become searchable, and the data becomes something that we can use to detect patterns and respond to. If we have somebody suspected in a case, regardless of the nature of the crime, we can put their name in this portal and check it. If we have them for shoplifting, there is a good chance they’re going to come up somewhere else because most people don’t just shoplift and get caught once.”
Making those reports searchable gives investigators an opportunity to recognize patterns that may not be apparent from an individual incident. It also provides a way to pursue investigations even when a theft was not reported while it was occurring.
Connecting cases across jurisdictions
Redmond investigators have used shared retail crime information to connect local incidents with investigations involving multiple businesses and jurisdictions.
“By sharing information, we can look at all the thefts that occurred from the business side,” Fisher said. “We can see the patterns across jurisdictions that point to more than just isolated thefts. For example, we had one person that was identified through the Retail Crime Hub that was involved in 20 similar fraud and forgery cases over four counties. We were literally able to take her from a shoplift here at QFC in Redmond and put her in 20 different cases with multiple retailers like Ulta, REI, and other grocery stores.”
In another investigation, information sharing helped connect suspects involved in an organized retail theft operation targeting stores across Washington’s Puget Sound region.
“Ulta is a location that was hit by two of the members at Redmond Town Center,” said Fisher. “We used surveillance footage from the victim’s location to put out a bulletin. Another agency was able to ID one of the suspects, attach it with one of their cases, and we actually ended up doing multiple charges, which constitutes organized retail theft, and the total amount of all of the thefts was over $20,000.”
Both investigations demonstrate how information from a single retail theft can help identify additional offenses and suspects operating beyond an agency’s jurisdiction.
They also underscore the importance of relationships between law enforcement agencies and the businesses that provide much of the initial evidence.
Turning shared information into investigative leads
For agencies developing or expanding real-time intelligence capabilities, Redmond’s experience illustrates a challenge that extends beyond collecting information: making that information accessible and useful to investigators.
Retailers need a practical way to submit reports and evidence. Investigators need to be able to search that information and recognize connections between incidents. And neighboring agencies need mechanisms for sharing intelligence when suspects operate across jurisdictional boundaries.
For Fisher, the value of that approach extends beyond individual investigations.
“I think it makes the information exchange easier between us and the retailers,” Fisher said. “Ultimately, the more information we have as an agency, the quicker that we can identify people, resolve issues, and have a better partnership with retailers. It builds trust when they know that we’re taking action on the information they’re providing instead of just filing it somewhere and never looking at it again.”
