Black Friday theft threat turns holiday weekend into shoplifters' 'Super Bowl': former detective

A erstwhile NYPD robbery squad detective says the menace of Black Friday theft has turned a vacation play into shoplifters' "Super Bowl" with retail robbery turning into a "multibillion-dollar business."

A 2024 study released by the National Retail Federation claims that retail theft has accrued by a whopping 93% successful 2023 versus 2019, adding determination was besides a 90% summation successful dollar nonaccomplishment owed to shoplifting. The enactment estimates 186.9 cardinal Americans volition store betwixt Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.

Former NYPD Detective Patrick Brosnan told Fox News Digital that organized retail theft is nary longer simply "petty shoplifting," adding, "this is simply a full antithetic deal."

Brosnan said organized retail theft has go a "very profitable business" and is expanding "faster than instrumentality enforcement tin adapt."

MASKED THIEVES IN SOUTH AMERICAN CRIME RING LOOT AMERICAN HOMES IN COORDINATED PATTERN, POLICE WARN

A California jewelry store was targeted successful a smash-and-grab robbery, constabulary said. (San Ramon Police Department via Storyful)

"Organized retail transgression contiguous successful 2025, it's nary longer teenagers stealing T-shirts," Brosnan said. "These are nonrecreational theft rings operating crossed authorities lines, reselling done blase and wide networked online marketplaces. They are a sophisticated, ace profitable, multibillion-dollar business."

Law enforcement agencies crossed America often summation patrols connected Black Friday successful an effort to deter theft, including those successful immoderate of the nation's biggest cities, similar Nashville, San Francisco, Los Angeles and galore more.

Brosnan compared Black Friday for shoplifters to 1 of the nation's biggest sporting events arsenic millions of Americans participate storefronts.

MASKED ROBBERS PULL OFF BRAZEN MIDDAY HEIST AT SEATTLE JEWELRY STORE IN UNDER TWO MINUTES

Three alleged shoplifters were taken into custody successful Seal Beach precocious – with 1 of them amazed astir a caller California law. (Seal Beach Police Department)

"Black Friday is their Super Bowl, right? Stores are crowded, you got to understand, precise casual to blend in. And dissimilar astir times, the precocious worth goods are out. Staff is stretched and traffic, due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch traffic, it camouflages the flight routes," helium said. "Law enforcement truly has precise important hurdles to overcome. It's not conscionable a regular day."

The erstwhile NYPD detective, who founded Brosnan Risk Consultants and has advised large retailers, said he’s urged clients to fastener down "high-value" merchandise, specified arsenic electronics, fragrances and decorator goods. He added that stores should besides see placing their tools successful locked cases.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Video captured 3 alleged shoplifters taken into custody successful Seal Beach precocious aft a multi-store transgression spree.  (Seal Beach Police Department)

While Brosnan says retailers are doing "everything they can" to mitigate theft, it's a "bad situation" that's "only getting worse."

"You privation to bash business, radical got to travel in. And if atrocious radical travel successful with the bully people, there's lone truthful overmuch you could do," helium said. "I gotta archer you, [shoplifters] travel in, they travel similar gangbusters, truthful coordinated, truthful focused, truthful knowledgeable arsenic a information wherever the items are that they request to get and however they are going to get them, what they person to bash to get them."