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In 2017, at the same time the Felony threshold was increased to $1,000, new Organized Retail Crime legislation took effect July 1 in Tennessee, driven by the sponsorship of State Representative Jason Zahary (R) with the help of The Home Depot. Rep. Zahary stated that Knoxville was the #1 city in the nation for gift card theft and abuse.

Knox County Sheriff’s Department Gets Tough on Organized Retail Crime
“Professional shoplifters are not welcome in Knox County” 

“If you sell stolen property, you are going to jail,” Chief Tramel said. “We will continue aggressive enforcement because this affects the entire community, including the prices you pay, plus perpetuating drug use.”

In recent months the Organized Retail Task Force has conducted a flurry of operations focused on fencing stolen property. From baby formula to auto parts, seizures have been made around the county.

“With the help of Kroger ORC Team, KCSO conducted a raid on a Restaurant selling stolen meat,” Chief Tramel said. “The boosters didn’t care about refrigeration or proper handling and the restaurant was just focused on profits.”

Chief Tramel said he understands that deterrence is key, and education, treatment and jail are the tools his department has to work with. He said the investigations will continue.

Tramel said not only have tactics changed, so have motives. "The vast majority of people that are shoplifting are opiate addicts,” he said. “They'll steal, go do a [merchandise] return, get a gift card, sell it for cash and then get some heroin or a pill."

The sheriff's office has linked 418 drug addicts to more than 5,100 transactions of stolen goods between 2014 and 2017. Tramel said that data suggests many addicted shoplifters are repeat offenders.

In May, members of the ORC Unit meet with retailers at the Turkey Creek Mall, the guest speaker was Brooke Walker (pictured to the right), a recovering drug addict and local professional thief. Walker, now working with KCSO, gave the retailers insight on exactly how she and others would study, plan and execute thefts from local businesses. 

The Daily had the pleasure of speaking to Chief Lee Tramel, Assistant Chief Deputy with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. Tramel, along with Captain Robbie Lawson (Leader of the ORC Task Force), has developed a solid partnership with retailers such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Food City, Kroger and others in sending a strong message to professional shoplifters that they are not welcome in Knox County.

The Special Unit was formed in 2011 by Sheriff J.J. Jones after a series of car smash and grabs at local retailers during the holiday season. Officers from every division were tasked with both uniform and under-cover patrols to deter shoplifting, car burglaries and car thefts; by the end of the season, 37 people had been arrested. Building on that success, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force arrested 309 people, recovering over $50,000 in stolen property from November to January 2016.