District Attorney Hoovler Details Retail Theft and Organized Retail Crime Training
Intelligence Sharing and Collaboration with the Town of Newburgh Police Department and Local Retail Loss Prevention Professionals
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, August 15, 2025, together with the Town of Newburgh Police Department, staff from the District Attorney’s Office participated in an intelligence sharing and training session with representatives from retail stores from the Town of Newburgh.  The meeting addressed issues and concerns related to retail theft and organized retail crime which is a growing issue not only in Orange County, but across the country.  Together, the participants at the session discussed and reviewed strategies to best counter the crimes we see in local businesses and to hold accountable the recidivists that are crime drivers.
The session is another in a series of steps the District Attorney’s Office has taken to address these ongoing concerns.  In 2023, the District Attorney’s Office partnered with the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), and the Orange County Chamber of Commerce for the National Store Walk Month initiative. That initiative sought to address the urgent issue of retail crime and habitual theft and its rippling effects on our communities, signifying a pioneering step in facilitating crucial dialogue and cooperation between local law enforcement and community retailers.  As part of the ongoing focus on retail crimes, District Attorney Hoovler has designated both investigative and legal staff to lead Orange County’s participation, working hand-in-hand with community retailers, exchanging valuable insights, fostering a mutual understanding, and collaboratively developing retail crime mitigation strategies.  The collaboration has already proven to provide a robust understanding of the challenges at hand, enabling a unified and potent response.
Retail theft collectively costs communities billions annually, undermining local economies and threatening the viability of storefronts in neighborhoods across the country.  Equally concerning, in recent years organized and habitual theft has become more brazen and violent, raising safety concerns for employees and customers alike—disrupting lives, jeopardizing livelihoods, and undermining the vitality of communities and neighborhood shopping districts.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked Sgt. John Rader and the Town of Newburgh Police Department for hosting the training.  District Attorney Hoovler also thanked Assistant District Attorney Emily Worden for participating and giving a prosecutor’s perspective at the session.
“We in law enforcement see the wide-ranging effects of retail crime on our communities,” said District Attorney Hoovler.  “It is not only big box stores that suffer from the fallout from these crimes, but also local mom-and-pop establishments.  I have made it a priority of my office to work with our law enforcement partners and our local businesses to address these issues head on.  We see the positive outcomes that we can attain through this type of proactive collaboration.”
