Cook County taskforce tries to stem tide of organized retail theft, which cost billions nationwide

CHICAGO -- Organized retail theft is a multi-billion dollar problem nationwide, and taskforces like one in Cook County are trying to stem the tide.

Video shared exclusively with CNN by the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows how, in less than a minute, a group of people calmly walk into a beauty supply store, clear shelves of high-end products, throw them in trash bags and stroll out the door as casually as they entered.

Law enforcement calls cases like this organized retail theft: when groups band together to steal a high volume of products, then resell them.

Video shows the crimes are almost always quick. Some cases turn violent. In January, a Chicago police officer and suspect were shot after police responded to a smash and grab.

Task forces like the one in Cook County, where Chicago is located, are trying to stop the problem.

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CNN got exclusive access to the Cook County Sheriff's Organized Retail Crime Task Force.

One search warrant yielded two felony arrests, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen goods from what police say was a crime ring that spanned the Midwest.

During the search, police found stolen products ranging from dog leashes to toothpaste to supplements. The products appeared to still have security seals on them.

"Luckily for us, we were able tro get them on a day where they were unable to clean the seals," said Coo County Sheriff Tom Dart.

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Police said the operation targeted five locations. The total haul was the largest amount Dart said the taskforce had ever recovered with a search warrant, totaling almost $500,000.

"To get something in one operation, this is a lot, and I think this would be a lot pretty much for any police department anywhere in the country," Dart said.

Dart created the team in 2023. High profile smash and grabs in Chicago have attracted national attention. Dart, a former prosecutor, said in the past law enforcement didn't prioritize theft, and penalties have been too low.

"You literally have to be an idiot to think that, if you're charged with a misdemeanor, that's gonna have any consequence whatsoever," he said.

A 2022 law stiffened the penalty for organized retail theft in Illinois.

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Coast to coast, officials are proposing similar measures. New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed beefing up penalties for retail theft, and $45 million to fight the problem.

"And as governor I'm not going to stand by and watch brazen thieves wreak havoc in their shops," she said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is spreading $267 million among law enforcement agencies and proposed in January felony charges and longer sentences for certain cases.

"We've taken this very seriously and have been very proactive not just here in Southern California but throughout the state," he said.

Dart said often the stolen goods are sold online.

"We believe this group here is all from Amazon," he said, and noted the sellers often look very legitimate. "There is nothing that would lead you to believe this was not on the up and up -nothing."

Dart said he worries organized retail crime shows no sign of slowing down.

"This is very large, unfortunately I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.