KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Sheriff's Office said they arrested or cited 513 people while working to prevent shoplifting and other kinds of retail crime during the holidays.
The Organized Retail Crime Holiday Task Force started looking for people stealing from stores on October 25, 2021. Their main job was to identify and prevent people from stealing items over the holidays. It expanded beyond just stopping shoplifters.
In the past, they have also worked to stop credit card fraud, check forgery, identity theft and drug-related crime. Sheriff Tom Spangler said that he has seen many retail crimes accompany other, more severe kinds of crimes.
While it was in operation, ORCHTF found around 5 pounds of heroin, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of marijuana and 50 guns. They also said they served 183 warrants and found $445,113 in merchandise, cash and conveyance.
The task force ended on Dec. 23, the day before Christmas Eve. Officials said they had half the officers working compared to previous years, and spent 42 working days on the task force.