Plano police and retail loss prevention officers are teaming up to catch suspected shoplifters in the act as part of a coordinated crackdown on retail crime across North Texas. The operation put officers near major Plano retailers, including Walmart, Home Depot, Sephora and H-E-B., where investig ators watched for suspicious activity and worked with store loss prevention teams. Officer Jerry Minton with the Plano Police Department said retail crime ultimately affects more than the businesses losing merchandise. “Everybody pays for it. It’s not just the retailers, it’s everybody. It affects the prices, it affects security,” Minton said. During the operation, Minton watched from a safe distance outside a Walmart as a loss prevention employee at a nearby Marshalls followed someone who had just committed an offense. “It’s always slow, boring until someone starts talking that they saw something and then your adrenaline picks up, heart rate, breathing and everything,” Minton said. The suspect at Marshalls was issued a citation, and officers moved on to a nearby Nordstrom Rack, where another woman had caught investigators’ attention. “Yeah, she’s concealed two items in a paper bag and then she selected three more and went into the fitting room at Nordstrom Rack. So, they are watching her, waiting for her to come out,” Minton said. As officers closed in, the woman came out and paid for the items. The team then moved on to another suspicious shopper. Minton said the methods used to steal merchandise can vary depending on the items involved. Some people conceal merchandise in their clothing or pockets, while others may attempt to simply walk out with it. “The quick answer is yes, it depends on what it is that they are trying to get away with. Some things will fit in your pocket,” Minton said. Minton said some people may also bring in altered bags designed to block electronic sensors and prevent alarms from sounding as they leave a store. The retail crime blitz was conducted through the Texas Organized Retail Crime Association and supported by Auror, a retail crime intelligence platform and network. The effort helped law enforcement and retailers coordinate their crackdown on people involved in organized retail crime across North Texas. Minton said police want people committing retail theft to know officers are paying attention. “Well, we’re out here — we take it seriously it is a crime and you will be prosecuted,” Minton said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less