CORCA heads to Senate amid cargo theft debate

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill that supporters say would strengthen the federal response to organized cargo theft now awaits action in the U. S. Senate. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, better known as CORCA, passed the House of Representatives by a 348-60 vote in May with broad bipartisan support.

Since then, recent criticism of the legislation has questioned whether documented cargo theft data justifies expanding the federal government’s role in investigating organized retail crime and supply chain theft. The debate has little to do with whether cargo theft exists.

Both supporters and critics agree organized cargo theft affects the transportation industry. Both sides rely on many of the same documented cargo theft statistics. The disagreement centers on what those numbers represent. Critics argue the documented losses represent only a small percentage of the freight moved across the United States each year.

Supporters argue the current reporting system captures only a fraction of the crimes occurring nationwide, making today’s numbers an incomplete picture of organized cargo theft. Scott Cornell, chair of TAPA Americas and chief risk officer at SPG Cargo & Logistics, said that distinction has become the center of the recent debate that has emerged around CORCA.

He said critics often look at documented cargo theft reports without considering how those incidents are reported or whether every theft ever reaches national databases. He said the debate has shifted attention away from what the legislation is designed to accomplish. “They’re not saying that there is no cargo theft going on,” Cornell said.

“They’re saying that it’s minimal and it’s being overstated.” What CORCA would do CORCA does not create a new federal cargo theft crime. Instead, the legislation creates an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations.

The center would coordinate investigations involving organized retail crime and organized supply chain crime while bringing together federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with private industry.

The bill also directs the center to identify organized theft trends, improve information sharing and provide training and technical assistance to agencies investigating organized theft. The legislation also requires Homeland Security to publish annual reports describing organized retail and supply chain crime throughout the United States.

Those reports would identify crime trends, summarize the center’s activities and recommend ways to strengthen enforcement efforts. The bill also directs Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to evaluate existing grant programs and recommend additional resources for agencies investigating organized retail crime and cargo theft.

Unless Congress extends the authority, the coordination center would expire after seven years. Why Congress says the bill is needed Congress included a series of findings explaining why lawmakers believe additional federal coordination is necessary.

According to the bill, organized theft groups continue to target retailers and the nation’s supply chain while using increasingly sophisticated methods to steal and divert freight. Lawmakers also concluded those crimes disrupt supply chains, affect the national economy and increase costs for businesses and consumers.

The bill cites National Retail Federation data showing larceny incidents increased 93% between 2019 and 2023 while the average dollar loss per incident increased 90%. Congress also cited data showing more than 84% of retailers reported violence and aggression connected to organized theft had become a greater concern since 2022.

The findings also reference CargoNet data showing cargo theft incidents increased 27% in 2024 while the average theft exceeded $202,000. According to the legislation, organized theft groups increasingly use technology to impersonate legitimate businesses, divert shipments and move stolen freight through organized criminal networks.

Congress also concluded organized theft reaches far beyond the companies directly targeted. The findings state those crimes increase the cost of goods, reduce tax revenue and ultimately raise prices for consumers.

Lawmakers also wrote that organized theft groups frequently operate across state and international borders, making investigations more difficult for individual agencies working independently. Those findings became the foundation for CORCA’s proposal to improve coordination between agencies investigating organized retail crime and supply chain theft.

Why critics oppose the bill Despite broad bipartisan support in the House, CORCA has faced criticism from organizations that question both the scope of the legislation and the evidence supporting it. Recent criticism argues documented cargo theft remains a small percentage of the freight moved across North America each year.

Critics also question whether Congress should expand Homeland Security Investig