38 arrested in takedown of Cherry Hill store theft ring – NBC10 Philadelphia

More than a dozen people were arrested and thousands of stolen goods were recovered after a two-day operation dismantled an organized retail theft ring in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, police said.

According to police, law enforcement officials from the Cherry Hill Police Department conducted the operation on May 21 and 22, working with more than twenty merchants and stores in an effort to reduce retail theft.

The operation, police officials said in a statement, resulted in 38 arrests — including the arrest of several individuals suspected of being involved in an organized retail theft ring — and the recovery thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise.

In a statement, officials said Cherry Hill Police Chief Robert Kempf had been working since November of last year on a partnership with “local merchants whose stores had been besieged by thefts.”

“Instead of police and retailers pointing fingers at each other, we met, discussed and developed a plan to work together to be proactive in solving this problem,” Kempf said in a statement.

Following meetings with shopkeepers, police officials said they carry out periodic checks and have plainclothes officers patrolling near shops to apprehend suspected thieves.

Officials said “the basic idea is to outwit and defeat the attackers before they have a chance to flee or fight.”

Cherry Hill Detective Robert Daniello, who was enlisted to run the program, said the cooperative effort was successful thanks to help from retailers.

“This is clearly and simply teamwork. When everyone is on the same page and working together, it makes our job even easier,” Daniello said in a statement.