Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a new collaboration between the FORCE Team and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to address organized retail crimes involving the postal system.

"This groundbreaking partnership with the United States Postal Inspection Service comes as recognition of our efforts in the State and also significantly expands our capacity to combat organized retail crime here in Michigan," Nessel stated. "The addition of a U.S. postal inspector to the FORCE Team allows us to quickly analyze how the postal service is exploited as a supply chain for black-market and counterfeit products across the country. The FORCE Team continues to blaze a path of success in this burgeoning criminal field, and we are proud to set an example for retail crime units nationwide."

The expanded FORCE Team now includes various members such as a U.S. postal inspector, two assistant attorneys general, detectives from Michigan State Police, special agents from the Department of Attorney General’s Criminal Investigations Division, and an FBI special agent from Detroit's Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force.

"Postal Inspectors are dedicated to safeguarding the well-being and security of the American public, with a particular focus on protecting our citizens from fraudulent schemes," said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of USPIS Detroit Division. "As criminal organizations and individuals become increasingly sophisticated in their activities, a partnership with other law enforcement stakeholders will increase the resources to combat and apprehend these financial predators."

Established in 2023 by Attorney General Nessel, both the FORCE Team and Organized Retail Crime Unit aim at dismantling criminal networks that steal goods from retailers for resale. This unit is noted as being unique within all 50 states due to its embedded staff from the Department of Attorney General.

The FORCE Team works closely with retailers and local law enforcement agencies against organized retail crime. Notable corporate partners have included Sam’s Club/Walmart, Meijer, Target, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, Rite-Aid, Lululemon, Ulta, and Lowe’s. Agencies or retailers possessing evidence of organized retail fraud are encouraged to contact the FORCE Team via email.