The images of organized groups sweeping in and smashing and grabbing items from retail stores make compelling viral videos and alarming news stories.

Some stores are putting items under lock and key, a defense against a seeming rise in organized retail theft. But is there such a rise?

The Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, working with the Bend Police Department, wants to find out what is happening here and is seeking a grant from the state to help. The district attorney’s office has made charges in five organized retail theft cases between June 2022 through May 2024. Those are not high numbers. The concern, however, is that the problem is worse than law enforcement knows.

Both the Bend Police Department and the district attorney’s office believe it is occurring at a higher rate than it is being charged. They don’t believe retail stores are reporting everything. Larger retail stores aren’t sharing all information with law enforcement.

The district attorney’s office plans to request permission this week from the Deschutes County Commission to submit the grant application to the state. It would support a part-time position at the district attorney’s office, host meetings with retailers, and train law enforcement and retail staff. What the district attorney’s office and Bend police hope is that the grant will assist them in getting more cooperation to help them understand what is happening and respond. The grant, if awarded, would be for about $50,000.

A report last year from the Council on Criminal Justice found that shoplifting had increased in 24 larger cities across the country — but there were declines in some places and increases in others. It’s hard to know if the increase was driven by more actual incidents or more reporting of incidents. And there also can be differences in how incidents are defined and categorized — shoplifting, shrinkage, organized theft, break-in burglaries and robberies.

The grant application doesn’t signal Bend or the county necessarily has a new, big problem. The request for a grant is about gathering information, training and prevention. It is worth learning if Bend is experiencing a surge in organized retail crime or if it is not.