This weekend on In Focus, we host a conversation on the impact of organized retail theft and efforts to address its spread. JoDee Kenney was joined by Assemblymember John McDonald, who sponsored a bill to create a New York retail theft task force. McDonald has more than three decades in the retail industry and said organized theft rings are targeting businesses both large and small, adding that these crimes go way beyond typical shoplifting. The assemblymember said organized retail theft is a national issue, with perpetrators known to travel across state lines to commit these crimes. Ultimately, McDonald said worker safety is a priority, citing instances where retail employees have been attacked or otherwise injured in organized theft incidents. McDonald said the task force would be representative of not only business owners and law enforcement, but retail labor interests as well.

You can watch the full interview with Assemblymember John McDonald in the video player above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.