LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — As the holiday shopping season approaches, several police departments across Middle Tennessee are reporting that shoplifting cases are down. But police say organized retail theft is still happening.

Two people were arrested in Lebanon on Tuesday after an alleged "nationwide retail theft operation."

"Time is of the essence when it comes to these organized retail theft rings; they move quick and get out quick," Lebanon Police Department Public Information Officer Zach Patton said.

At a Lowe's in Lebanon, police arrested two people from Canada on Tuesday after they allegedly stole nearly $1,000 worth of products.

"We found several digital locks, electronic locks in the female's purse, and after looking at the purse, we discovered it had material lined to help block security devices," Patton said.

Police say after being notified by nearby agencies, their license plate reader cameras confirmed the suspect's vehicle had been in Lebanon within the hour. Investigators believe the duo is part of a nationwide retail theft operation.

"As of right now, it appears that they were targeting hardware stores," Patton said. "They crossed over the Canadian border a couple days ago, earlier on in the week, maybe over the weekend and started traveling south and hitting several stores along the way. Off the top of my head, I know Missouri, Kentucky, and they found their way to Tennessee."

But across Middle Tennessee, shoplifting is trending down for some police departments.

Lebanon Police Department:

• In 2023, they arrested 218 people on shoplifting charges.
• In 2024, they arrested 160 people on shoplifting charges, which is a 26% decrease.
• So far in 2025, they've arrested 101, trending downward at 24% compared to 2024.  

Clarksville Police Department:

• Shoplifting incidents from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 were 758 in 2024 compared to 620 in 2025, which is an 18% decrease.

Brentwood Police Department:

• In 2024, they had 100 documented incidents of shoplifting.
• So far in 2025, they've seen 96 documented incidents of shoplifting, a nearly 5% decrease.
• They've also remained consistent in that there's an approximately 20% immediate arrest rate for these calls.

La Vergne Police Department:

• Officials are reporting a nearly 20% decrease in September.

Meanwhile, in Franklin, police are gearing up for their annual "Not In Our Mall" campaign.

"We do have a huge retail presence in Williamson County," Franklin Police Department Public Information Manager Max Winitz said.

According to Franklin police, they made 50 arrests in just six weeks during the 2024 holiday season, recovering nearly $10,000 in stolen merchandise. Police said a vast majority of these shoplifting offenders are not from Franklin but come from Nashville and out of state. The department encourages shoppers to say something if they see something. As for criminals, they gave a warning.

"You will be caught, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and we're not messing around," Winitz said.

The nationwide retail theft operation remains under investigation.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/some-middle-tennessee-police-departments-report-shoplifting-decrease/