{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-questions-witnesses-hearing-organized-retail-crime", "Congressman Cohen Questions Witnesses at a Hearing on Organized Retail Crime", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", "cohen", "https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today questioned expert witnesses on organized retail crime at a hearing in the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime.\n\nIn his opening statement, Congressman Cohen described the breadth of organized retail crime and its impact on Memphis, in particular, as a transportation and logistics hub. He also discussed the importance of a carefully calibrated federal policy that respects state and local public safety efforts.\n\n\u201cOrganized Retail Crime [policies]... must be well-designed, with thoughtful allocation of roles and responsibilities. We need federal assistance, especially in tackling the interstate problems. We need federal expertise and tools to investigate sophisticated syndicates. But in doing that, we must be careful not to undermine the local policing,\u201d Cohen said.\n\nPointing to the ongoing complications with the Memphis Safety Task Force, Congressman Cohen noted the unnecessary and ineffective deployment of the National Guard and that \u201cwe now have U.S. Marshals in Memphis, doing traffic stops.\u201d Cohen continued, \u201cthis is troubling and potentially dangerous. First, it\u2019s confusing. But it also undercuts the exact type of community-based policing that we have been striving to build.\u201d\n\nActing as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Congressman Cohen focused his questions on thefts from railroad boxcars, a serious ongoing problem in Memphis.\n\nSee his opening statement here and his questions to question to witnesses here.\n\nWitnesses at today\u2019s hearing were:\n\nScott McBride, Chief Global Asset Protection Officer & Chief Security Officer, American Eagle Inc.;\n\nChris Spear, President and CEO, American Trucking Association;\n\nShane Bennett, Principal of Cyber Defense for Theft, Fraud & Abuse, Target; and\n\nSummer Stephan, District Attorney, San Diego County, California\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-questions-witnesses-hearing-organized-retail-crime"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8296431042253971, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}