‘Diaper Crew’ broken up amid Philadelphia police and DA crackdown on retail theft

A retail theft ring Philadelphia police had dubbed the “Diaper Crew” is off the streets, officials announced Friday, as law enforcement launch a renewed effort to curb organized shoplifting citywide.

Police arrested three men in mid-July who had stolen at least $15,000 in merchandise from dollar and convenience stores in recent months, with a focus on the city’s Burholme and Juniata sections, authorities said during a news conference.

Police said those men are Daquan Johnson, 26, Bryon Gordon Price, 23, and Lytrell Scott, 25. A fourth man whom police did not identify is expected to turn himself in on Monday.

Philadelphia police said the offenders are alleged to have stolen “shelf loads” of diapers from stores such as Dollar General, Rite Aid, and Family Dollar, along with batteries and coffee, according to Philadelphia Police Inspector Raymond Evers.

Evers said investigators believe that crew members were stealing to resell the goods on the black market — a practice known as fencing.

In all, members of the Diaper Crew are linked to 25 retail thefts and two retail robberies, according to Evers. Authorities were alerted to their pattern of theft in April; two to four individuals would enter a store, concealing large laundry bags or pillow cases, before filling the bags with merchandise and fleeing.

Authorities said Johnson was the crew’s ringleader.

The arrests come as the city’s law enforcement apparatus overhauls its approach to enforcing retail theft, resulting in what the Philadelphia Police Department said was an 81% increase in retail theft arrests this year compared to the same period last year.

“If you’re a prolific offender, you’re going to get a high bail,” Evers said. “If you use your car, we’re going to take your car, we’re going to take your phones. You’re going to lose a lot.”

More people have been arrested and charged with retail theft this year than any other since 2017, according to crime data, and the number of arrests in the first six months of 2024 has surpassed the full-year totals of 2021 and 2022 combined.

Arrests began trending upward earlier this year after District Attorney Larry Krasner quietly shelved a controversial policy that mandated that in cases where the stolen goods were valued at less than $500, the offender be issued a summary offense akin to a traffic ticket.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Police Department also changed course this summer when it updated its diversion program so that those charged with retail theft would no longer be eligible for participation.