Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. ... Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. ... In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Click here to read the full article from the New Jersey Monitor.

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As the new year approaches, several legislative proposals stand to impact Maryland residents and businesses. The Griffin Report recently visited with Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance , to find out more about what’s in store for 2025. Locklair has spent nearly 20 years in state and local politics, advocating on the state budget, labor issues, retail crime and taxes on behalf of the alliance. For her efforts, Locklair – who also heads the Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the Maryland Food Industry Council – recently received the 2024 J. Thomas Weyant Award from the National Retail Federation. In addition, Locklair is a past chair of the Council of State Retail Associations and a member of the Leadership Maryland Program Class of 2024. When reviewing the events of the past year, what stands out the most? The past eight months have been extraordinarily active on the legislative front locally. Maryland now has almost 20 jurisdictions with separate bag laws, and we have seen a variety of bills impacting the industry introduced. Some passed, including shopping cart legislation, electric vehicle-charging station mandates and even regulations on garbage cans. Legislators at the state level have reached out on issues of concern, including food waste and sell-by and use-by dates. Discussions about beer and wine in food retail are ongoing. It’s been said Maryland is experiencing retail growth. Do you agree? Yes and no. It depends on where in the state we are talking about. For example, generally speaking, Maryland’s population continues to slowly grow. So in areas where there is population growth, we have seen quite a few new grocery stores in those areas. However, in areas of the state losing population and struggling with issues like organized retail crime, we have seen some closures with more currently being considered. Is the growth attracting a disproportionately number of new retailers selling groceries to the state? Maryland is a chain-heavy state, but we have many thriving independents as well. That said, we are not seeing rapid expansion of any retailers per se, and the newest chain that came into our market occurred in 2018. What are independent retailers doing to hold onto their share of market? Regardless of the type of retail format you operate, in-store experiences and in-store sales remain key to attracting consumers in Maryland and elsewhere. What key issues are poised to impact grocers in 2025? With the state’s next legislative session starting in January, the industry can expect to see a slew of legislative proposals from new taxes, another increase to the minimum wage, an extended producer responsibility study results and other mandates impacting food retailers. What role will the Maryland Retailers Alliance play? Each year, an increasing number of mandates and cost increases are introduced at the legislative level so being involved and lending our voice is critical to mitigating some very damming laws. Congratulations on being recognized by NRF this year for your two decades of ­advocacy contributions. Were you surprised? I was extremely surprised and humbled to be recognized. My colleagues in our industry have been invaluable to the work we do and I’m lucky to call many of them friends.

12 Scams of Christmas

Maryland's top legal officer announces the takedown of a major retail theft ring on Monday. Four suspects were arrested and indicted in the case, which is being prosecuted in Howard County circuit court. The four suspects are accused of running a retail theft ring across at least six counties, including Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard. Donte Shaw, Taquan Neal, Samuel Whitmire Jr. and Antonio Polite are accused of targeting retailers like Ulta and Dicks Sporting Goods and shopping centers like Arundel Mills Mall and The Mall in Columbia, police said. The four are accused of stealing at least $800,000 in merchandise during at least 37 different thefts. Court documents state the group targeted the same Sunglass Hut at The Mall in Columbia four separate times last spring, stealing more than $101,000 of luxury and designer goods. "Starting with lost sales tax revenue to the state, that's probably one of the big ones for the state and communities to really think about," said Cailey Locklair with the Maryland Retailers Alliance. The Maryland Retailers Alliance said the kind of criminal activity alleged in the case impacts consumers statewide. "To increased prices on the goods that we all pay for, and combined with inflation, that should be very concerning for folks," Locklair said. Click here to read the full article from WBAL-TV .