SILVER SPRING, Md. — This year, the state of Maryland is cracking down on retail theft. Since COVID, retail industry experts have reported a rise in flash mob and smash & grab retail thefts across the country. The D.C. region does not appear to be an exception. 

This trend led the state of Maryland to look at harsher penalties to deter would-be thieves. 

For the last decade, retail and shoplifting laws in Maryland have seen less severe penalties than other nearby states.

For example, the threshold for retail theft to reach a felony was $1,500 in a single jurisdiction. That meant if a thief stole $1,500 of items between two counties, it would just be a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors can carry prison time, but it’s not mandatory.

Retail experts believe that loophole, combined with several other factors, led to a rise in crime.

“Organized retail crime has grown dramatically, especially in the last 10 years,” said Cailey Locklair from Maryland’s Retail Alliance, which represents all types of shops from big box stores and the grocery chains to the mom-and-pop shops.

“These shops absolutely cannot just file with insurance and insurance reimburses them for the value of goods that are stolen,” she explained.

Locklair said the increase in flash mobs and smash-and-grabs across Maryland rattled retailers.

“When you hear from large retailers what these numbers are [it’s a lot],” she said. “We are talking about millions of dollars [stolen] in Maryland alone for one company.”

This year, Maryland’s lawmakers listened, passing Prince George’s County Democrat Sen. Ron Watson’s organized retail theft law.

“This bill says that if a group of folks steal from multiple stores in several counties, and the aggregate amount of everything stolen is more than $1,500, then everyone gets charged with a felony,” Sen. Watson said. “That charge also includes the cost to repair or replace anything damaged in the robbery attempt. “

“This is a big deal because we know that these rings go from county to county, store to store, and actually do the same thing over and over,” he finished.

Locklair said Maryland isn’t the only state to tighten shoplifting laws.

“Finally, Maryland moved forward, California has already passed this bill before us and so many other blue states had done so as well,” she said.

Lawmakers hope this crackdown can bring down mass retail theft.

Click here to view the interview with WUSA9.