In Annapolis, Maryland lawmakers were taking aim at retail theft.Since 2020, smash and grabs, shoplifting, and petty theft at stores has risen.

In 2024 Capital One reported the latest nationwide numbers and Maryland retailers saw more than $1 Billion in revenue lost in 2022. (The most recent numbers)

“Customers have to get an attendant to unlock some plexiglass to get something because the store is trying to mitigate theft and loss,” State Sen. Ron Watson, a Democrat from Prince George's County said. “Eventually, they’ll go somewhere else to shop.”

This year Sen. Watson sponsored a bill aimed at curbing retail theft.

Currently in Maryland, retail theft is only a felony if you steal more than $1,500 worth of goods in one jurisdiction.

Watson’s bill takes aim at several angles. It would allow prosecutors to tie in all thefts over a 90-day period for a felony. 

Watson said it would allow prosecutors to tie in thefts from other states and counties. It also hammers down on people who steal multiple times from the same store.

“We've worked with law enforcement to track these individuals to their apartments,” Watson said. “Sometimes they will have a whole retail store inside of their apartments, so this is not about people trying to put food on their table.”

Tuesday, Sen. Watson’s bill had its first Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing in Annapolis.

Several county prosecutors testified in support of the bill. They were joined by Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association.

“Between 2023 and 2024 alone, 37 pharmacies closed across the state in many of your communities and many more will occur,” Locklair testified.

The CVS in Bowie Plaza was one of these recent closures. Local lawmakers said when company leaders shuttered the location back in December, they told CVS officials that retail theft played a big role in their decision.

Once a place for prescriptions, turned into an empty store front. Watson said he feels the closure has left a hole in the community’s confidence.

“It's not always about what the metrics tell you about whether crime is going up and going down,” Watson said. “It's about perception and if the residents don't feel safe, don't feel comfortable, then there's something we need to do to change that.”

After an encouraging committee hearing, Sen. Watson’s bill was still alive and moving through the State House on Tuesday.



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