Organized Retail Crime
Thanks to the Delaware General Assembly, a new position’s been created in the Attorney General’s office to prosecute what’s been called “organized retail crime” where gangs of shoplifters methodically steal large quantities of goods from groceries and shops. This comes on the heels of a new law that changed shoplifting from a misdemeanor to a felony. In 2007, there were almost 2,500 cases of shoplifting investigated by the police in Delaware.
The cost of the enhanced prosecution of shoplifters will be funded by retailers, who will be assessed an additional $15 on their annual license fee.
As was reported in today’s Wilmington News Journal, the FBI says organized retail theft costs businesses $30 billion a year nationwide. And, according to a recent Organized Retail Crime Survey, 85 percent of retailers claim to have been victims of shoplifting over the past year. The Survey also states that retailers believe that half of their losses resulting from shoplifting stem from organized gangs.
