Credit: KATU
Oregon lawmakers are targeting organized retail theft as it grows more rampant in the state.
They are considering legislation aimed at preventing organized retail theft by funding police sting operations and changing policies to keep thieves in jail for longer.
Police, grocery store representatives, and retail lobbyists testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday in support of two bills that would help target retail theft.
One of the bills would provide additional and targeted funding to the Oregon Department of Justice and law enforcement. The other would change policies to make it easier to prosecute cross-county thefts and increase the maximum sentence for organized retail theft.
“We need to address the root cause of this issue by breaking the cycle of recidivism among repeat offenders and taking a new stance against organized crimes against retailers,” a representative for Oregon-based Columbia Sportswear, Kevin Stone, wrote in testimony submitted to the committee. “It is time for new policies and funding to effectively address this problem and create a safer and more profitable retail environment in Oregon.”
Fox News reported:
Senate Bill 340 includes policy changes to the state’s criminal code, adding organized retail theft to the state’s repeat offender statute, which authorizes a judge to impose a 24-month prison sentence, compared to the existing 10- to 11-month sentence. It would allow suspects accused of property crimes in multiple jurisdictions to be tried in any county where an offense was committed.
The hearing also addressed Senate Bill 318, which would establish an organized retail theft grant program that puts $5 million into a fund for cities, counties, and the state to pay law enforcement officers who work overtime on sting operations targeting retail theft rings. It would also provide funding for the DOJ to aid in combating organized retail crime.
“These policy solutions will ensure that retailers and law enforcement have the necessary tools to detect, deter and hold accountable those who commit organized retail theft and improve employee safety,” an Oregon DOJ legislative director, Kimberly McCullough, wrote in her testimony to the committee.
According to a report from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), in 2020, just under 25,000 larceny incidents were reported in Portland compared to 27,000 in 2022.
Walmart also announced it would close its two remaining POrtland locations on March 24 due to stores not meeting “financial expectations.” A few months earlier, CEO Doug McMillon warned of potential closures and price increases if the rise in theft continued.
A local NBC affiliate reported that in a December sting, 64 arrests were made and they received almost $9,000 in stolen merchandise. In February, 0 people were arrested and over $2,000 in merchandise was found in another operation.
Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said that passing both bills won’t be enough.
“What it is we need to have is law enforcement who’s able to respond, prosecutors who are willing to prosecute. We need courts that are able to convict, and we need jails and prisons that are able to incarcerate. And all of those things need to be present. Sadly, they’re not all present everywhere in Oregon,” Barton told a CBS affiliate.
Both of the bills are still awaiting a Senate Judiciary Committee vote.
