Rep. Jim Durkin | Facebook
Rep. Jim Durkin | Facebook
Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) has created legislation to address retail theft for the state of Illinois.
Durkin has introduced HB 4275, which would make organized retail theft a felony punishable by up to 15 years in jail, according to his website. He posted that in 2020, criminals stole around $4 billion worth of goods from Illinois retailers.
“Crime rates have exponentially risen in Illinois and a large part of that includes retail theft. We have to change course if we are going to protect residents AND businesses,” Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) said in a Facebook post.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently blamed businesses, saying that stores should do more do protect their merchandise, according to Fox 32 Chicago.
On Saturday, Dec. 11 thieves stole over $1 million worth of watches from the Gold Coast Auto Gallery. The business owner criticized Lightfoot and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, saying that they need to take action against the rise in smash-and-grab robberies, according to National Review.
CBS 2 reported that out of ten recent retail thefts in Chicago’s shopping districts, several of which were violent, only two people have been arrested. One of the suspects arrested had been previously arrested earlier this month as part of the group that allegedly robbed the Neiman Marcus on Michigan Avenue. The other person arrested was a 16-year-old girl charged with using a stun gun to attack a Nike store security guard. Last week someone attempted to rob the Canada Goose store on Michigan Avenue by throwing a cinder block through the window. At the end of November, four men broke into the Burberry store on Michigan Avenue and stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods, and attacked a 23-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man
“Smash-and-grab retail theft has become disturbingly commonplace and these criminals are only becoming more brazen,” Durkin said. “These crimes have many victims, from the people who own and operate these stores, to their employees and customers. We cannot let this stand. These criminals are sophisticated and organized like the street gangs that terrorize our communities and must be treated the same.”
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