Legislation on retail theft punishment to be introduced to Alabama lawmakers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - A new piece of legislation will be introduced to Alabama lawmakers in March to crack down on retail theft.

Alabama District Attorneys Association Executive Director Barry Matson said retail theft has gone up in the state because there is no law that punishes people for stealing under $1,500 worth of merchandise from a store.

“We also do not have a RICO or an organized crime statute in Alabama,” Matson said. “That’s a red flag to these organizations to come to Alabama. It’s open season for our stores.”

Matson said this forces retailers to take extra measures to secure merchandise and raises prices for the consumer.

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey said he has multiple cases with repeat retail shoplifters.

“I saw one where someone had gone in 15 different times and stolen $1,000 worth of merchandise at least every time that she had gone into this particular store,” said Bailey.

Bailey added some stores have either closed or refused to do business in Montgomery because of the high rate of theft.

Bailey wants to have shoplifters who have been caught stealing multiple times face prison time.

“If you went into a particular store in Montgomery and stole that amount of property, it is illegal for us as prosecutors or a judge to send you to prison on that,” Bailey said. “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Matson is advising businesses to be vigilant and not tolerate crime while they work on getting the legislation passed.

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