WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A bipartisan plan in Congress aims to crack down on organized retail theft, an issue that has surged in the DMV.
"It's true in the District here and Prince George's County. These stores are going under," Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland said during a Thursday morning press conference on Capitol Hill.
Ivey is cosponsoring the bicameral Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. The bill establishes a crime-fighting center under the Department of Homeland Security that would help track theft trends and assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in prosecuting criminal rings.
"I think it's critical for us. We've already got stores in my district who aren't restocking shelves. They don't bring the merchandise out," Ivey added.
The National Retail Federation, which supports the legislation, says store theft surged 20% from 2021 to 2022, costing retailers more than $112 billion.
This year Virginia has passed state legislation that makes organized retail theft a felony punishable with a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
This week D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her legislative plan targeting retail theft.
"We are creating criminal penalties and establishing a new crime directed for organized retail theft in our city," she said during the Monday news conference.
The legislation is fittingly called the ACT Now — or Addressing Crime Trends Now Act.
Giant recently announced they are removing some brand name products from its store in Southeast DC due to shoplifting. The CVS Pharmacy in Columbia Heights has garnered attention after people posted videos of the empty shelves. An employee told WUSA9 that thieves are stealing merchandise from the delivery trucks before it even makes it into the store.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said during a Wednesday safety walk in Mount Pleasant that Bowser's plan targets repeat offenders.
"There is a provision in there that would allow us to aggregate value of $250, which is not a lot, but it's what we see with deodorant, laundry detergent, those types of items, over a 30-day period," Appiah said.
Acting Chief Pamela Smith also announced this week that her department has partnered with Target to help create a plan to prevent shoplifting, a strategy she says she wants to implement with other businesses in the District.
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