WASHINGTON — A downtown D.C. business owner says the rise in retail theft and overall crime in the District is forcing her to close her wine and spirit store by the end of the year.
Angela Allred says shoplifting comes with the territory of owning a business, but after seven years she says the theft is brazen, violent, and more common.
"Now people are just running in the store, grabbing it, and then leaving, and as they are leaving, they're actually laughing at us because they know there is nothing we can do," Allred told WUSA9.
Allred says her shop, Imperial Wine and Spirits located on 12th Street NW, is targeted almost daily. She says the most recent incident was Tuesday in broad daylight when a man stole a $50 bottle of rum right in front of her.
"He started to curse at me, push me as he walked out the door."
Overall property crime is up 25% compared to the same time last year according to the latest DC Police crime data. Theft is up 21% this year compared to last.
Mayor Muriel Bowser's latest public safety legislation takes aim at retail theft. Her proposal would create a new crime for directly organizing retail theft punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Her plan also revives a law banning mask-wearing to commit a crime.
Under the current D.C. Criminal Code, the maximum penalty for shoplifting is 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, it's only a felony if the property stolen is $1,000 or more.
Allred says has little faith that the new proposals will reduce the theft in her business.
"These small businesses are left to police themselves. Someone comes every day and steals a $50 bottle of wine, you are talking about a claim for loss of merchandise for over $18,000 every single year," Allred added.
During the holiday season theft cases tend to spike in her shop, according to Allred. She says it has forced her to make a difficult decision.
"I have to say with these upcoming months and me being as anxious as I am, I absolutely plan on leaving out of here soon," she told WUSA9. "I am not willing to die for a bottle of alcohol. I am not."
Allred says she has a close relationship with police but understands there is little officers can do. In some cases, police have not shown up after a shoplifting case, which has dissuaded her from even calling 911.
During a safety walk in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Northwest D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith emphasized that residents need to call in for all types of crime to provide investigators an accurate insight into what is happening in certain areas.
"They have to report the crime. Especially with this new legislation, if it's the same individuals over a period of time, it gives our officers the opportunity to arrest these folks and hopefully have the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecute them," Smith said.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said during a press conference that a provision under Bowser's legislation would allow them to aggregate a value of $250 over a 30-day period to create a case against a repeat retail theft offender.
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