A group of Illinois senators were joined by officials from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the state attorney general’s office at a press conference on Tuesday to outline an effort to fight organized crime in retail trade.
House Bill 1091, a collaboration between IRMA and the Attorney General’s Office, defines organized retail crime in law and adds requirements to the information that third-party retail marketplaces would be required to collect from their sellers .
Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, said the bill defines organized retail crime as when a person steals merchandise, either from a store or while the merchandise is in transit, with the intention to resell it.
It further defines crime as when an individual “receives, purchases, or possesses items for sale or resale knowing or believing that the merchandise has been stolen” from a retail establishment, among several other narrow definitions of related criminal acts.
Retail organized crime offenses could be sentenced to various crimes which may include restitution.
“I believe House Bill 1091 is the appropriate response to reiterate the consequences for individuals who threaten local economic growth and participate in organized crime in the retail industry,” Glowiak Hilton said.
Third-party sellers would be required to verify a user’s identity with a bank account number or other information to prevent the online sale of stolen goods. The sales platform would be required to suspend sellers in violation of the new law.
The Attorney General’s office would also have the power to take action against an entity suspected of engaging in organized retail crime. The Attorney General would also have the power to subpoena in matters of organized retail crime.
The bill also provides the AG’s office with the ability to prosecute through a statewide grand jury.
Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, said retail organized crime is more than just a Chicago problem and happens across Illinois. Turner said it puts a damper on small business owners trying to rebuild the community and the economy and those owners have invested a lot of time, money and resources doing what they love.
When people are nervous about going to work, afraid to go shopping or visit a mall or our little shops in places like downtown Springfield, steps must be taken to respond to the concerns of our community,” Turner said.
The measure proposes that if a smash-and-grab ring occurs in multiple counties, prosecutors would have the authority to consolidate charges against the offender in one county for all smash-and-grab incidents.
The bill requires public funds to enable prosecutors to investigate and prosecute retail criminal networks. Rob Karr, president of IRMA, said the funding needed is about $5 million, but those funds should be allocated separately in the state budget for fiscal year 2023.
Karr said the measure tackles organized retail crime from multiple angles and, if funded, will create a “statewide intelligence gathering and sharing platform.” that will allow retailers and law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels to coordinate to combat retail theft.
At a separate press conference, Gov. JB Pritzker said he hadn’t seen the details of the bill yet, but was looking forward to reviewing it.
The measure is part of a larger package of crime-related bills being discussed in the General Assembly. Karr noted that IRMA had conversations with House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch and other members of the House regarding public safety bills.
