New proposal aims to fight “organized retail crime”

Posted on February 8, 2022
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. (Photo courtesy Illinois.gov)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is taking another step against what’s called “organized retail crime.”

It’s the department store smash-n-grab and also the looting of trucks and trains, much of it captured on video. State Attorney General Kwame Raoul says it can happen just about anywhere.

“This type of crime does not restrict itself to a municipality or to a county. It crosses across jurisdiction. We try to address that: one, by giving my office the authority to prosecute under the Statewide Grand Jury Act; two, by giving state’s attorneys the ability to be able to prosecute even if some of the activity occurs across boundary.”

The proposed Organized Retail Crime Act, which Raoul announced with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, accounts for all that.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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