Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) | repdurkin.com
Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) | repdurkin.com
Recent robberies near Chicago's Magnificent Mile have drawn attention to Rep. Jim Durkin's (R-Western Springs) House Bill 4275, which would classify organized retail crime as a more serious offense.
Durkin took to social media to share his thoughts concerning a CWB Chicago article covering the thefts on Tuesday, Jan. 4 and Thursday, Jan. 6 that cost a Burberry store more than $100,000 in stolen merchandise. An officer was injured during a shoplifting raid on Sunday, Jan. 23.
“Organized retail theft continues to dominate headlines, and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Governor J.B. Pritzker’s failure to act is only emboldening these criminals," Durkin wrote in a Facebook post. "For months I have been pushing for Illinois to get tough on these crimes, even introducing my own comprehensive legislation targeting organized retail theft. It’s time to stop coddling criminals, stop disregarding victims, and take action. Let’s pass my legislation!”
Durkin's proposed HB 4275, if passed, would make organized retail theft a felony punishable by up to 15 years of incarceration for incidents where the stolen goods' value is more than $300, the state's current felony threshold.
A 2021 report from Illinois Retail Merchants Association found retailers have lost between $3.7 and $4 billion worth of merchandise to retail theft within the last year alone, according to Chicago Business.
Illinois Policy Institute President Ted Dabrowski agrees that organized retail crime is a "real issue," and he believes Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office has been mishandling the increase in crime, Chicago City Wire reported.
A 2020 analysis provided by the Chicago Tribune found that Foxx's office dropped all charges against 29.5% of retail theft cases within her first three years in office, as compared to Anita Alvarez's last three years where only 25% of cases were dropped. Foxx's office has dropped nearly 30% of all felony cases since 2016.
HB 4275 is currently assigned to the Judiciary - Criminal Committee as of Tuesday, Feb. 9, after passing a first read in January.
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