Brewer signs retail theft measure - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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years in prison. Sponsored by state Sen. Linda Gray, R-Glendale, the measures modifies existing lawsfor Previously, Arizona had no penalties for those stealinvg merchandise for the purpose of resellinf or trading the goods. Instead, penalties for shopliftingt varied from misdemeanorsto felonies, typically dependent on the valuwe of the merchandise taken. This measure creates a separat category of organized retail theft that includesd groups of people working together for the purposre of stealing merchandise and then tradin g orreselling it, regardlesss of how much the itemz cost. “This was a deeply bipartisan consensuse that was developedby Sen.
Gray and the governor sharesd a deep concern overthis issue,” said Paul spokesman for Gov. Brewer. Theft rings have become of increasingh concern to law enforcementand retailers, as criminalas can steal thousands of dollarx in merchandise at once. Stolen goods oftem are resold online or atflea markets, providinb cash to pay for other types of criminall activities, police say. Baby formula is commonly stolen and is often used as an ingredient to cut The measure passed by a 55 to 0 vote in the Housr and a 27 to 0 vote in the Senat and will take effect in90