Current:Home > MarketsAlbuquerque prosecutors take new approach to combatting retail theft -TruePath Finance
Albuquerque prosecutors take new approach to combatting retail theft
View
Date:2025-04-15 08:15:02
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in New Mexico’s largest metro area are taking over all cases involving retail theft including small-scale shoplifting, in efforts to enforce new state sanctions against coordinated retail crime.
Albuquerque-area District Attorney Sam Bregman and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday announced the approach to combatting retail crime.
Previously, police officers in the Albuquerque area often processed misdemeanor sanctions for shoplifting less than $500 worth of merchandise. Prosecutors say they can then consolidate related cases of retail theft over a 90-day period and possibly bring felony charges.
Lujan Grisham signed legislation in April to create a new category of “organized retail crime” and stiffen penalties for organized theft of store merchandize as retailers have highlighted losses from coordinated pilfering.
“People should be able to go to the store without being afraid. Business owners are also fed up,” said Bregman, announcing the new approach to prosecution. “We think these new changes will hold repeat shoplifters accountable.”
In New Mexico and beyond, major retailers are trying to curb theft while not angering shoppers as they lock up everyday items on display. A new federal law requires online marketplaces to verify high-volume sellers on their platforms amid heightened concerns about retail crime.
Lujan Grisham said the new approach across Bernalillo County will help ensure consistent and effective efforts to combat retail theft, and free up police officers to handle other public safety concerns.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Tucker Carlson debuts his Twitter show: No gatekeepers here
- The Ice Bucket Challenge wasn't just for social media. It helped fund a new ALS drug
- Are Electric Vehicles Leaving Mass Transit in the Shadows?
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- How Teddi Mellencamp's Cancer Journey Pushed Her to Be Vulnerable With Her Kids
- Mystery client claims hiring detective to spy on Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve is part of American politics
- Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- This Is Prince Louis' World and the Royals Are Just Living In It
Ranking
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Florida nursing homes evacuated 1000s before Ian hit. Some weathered the storm
- Why Pregnant Serena Williams Kept Baby No. 2 a Secret From Daughter Olympia Until Met Gala Reveal
- J Balvin's Best Fashion Moments Prove He's Not Afraid to Be Bold
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Today’s Climate: June 26-27, 2010
- Miami's Little Haiti joins global effort to end cervical cancer
- 22 National Science Academies Urge Government Action on Climate Change
Recommendation
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
The FDA has officially declared a shortage of Adderall
Fracking the Everglades? Many Floridians Recoil as House Approves Bill
Personalities don't usually change quickly but they may have during the pandemic
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Why childbirth is so dangerous for many young teens
Court Sides with Arctic Seals Losing Their Sea Ice Habitat to Climate Change
Millions of Americans are losing access to maternal care. Here's what can be done