Governor Snyder has signed into law a new tool to crackdown on organized shoplifting.
Michigan retailers are near the end of a mediocre holiday shopping season. But the governor’s signature making the Organized Retail Crime Act law should bring smiles to many store owners faces.
The act will make organized shoplifting a felony with a five year prison sentence.
The Michigan Retailers Association supports the legislation. An association spokesman says shoplifting rings run by organized crime have become a “huge problem”.
Nationwide, shoplifting costs retailers $15 to $30 billion annually, with organized shoplifting gangs representing a growing percentage of the problem.
