Moody announces efforts to help law enforcement, prosecutors dismantle retail theft rings

2 years ago 292

Florida lawyer wide launched FORCE task unit & database past month

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody held a quality league Tuesday with authorities lawmakers to denote legislative efforts to assistance instrumentality enforcement and prosecutors dismantle retail theft rings.

It appears Moody is looking to marque definite existent authorities laws are beardown capable to punish radical who are progressive successful organized retail theft.

The quality league comes up of Florida’s 2022 legislative session, which begins adjacent week, and aft Moody past period launched the Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange — a task unit and database that helps instrumentality enforcement, prosecutors and retailers enactment unneurotic to place organized retail theft rings by allowing shareable, searchable accusation connected theft incidents statewide.

“To assistance bolster the effectiveness of FORCE, the Florida Attorney General’s Office volition spouse with authorities legislators this league to question to region barriers to prosecution for what is intelligibly organized transgression activity,” Moody’s bureau said successful a quality release. “Upcoming authorities volition supply a targeted revision to existent statutes determining the felony presumption for retail theft erstwhile idiosyncratic steals aggregate items from aggregate locations successful a abbreviated play of time. These changes would fortify the laws connected the books to let prosecutors to bring stronger penalties against criminals who perpetrate crimes crossed the authorities to debar justice.”

According to the 2021 Retail Security Survey, astir 69% of retailers said they had seen an summation successful organized retail transgression enactment implicit the past year.

“We’ve seen the harm and upset caused by brazen criminals crossed the state done terrifying smash-and-grab robberies, and we indispensable proceed to innovate to enactment up of this nationalist transgression trend,” Moody said. “Last month, I launched FORCE to bolster our efforts to halt and forestall organized retail transgression successful Florida and this legislative session, I volition spouse with authorities legislators to marque definite our laws are effectual successful helping instrumentality enforcement and prosecutors halt retail theft gangs from targeting our stores.”

Right earlier Christmas, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of 16 radical during “Operation Bad Santa.” According to the Sheriff’s Office, immoderate of the radical arrested were moving unneurotic to propulsion disconnected thefts astatine the outlets adjacent St. Augustine during the vacation buying season. That’s an illustration of what Moody is trying to ace down on.

To larn much astir FORCE, click here.