OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Oklahoma lawmakers are considering legislation that creates tougher laws on crimes that hurt businesses, and a new poll shows that Oklahomans want such laws passed.
The Cicero Institute released the poll last week.
“A strong majority of voters across the political spectrum support tough-on-crime policies to combat assault, theft and drug trafficking,” Cicero officials said. “Lawmakers in the Sooner State are in a unique position to enact meaningful reforms to bring security and safety that are supported by a wide margin of voters from all political stripes.”
Oklahoma voters by a wide margin favor making shoplifting of more than $500 worth of goods a felony, as shown by the results to the following Cicero poll question:
Shoplifting is a problem that plagues an increasing number of retail businesses, and business owners want state leaders to take action, according to Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber of Oklahoma.
“There is a growing problem with theft in many of our retail stores across Oklahoma. A lot of those businesses are members of The State Chamber because the deterrent is gone,” Warmington said. “There’s got to be a better balance between criminal justice reform, which we’ve supported in the past, and making sure that our businesses aren’t left exposed. I think what the research shows is Oklahomans support toughening up on some of those issues.”
Capital One research shows that Oklahoma retailers lost $848 million in revenue to theft in 2022.
The Oklahoma Legislature is taking action.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 3694 in March.
HB 3694, written by Rep. John George, R-Newalla, decreases the felony threshold for theft from $1,000 to $500.
George cited the National Retail Federation, which reports that more than 81 percent of business owners have faced more violent theft-related crimes compared to previous years.
“It’s necessary for Oklahoma to adopt pragmatic legislation that not only holds violent offenders accountable but also confronts the alarming rise in crime rates,” George said. “We have two options: either we can take a lenient approach to crime or adopt smart strategies to combat it.”
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, wrote Senate Bill 1450 to crack down on retail crime and crime syndicates by allowing the Attorney General’s Office to hire more agents to investigate organized retail crime so to improve response time and bring charges quicker.
The bill’s provisions mandate that individuals convicted of organized retail theft will be subject to a term of up to five-years in county jail. Individuals convicted could face up to eight years in prison.
“This legislation was born out of recommendations from the Organized Retail Crime Task Force that has been meeting since October,” Treat said. “While the committee continues to meet, this is one of the group’s first recommendations they collectively believe will make an immediate impact in cracking down on retail crime in our state. Senate Bill 1450 gives the Attorney General’s Office more investigative authority and incorporates stricter penalties for individuals who operate or are engaged in organized crime. We must do everything we can to protect public safety, while vigorously prosecuting criminals who are engaged in these illegal activities.”
