Shoplifting in Colorado at a 10-year high; What’s the solution?
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A new study from the Common Sense Institute of Colorado says shoplifting in the state is at a 10-year high.
"When it comes to shoplifting in the state of Colorado, this is a crime that pays. And people are proving that," said Mitch Morrissey, and he knows about crime. Morrissey formerly served as a Colorado District Attorney from 2005 to 2017.
Morrissey believes that harsher penalties for thieves would make the shoplifting reports go down. Morrissey says Colorado's $2,000 threshold for a felony theft is one of the highest in the country, and even when it does hit that threshold, it's a class six felony. That means 18 months is the absolute max.
Voters will have a chance to fix that at the ballot.
Initiative #155 asks voters to make:
"A change to the Colorado Revised Statutes modifying existing law to impose stricter penalties for certain theft offenses, and, in connection therewith, increasing criminal classifications and sentences, including imposing mandatory minimum sentences, for theft offenses including misdemeanor and felony theft, unauthorized use of vehicles, motor vehicle theft, and conspiracy."
A different way of discipline
Of all the 27,094 shoplifting reports in Colorado, none came from The Hause.
"We wanted to create a space for people just to lounge," said Chelsea Drew, the Founder of The Hause. If you ask her, she'll say The Hause is more than just a vintage clothing store in the Chapel Hills Mall. She wants it to be a family-friendly community space.
But that vibe isn't enough to deter shoplifters. "Being that we're in the mall, you know, it tends to happen a lot," Drew said.
"We're within our rights to call the police, but we don't want to give young people a bad start for a mistake that they may have made, but also stand firm on what we believe in," Drew said. So she got creative.
Drew began posting pictures of shoplifters on their social media, calling them out. She said that at first, it actually led to positive conversations beyond law enforcement. In one example, the shoplifter even came back to return the item and provided a handwritten apology letter.
"Teachers, people from their schools reaching out as being able to make contact with their parents and thus being able to resolve the issue outside of law enforcement," Drew said. Then, parents' complaints forced them to stop. The store has now updated its policies and made changes to the store, but that policy change hasn't been to report incidents to law enforcement.
Drew says they've been in business for six years, and recently they've seen shoplifting incidents go down.
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