BERLIN, Vt. (WCAX) – A push by Vermont’s lawmakers to stiffen the penalties for retail theft passed a key committee Friday. It comes as local police say they’re seeing a revolving door of repeat offenders hitting businesses.
“We’ll make contact with them, issue them a citation, and later on that afternoon they’re back at it,” said Berlin Police Chief James Pontbriand.
He says a majority of the retail theft calls come in from the big box stores like Walmart, Kohls, and other shops at the Berlin Mall. “I suspect that it’s the way it’s been for several years, that substance use is the driving factor, exchanging the merchandise for money and getting drugs or exchanging the merchandise directly for drugs,” Pontbriand said.
Last year the department reported more than 200 retail theft offenses, well above the five-year average of 115. Other data shows between 2018 and last year, 550 cases were charged as a misdemeanor.
“It seems in the last few years there’s less accountability in the justice system, for whatever reason that is. So, there’s really no motivation to stop, ” Pontbriand said.
Lawmakers at the Statehouse are working on legislation that would stiffen the penalties for retail theft, specifically for those with multiple offenses. H.534 was approved by the House Judiciary Committee with all but one representative voting yes.
“We have all heard that there’s a sense of unease among many people in Vermont. There’s a sense that people are less safe than they used to be,” said Rep. William Notte, D-Rutland.
Anyone caught stealing less than $900 in merchandise in Vermont can currently be charged with a misdemeanor. If there are multiple cases, the new measure would add up the amounts a person allegedly stole so that they could be charged with a felony. The bill also allows for the creation of a new work crew program, which the Department of Corrections ended last summer. Lawmakers say the crew will help to address a backlog in cases while keeping offenders out of jail.
“We still need these cases to move more quickly in court than they are right now and we need the resources to be able to do that. Because whatever we do with retail theft, if the cases aren’t moving in court, it’s not going to have the result that we want,” said Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington.
Chief Pontbriand says the additional tools will be helpful, however he believes offenders need to be held more accountable for their actions.
The full House is expected to vote on the changes in the coming days.
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