Senator Andre Jacque’s bill aimed at targeting retail theft has taken its next step toward becoming law.
Senate Bill 92, authored by the New Franken legislator, looks to allow a prosecutor to aggregate the value of property stolen or received within a six-month period, codifying the 2019 Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision in State v. Lopez.
Additionally, the bill, as amended, would allow prosecutors to consolidate multiple offenses committed into a single filing and would enable felony charges for those with prior misdemeanor convictions.
According to a 2024 National Retail Federation report, retailers have experienced a 93% increase in shoplifting incidents per year, and a 90% increase in dollar loss to shoplifting.
Many of those involve repeat offenders, frequently involving organized groups, and are more violent than in the past.
Sen. Jacque noted, “Modern thieves can choose to strategically move from store to store in an attempt to evade punishment. By combining multiple crimes into a larger charge, we can hold accountable thieves attempting to take advantage of Wisconsin law.” The bill passed a Senate Committee vote and now heads before the full Senate.
