Business owners, consumers, and employees are facing unprecedented risks to their belongings and their safety because of shoplifting crimes affecting local California communities, with a law enacted by voters nearly a decade ago playing a key role, experts suggest.
Passed in 2014, Proposition 47 changed the threshold for felony theft, raising the bar from $400 to $950 per incident enabling thieves to steal just under the upper limit and risk only a misdemeanor.
The policy has had grave consequences, according to experts.
“After Prop 47 passed, we saw repeat offenders going into stores and constantly stealing,” Rachel Michelin—President and CEO of the California Retailers Association, which represents businesses across the state—told The Epoch Times. “Theft has increased because there are no consequences.”…