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“These groups come in, they come in fast and hard. They
intimidate and they're getting more violent in their
approaches,” Karr told The Center Square.
According to the Auror retail crime intelligence platform, one
in eight retail crimes now involve firearms, blades or physical
threats.
Karr said retail theft is not a victimless crime.
“We're all victims when items are stolen because that sales tax
money is not collected on those items, and that sales tax money
then isn't present to fund the services that we all rely upon,”
Karr said.
According to the Auror data, the top ten percent of retail crime
offenders were responsible for more than 63% of reported
incidents in Illinois stores last year.
Illinois retailers lose an estimated $2 billion per year to
theft.
According to the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association,
Illinois is one of the top three targeted states in the country
for cargo theft.
Karr said Illinois is a major transportation hub.
“It attracts us thieves because so much cargo runs through
Illinois. We have the nation's largest inland port. We have all
six Class One railroads that run through Illinois, particularly
through the Chicago area. We're a major hub for interstate,”
Karr said.
Karr said it’s important for county state’s attorneys to focus
on retail and cargo theft.
“Rank and file police officers take their cue from what the
county prosecutor is going to take seriously and pursue,” Karr
said.
Karr said the change in the Cook County State's Attorney's
Office was helpful after Eileen O’Neill Burke was elected to
lead the office in 2024, replacing Kim Foxx. Karr also applauded
the efforts of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Illinois
Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
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