Brewer signs retail theft measure - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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years in prison. Sponsored by state Sen. Lind Gray, R-Glendale, the measure modifies existingv lawsfor shoplifting. Previously, Arizona had no penalties for thoser stealing merchandise for the purposs of reselling or tradingthe goods. Instead, penalties for shopliftingy varied from misdemeanors to typically dependent on the value of themerchandisee taken. This measure creates a separate category of organized retail thefy that includes groups of people working together for the purpose of stealing merchandise and then trading orreselling it, regardlesws of how much the items cost. “This was a deeply bipartisan consensus that was developedby Sen.
Gray and the governor sharerd a deep concern over this saidPaul Senseman, spokesman for Gov. Brewer. Thef rings have become of increasing concern to law enforcemenyand retailers, as criminals can steakl thousands of dollars in merchandisew at once. Stolen goods often are resold online or atflea markets, providing cash to pay for othee types of criminal activities, police say. Baby formula is commonlyt stolen and is often used as an ingredient tocut drugs. The measurw passed by a 55 to 0 vote in the Housr and a 27 to 0 vote in the Senate and will take effecty in90 days.