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Committee hears Organized Retail Theft Act as prosecutors and retailers press for cross-jurisdiction tools
Summary
Delegate Toles told the House Judiciary Committee that HB 179 — the Organized Retail Theft Act — is needed to let prosecutors join thefts committed in multiple Maryland jurisdictions when they are part of an organized scheme.
Delegate Toles introduced HB 179, the Organized Retail Theft Act of 2025, telling the House Judiciary Committee that retail theft is costing Maryland retailers hundreds of millions of dollars and that new law is needed to let prosecutors treat repeat, coordinated theft across jurisdictions as part of an organized scheme.
“Organized retail theft needs to be a priority this year,” Delegate Toles said. “Stores across the Maryland are locking up items on basic household items. This is unacceptable.”
Retail and law-enforcement witnesses detailed the scale and character of the problem. Kayleigh Locklear of the Maryland Retailers Alliance said 37 states have enacted organized-retail-crime laws and argued Maryland needs similar tools to aggregate…
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