154% More Shoplifters Charged with Felony After New State Prosecutor Reduces Threshold for Shoplifting from $1,000 to $300

It’s just this easy.

More shoplifters are being charged with felony shoplifting under the new Chicago Cook County State’s Attorney, Retired Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke, than her predecessor Kim Foxx.

Rtd. Justice O’Neill Burke, a Democrat, was Cook County’s assistant state’s attorney. She had also worked as a criminal defense attorney, a judge, and an Appellate Court of Cook County justice.

During her campaign, O’Neill Burke promised to reduce the threshold for felony shoplifting from $1,000 to $300. She warned that shoplifters could “clear out several aisles at Walgreens” before hitting the $1,000 threshold, adding that the policy was pushing businesses out of the city.

“The ramification of this policy is that retail stores have closed all over the city because of theft.”

The outgoing state attorney had reportedly directed prosecutors to withhold felony charges when the amount shoplifted was less than $1,000 or the suspect had less than ten or more previous convictions.

Similarly, O’Neill Burke’s primary challenger, retired prosecutor Clayton Harris, opposed the proposed change of rules, arguing that an incoming State Attorney should not unilaterally change the laws they do not like.

She also argued that people charged with retail shoplifting should not have a permanent record for stealing items worth a few hundred dollars, allowing them to attend school and put their lives in order. “If you’re charged with retail theft, and you don’t have a background, you can go to theft school. It does not permanently stain your record.”

According to CBW Chicago, 3,264 retail thefts were filed in the city under Foxx between January 1 and November 30, with only 11% qualifying as felonies. In November alone, 333 cases were filed, of which 13% were felony shoplifting. 

Between December 3 and December 22, after O’Neill Burke took office, the City of Chicago recorded 248 shopliftings, of which 69, or 28%, were felonies. Under O’Neill Burke’s new administration, the number of shoplifting incidents recorded as felonies increased by 154% compared to the preceding 11-month period and 115% compared to November.

Nonetheless, the idea of having a threshold on the value of stolen items or the number of crimes that people can commit before catching a felony charge is absurd. It only assures culprits that they will not face any serious consequences for their actions until they hit the threshold, thus encouraging the vice.

Meanwhile, it is too early to tell whether O’Neill Burke’s policy change has had any effect on shoplifting, and many shoplifters may not be aware of the new changes. However, stiffer shoplifting laws suggest they could discourage opportunistic shoplifters, afraid of catching felony charges. 

For example, Orange County, California, recently imposed stricter penalties, much to the dismay of shoplifters, who only recently learned they would be charged with felony shoplifting.

“B—h, new laws. Stealing is a felony,” one alleged shoplifter said when caught. 

“This is Orange County, b—h. They don’t play.”

Proposition 36, which was supported by 70% of voters, reverses a 2014 law that only allowed felony shoplifting charges if suspects stole more than $950.