FOLEY Ala.
By Rick McCann
BlueRAMMedia.com
February 23, 2025
Crime is growing nationwide and right here along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Make no mistakes about it.
Crime is everywhere. Some are violent, some are often undetected, and some cost you money in ways that you may not even realize.
Property crimes such as burglaries, thefts, and shoplifting are growing at a fast pace along the Alabama Gulf Coast as they have elsewhere.
Shoplifting, often referred to as “petty theft” or “petty larceny” in many state statutes, refers to a theft of merchandise under a certain dollar amount such as $100 or $250.00. These charges generally are misdemeanors and often qualify for the offender to be issued a criminal citation with a court date and then released at the store.
In recent years, some states have raised those amounts to a much higher threshold upwards of $1000.00 before the theft can be considered a felony.
In Alabama, shoplifting is considered theft of property and is charged as a felony or misdemeanor, depending on the value of the stolen goods.
Alabama classified the thefts in levels of four degrees:
FOUTH DEGREE: property valued under $500 that is not taken from a person.
THIRD DEGREE For property valued between $500 and $1,500, or theft of a credit card or debit card. This is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and fines of up to $7,500.
SECOND DEGREE For property valued between $1,500 and $2,500. This is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $15,000.
FIRST DEGREE For property valued over $2,500, or theft directly from a person. This is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $30,000.
Shoplifting in any amount is still against the law in all states, however, each state has a right to set the threshold for “petty Thefts” “Misdemeanors” and “Felonies” dictating how a retail theft might be handled by law enforcement.
Shoplifting has occurred probably since the first shopkeeper opened the doors to their retail establishment, however, for the past twenty years, and more recently during the past eight years, retail theft has skyrocketed to the point of thieves blatantly entering a store and committing the thefts in the open with no fear of anyone stopping them and most times without any fear of criminal prosecution.
For more than a decade, some states have all but eliminated misdemeanor criminal charges for shoplifting or refuse to prosecute them.
Some local police departments have stopped responding to stores that try to report shoplifting unless force or a weapon was used during the theft, elevating the crime to a robbery, which is a felony in most situations.
There is a separation between shoplifting and Organized Retail Theft, also called ORC, although both are thefts.
Shoplifting is often done without premeditation, while organized retail crimes are planned, and orchestrated by a leader of a gang/group and are widespread.
Shoplifting is the concealment and taking of merchandise without paying for it by a person.
It could be as small as a pack of gum, or as large as an 85-inch TV.
Organized Retail Theft is exactly what it sounds like that it is. It’s “organized” and consists of multiple people who conspire to commit large thefts, usually at many retail locations.
Not because they’re hungry and they’re stealing some food but rather, because they are “gangs” who are engaged in an organized method of making money through illegal methods.
ORC thefts can involve two or twenty people. It can also involve dozens of people working in concert with each other in multiple states, regions, and even nationwide.
Their end goal is to steal fast-selling items such as baby formula, video games, laptops, and certain stylish and high-priced clothing, shoes, and handbags.
Some do it because they are drug addicts while most do it for fast cash without having to work for it.
Criminal groups plan and execute coordinated attacks on retailers attacking them in the open and overwhelming store employees with groups of 5,10, 25, and even as large as 50 people storming the store and snatching everything in sight.
Merchandise is then sold on the Internet through social media pages, online stores including Facebook, eBay, Craigslist, and even Amazon.
Others sell their stolen goods out in the open at local small convenience stores, discount stores, flea markets, and street vendors.
Recently, the California Highway Patrol, felony investigations unit, and area store security agents busted 117 people for organized retail theft and related offenses.
CHP and other local police during the past three years have elevated their investigations, and arrests working with store owners, loss prevention, and the community.
During the past eight years, stores have lost billions of dollars due to the increase in thefts, and they have had to close stores in high-crime areas. Some retailers have shut down completely and gone bankrupt because of the losses.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that ORC costs over $125 billion annually, including more than $68 billion from stolen goods.
As of 2025, estimates reveal that ORC costs federal and state governments nearly $15 billion in lost tax revenue, not including lost sales taxes. It is estimated that the average American family will pay more than $500 annually in additional costs due to the impact of ORC and those figures continue to climb.
Most shoplifting, or even ORC crimes don’t make the headlines locally, or nationwide. Like many crimes, they’ve become commonplace and don’t meet the “wow” factor that media headlines look for.
Retailers, small and large, nationwide and here along the Gulf Coast have added additional security measures, employee training, and security staffing and recent changes in the laws in some states have once again put more teeth into the punishment of organized retail thieves.
Nearby Florida has some of the strictest in the nation.
Police and sheriff departments have joined retail loss prevention agents and organized retail investigators, conducting large-scale joint retail theft investigations that have included both store thefts, and the many methods of selling the stolen goods.
Still, many retailers continue to have a hands-off approach on how employees should deal with shoplifting.
Most stores do not allow employees to stop suspected shoplifters for fear of lawsuits, or having an employee injured or even killed.
In Mobile County, police and the sheriff’s office are called almost daily to retail stores for thefts, including some that do turn violent.
Employees have been injured, stabbed, and threatened with firearms by shoplifters in both Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
These are just a few of the incidents that have been reported during recent years:
In 2017, thieves shoplifted more than $7000 worth of merchandise at the Tanger Mall in Foley.
In 2018, an armed man assaulted employees at the Tanger Mall in Foley.
In 2020, a heavily armed man who had several rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammo was arrested in an incident at the Bass Pro in Spanish Fort.
Police said that 38-year-old Robert Smith had 3 AR-15 style rifles, at least two pistols and police used a Taser to subdue him without any shots being fired.
In 2022, a store employee was stabbed in the neck during a shoplifting.
In 2023, a Walmart employee was also assaulted with a weapon by a shoplifter.
In 2023, another retail employee was physically assaulted stopping a shoplifter.
In 2024, Family Dollar employees at 2312 St. Stephens Road in mobile were physically attacked by shoplifters and injured.
In PART THREE, we’ll show you how retailers lose billions of dollars each year from those that they trust.
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