Shelby County D.A. Mulroy announces incentives to help fight retail crime

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - At the first of many bi-weekly press conferences, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy addressed one of his top priorities, reducing retail theft.

Smash and grabs from several stores and even churches in the Memphis area have all been victims of thefts that have left small business owners reeling from the losses, some even unable to rebuild their businesses.

“It seems like when people break in here they just get a slap on the wrist. They go in, and no matter what the charges are. They are left right back out in the street,” said Arturo Colunguq, Total Wireless District Manager.

This year there’s definitely been an increase in robberies for sure. Nearly 600 business burglaries have been reported to Memphis Police, up from over 180 from this time last year.

In a news conference Thursday, DA Mulroy announced a new partnership with MPD to target the influx of city-wide business burglaries.

“We are the voting resources in our office prosecutors to work in partnership with MPD to target these, that partnership will focus on organized retail theft,” said Shelby COunty District Attorney Steve Mulroy.

Among these resources would be a group of centralized prosecutors who could identify repeat suspects in the string of robberies.

But at the same time while the DA said its intent is to aggressively prosecute those repeat shoplifters.

Mulroy is also outsourcing his efforts with the National Associates of Prosecuting Attorneys to reduce retail theft.

“This will be a collaborative, proactive approach in establishing preventative measures, including diversion for those persons in order to reduce the repeat offender rate for retail theft,” said Mulroy.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said these things are still in the planning process but hopes to roll out the new initiatives sometime this summer.

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