Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma hopes that HB 2435 will crack down on the increase in organized retail crime in Arizona.At a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol, Toma, a Republican who is sponsoring the bill, emphasized “getting tough” and holding criminals accountable.The legislation, which is headed to the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, sets up harsher sentencing for repeat offenders. In the three sentencing tiers, prison terms would range from three months to 12.5 years in the lowest tier to 2.5 to 35 years in the highest tier.Organized retail crime refers to individuals and groups stealing merchandise or engaging in fraud as part of a larger criminal enterprise, according to the Arizona Organized Retail Crime Association. The organization aims to share information among law enforcement and businesses.A spike in the number of retail crimes has bu …
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