Boston Council Examines Retail Theft Surge at Small Business Hearing

BOSTON — October 17, 2025 — Boston City Council committee hears testimony on a 27 percent single-year surge in city shoplifting and calls for expanded resources for small businesses. Councilor Brian Worrell chaired Friday's hearing on Docket Number 1633, sponsored by Councilor Edward M. Flynn, with Councilor Erin J. Murphy also present. Boston Police Superintendent Paul McLaughlin described the Safe Shopping Initiative — a partnership with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and retailers launched in 2024 — as producing "significant successes" in holding repeat offenders accountable, aided by a dedicated BRIC crime analyst. Ryan Kearney of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts estimated statewide retail losses at between $1.5 billion and $2 billion annually and urged the legislature to allow aggregation of theft charges, noting Massachusetts's $1,200 felony threshold has become "a limit" that sophisticated shoplifters explicitly cite. Community advocate Randy Lathrop, a 40-year South End resident with two decades of retail experience, called for CDBG security grants and mentorship programs pairing large chains with small businesses, warning that without intervention "our businesses are going to have just basically a sea of fitness stores."