OLYMPIA, Wash. — Over the past year, KING 5 has reported extensively on smash-and-grabs in Western Washington. While dispensaries and vape shops are the primary targets, gun shops, convenience stores, and other small businesses have also been caught up in this ongoing problem, fueled in part by a social media trend. Now, two state senators want the legislature to address this issue.
Sen. Karen Keiser is proposing a grant program that would help small businesses bolster security at their stores. Sen. Keiser said the money could be used for things like bollards, security cameras, or anything else that could deter would-be burglars from crashing into a business.
"Just a straight grant to small businesses, small storefronts not limited to cannabis dispensaries. Convenience stores, sports cards or whatever else seems to be a target," she said. "They're [bollards] not that expensive. We should be able to help small businesses who can't afford that kind of expense."
Sen. Keiser's plan would be part of the budget. While an amount has not been set, she speculated the range could be between $500-$1,000 per small business.
Sen. Jim McCune is proposing a new law that would increase penalties for people who use a car to cause damage or get inside a store to commit a crime.
Prosecutors could charge someone with Robbery 1 or 2 and then have the option to ask for additional time added on to the sentence.
McCune said he spoke with representatives from a pot shop that had been hit three times in the last month. Joshua Estes, a spokesperson for The Kushery retail chain, said the business lost $100,000 in product and building damages across three stores that were hit in the last month.
"Hopefully, this will put a little wrinkle in what's going on but sometimes, even if you pass a bill, it takes a long time to catch up," McCune said.
However, Estes said the grant doesn't go far enough.
"Our concern is that while a small business grant is a nice gesture, it does not even come close to addressing the more pressing need of deterring these actions altogether and provides no relief to stores like ours that have to recover from these burglaries," Estes said in a statement.
McCune's bill has been referred to the Law and Justice Committee.