Douglas County pauses retail-theft ordinance to gather stakeholder input

At the Jan. 13 Douglas County Board meeting commissioners voted to continue the second and final reading of a proposed retail-theft ordinance so staff could gather additional input from retailers, the district attorney and law-enforcement partners. The draft ordinance would require businesses in the county’s unincorporated areas to report suspected retail theft within 96 hours and to preserve related evidence; failure to report within that window could trigger an escalating fine structure under the draft language, including a $50-per-day penalty up to a cap.

The board’s decision pauses implementation while County Attorney staff, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and retail representatives weigh in on language and enforcement mechanics. Commissioners emphasized the need to narrow the ordinance so it targets organized retail theft rather than low-level incidents that may involve employee error, misunderstanding or minor customer disputes. Commissioners also instructed staff to solicit feedback from major retailers, loss-prevention groups and the Colorado Retail Council before scheduling a final vote.

For businesses in unincorporated Douglas County, the proposed reporting and evidence-preservation rules would create a new compliance obligation. Retailers say timely reporting can aid investigations, but the 96-hour window and potential per-day fines raise practical questions about staffing, training and recordkeeping for smaller stores. Law enforcement and the district attorney’s office will also face operational considerations if the ordinance expands the volume of formally reported incidents that require follow-up or prosecution.

Public comment on the ordinance remains open through the county’s retail-theft ordinance page, and staff will continue stakeholder outreach in the coming weeks. The board will reschedule the second reading after revisions are drafted and feedback is collected. The pause gives the County Attorney’s office time to refine definitions of organized theft, clarify exceptions for inadvertent or low-level conduct, and outline how enforcement and penalties would be applied in practice.

The proposal sits at the intersection of public safety, business operations and prosecutorial discretion. If revised rules proceed, store managers in unincorporated areas should prepare for new reporting timelines and evidence-retention practices; the Sheriff’s Office and the district attorney will need to establish protocols for triage and prosecution priorities. Douglas County residents and business owners who want to influence the ordinance can submit comments through the county’s online portal while staff collects stakeholder input. The board’s next steps will determine whether the ordinance becomes a tool focused on organized retail networks or a broader mandate affecting day-to-day store operations.