Hochul proposes expansion of resources to fight retail theft and property crime

Posted 14 February 2024 at 12:48 pm

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted her groundbreaking State of the State proposal to fight retail theft, as larceny offenses continue to rise, especially in New York City.

This initiative would utilize proven crime-fighting strategies that have been used to drive down violent crime and gun offenses since Governor Hochul took office in 2021.

“Public safety is my top priority, and I won’t rest until every New Yorker feels safe on our streets, subways and storefronts,” Governor Hochul said. “Over the past three years we’ve made incredible progress on driving down violent crime and fighting the scourge of gun violence. Now, we’re using those same strategies to take on the quality-of-life issues like retail theft and property crime.”

Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget includes a plan to fight retail theft and property crime, including by launching a Retail Theft Joint Operation with all levels of law enforcement. The Joint Operation would coordinate a unified law enforcement response, modeled on the successful Interstate Task Force On Illegal Guns.

The plan also includes:

Introducing legislation to establish criminal penalties for online marketplaces and third-party sellers that foster the sale of stolen goods and increase criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers.
Setting up a New York State Police Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit. The Executive Budget includes $25.2 million in new funding to deploy a dedicated State Police team to build cases against organized retail theft rings and create a new State Police enforcement unit dedicated to this purpose.
$10 million in funding for DAs to prosecute property crime cases and deploy dedicated Retail Theft Teams in District Attorney (DA) Offices.
$5 million in additional State funding to build the capacity of local law enforcement efforts to combat retail theft.
$5 million for a Commercial Security Tax Credit to help business owners offset the costs of certain store security measures.

President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Stuart Appelbaum said, “The safety of our members has never been more important. Retail workers face growing workplace issues they never imagined, and more importantly never signed up for. Ensuring the workers who help us provide for our families can go to work each day and return home exactly as they left is a basic requirement that cannot be overlooked. It has never been more important that we confront this issue head on and we applaud Governor Hochul for taking on this important issue.”