Governor Kathy Hochul Unveils Initiative to Combat Retail Theft in New York City

Retail theft has been on the rise, particularly in New York City, causing considerable economic losses to a sector that was already hit hard during the pandemic.

This Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted her initiative to address this crime and strengthen public safety. Her proposal, laid out in her ‘State of the State’ address, will use proven crime-fighting strategies that have been used to reduce violent crime and gun crime since the state executive took office in 2021.

“Public safety is my top priority and I will not rest until all New Yorkers feel safe on our streets, subways and in stores,” Hochul said after his daily meeting of the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership, a joint effort between federal, state and premises, in lower Manhattan.

“Over the past three years we have made incredible progress in reducing violent crime and combating the scourge of gun violence. Now, we are using those same strategies to address quality of life problems such as retail theft and property crimes,” added the state president.

The plan includes launching a Joint Retail Theft Operation with all levels of law enforcement. The team will coordinate a unified law enforcement response, modeled after the successful Interstate Task Force on Illegal Weapons. In addition, legislation is planned to introduce criminal penalties for online marketplaces and third-party sellers that promote the sale of stolen goods and increase criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers.

Of the $45 million allocated, $25.2 million will go to deploy a State Police team dedicated to building cases against organized retail theft rings and create a new State Police law enforcement unit dedicated to this purpose, $10 million will go to district attorneys to prosecute property crime cases and deploy dedicated retail theft teams to their offices.

The remaining $10 million will be divided equally, one to build the capacity of local law enforcement efforts to combat retail theft and another to create a Business Security Tax Credit to help business owners offset the costs of certain store security measures.

Commitment to public safety

Legislators positively valued the government plan and the governor’s commitment to public safety.

State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said retail workers and small businesses in New York are simply trying to make ends meet, and the governor’s plan to expand the state’s resources to fight retail theft really puts your financial well-being and security at the forefront.

“I am pleased that Governor Hochul is prioritizing a strong commitment to combating retail theft in New York State,” said the legislator. “In the Senate, I have advocated for legislation that elevates assault on a retail worker to a class D felony, because I understand how important it is to protect New Yorkers from violent crime.”

For his part, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said that in his district the increase in shoplifting is seriously harming retail businesses.

“I am glad that Governor Hochul is taking action to combat retail theft throughout New York State,” said Hoylman-Sigal, recalling that while there are penalties for possession of stolen property, there is no specific law in the state. of New York that targets those who sell these items online.

“Our legislation (S1644) would change that by criminalizing the promotion of the sale of stolen goods on the Internet. “This will force third-party sellers, such as Facebook and Amazon, to implement better safeguards to prevent these exchanges from occurring on their platforms, or face legal consequences,” the state senator specified.

Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon emphasized the fact that, although many may think otherwise, “retail theft is not a victimless crime. These brazen thieves threaten the safety of employees and law-abiding shoppers alike, worsen the quality of life and overall shopping experience for ordinary New Yorkers, and weaken our local economy. We applaud the Governor and her team for this series of proposed public safety initiatives and look forward to working with her administration to urge the legislature to make significant changes to our laws that allow authorities to hold public officials fully accountable. repeat offenders”.

2024-02-15 00:09:00
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