In her annual State of the State address on January 9, New York Governor Kathy Hochul offered several initiatives to help combat retail theft. In addressing overall crime and public safety, Hochul, a Democrat who is ineligible to run again for governor in November 2024, said she will propose a plan that she said will tackle property crime, provide relief to small businesses, and bring peace of mind to New Yorkers while they shop.
Across the state, property crime has risen exponentially since the pandemic. From January to June 2023, larceny in New York City was up 12 percent over the same period in 2022 and up 58 percent compared to the first six months of 2017. In the rest of the state, although 2 percent down from 2017, larceny has risen 3 percent year-over-year, trending upward. As a result, business owners and retail workers are facing increased stress and financial strain, and New Yorkers are concerned and frustrated when running simple errands at a local pharmacy, grocery store or retail shop.
Governor Hochul, who first took office in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned, and then won the 2022 gubernatorial race, unveiled a plan that 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;
*Launching the Retail Theft Joint Operation to coordinate through the state’s network of Crime Analysis Centers (CAC) the response of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, modeled on the successful intra-state task force on gun trafficking, but focused on combatting organized retail theft crime;
*Deploying a dedicated New York State Police team to build cases against organized retail theft rings;
*Setting up a New York State Police Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit;
*Expanding the work of the 11 CACs by providing a centralized intelligence gathering and evidence collection strategy across the state designed to receive intelligence from retailers victimized by organized crime theft. These data, intel and evidence would be collected by the CACs and shared with local law enforcement to enhance the investigation and prosecution of these crimes across state jurisdictions;
*Establishing a Commercial Security Tax Credit to help business owners offset the costs of certain store security measures;
*Providing funding for dedicated teams in district attorneys’ offices throughout the state focused on property crime, primarily organized retail theft;
* Funding for the district attorneys and new State Police units to allow for an increased use, enforcement and prosecution of trespass affidavits and other legal strategies to assist small businesses in combatting this retail theft;
In her 60-minute address, Hochul also introduced initiatives designed to prevent gun violence, reduce domestic violence and combat hate crimes.