Hochul Unveils $45 Million Plan to Tackle Retail Theft Amid 50% Spike in NYC

By Hamodia Staff

As New York City faces a steadily rising tide of retail theft, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday a $45 million program to address the issue.

“Public safety is my top priority, and I won’t rest until every New Yorker feels safe on our streets, subways and storefronts,” Hochul said during the 600th daily meeting of the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership conference. “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.”

Hochul said that she will adopt tactics used by the interstate task force on illegal guns, which began in 2021, to go after shop thieves.

The Governors plan includes the forming of a Retail Theft Joint Operation with the cooperation of all all levels of law enforcement, and will include a special task force to deal with “smash and grab” crimes, where thieves break the glass behind merchandise and abscond with their loot, as well as increasing criminal penalties for people who assault retail workers.

Another element of the program is an effort to go after “boosters” – criminals who sell stolen merchandise, especially online.