On Thursday, April 18, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new five-point plan in the latest 2025 fiscal year budget to combat retail theft rings and strengthen protection for frontline retail staff. The aim is to enhance the powers of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and business owners to collectively address this issue.
Hochul emphasized that retail theft rings not only threaten the safety of retail staff but also lead to the circulation of stolen goods in online markets. She stated that the measures added in this budget are intended to put an end to this chaos. According to statistics, retail theft crimes in New York City have sharply risen over the past six years. In light of this, the Governor unveiled the following five-point plan.
1. Strengthen criminal penalties for any assault on retail staff, elevating it from a misdemeanor to a felony. Individuals causing physical harm to retail workers in the line of duty will face new felony charges.
2. Allow prosecutors to aggregate the value of stolen goods when charging theft offenses. The 2025 fiscal year budget allows stolen retail items from different stores to be combined, making it easier to establish criminal liability for the suspects, provided that these items were stolen as part of the same criminal scheme.
3. Prohibit the sale of stolen goods, cracking down on third-party sellers of stolen merchandise. Anyone selling stolen goods through websites or physical locations will be deemed guilty.
4. Allocate $40.2 million to combat organized retail theft by establishing specialized retail theft teams, including state police, district attorney offices, and local law enforcement agencies, with 100 dedicated New York State Police officers involved in this effort.
5. Provide $5 million in tax credits to assist small businesses in investing in increased security measures, such as installing cameras to enhance the safety of both businesses and customers. To alleviate the burden on small businesses in implementing security measures, the budget creates a $3,000 tax credit for small businesses that meet the threshold for investment in retail theft prevention measures.
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James expressed his support, stating, “We will continue to utilize law enforcement partnerships to work towards preventing thieves from targeting hard-working New York City residents. With the continued support of Governor Hochul, the state police force is fully prepared for comprehensive deployment to ensure the success of these measures.”