State Budget, Hochul Take Aim at Organized Retail Theft

A shot of At Home retail home goods store in Amherst, New York.Photo byPhoto by J.M. Lesinski

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced her new comprehensive approach to cracking down on organized retail theft, via initiatives included in the FY25 State Budget agreement. 

“I promised to fight the scourge of organized retail theft -- and in this budget, we got it done,” Hochul stated of the agreement. “Sophisticated organized retail theft operations are putting frontline retail workers at risk and reselling stolen goods on online marketplaces, and we're taking new steps to end this chaos.”

Initiative goals are aimed at putting more power in the hands of business owners, prosecutors, as well as law enforcement officials, while the FY25 State Budget simultaneously makes historic investments in the public safety sector.

“We will continue to leverage our law enforcement partnerships to further ongoing efforts to prevent thieves from targeting the hard-working citizens of New York,” remarked New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James of the initiatives. “The State Police is fully engaged on this issue and will not tolerate individuals responsible for stealing millions of dollars in merchandise, victimizing both retailers and the public. I thank Governor Hochul for her continued support, and the New York State Police stands ready to commit the resources necessary to ensure the success of this initiative.”

Hochul’s own five-point plan for fighting against organized retail theft was also a cornerstone feature of the FY25 State Budget. It goes as follows: 1) Bolstering criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker by elevating it from a misdemeanor to felony. Any person who causes physical injury to a retail worker performing their job will be subject to this new felony, 2) Allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file larceny charges. The Budget allows retail goods from different stores to be aggregated for the purposes of reaching a higher larceny threshold when stolen under the same criminal scheme, 3) Making it illegal to foster the sale of stolen goods to go after third-party sellers. A person will be found guilty if they use any website or physical location to sell stolen goods, 4) providing $40.2 million for dedicated Retail Theft Teams within State Police, District Attorneys’ offices and local law enforcement, including 100 New York State Police personnel dedicated to fighting organized retail theft, and 5) a $5 million tax credit to help small businesses invest in added security measures such as cameras. To help alleviate the burden on small businesses for additional security measures, the Budget creates a $3,000 tax credit for any small businesses that spends the threshold amount of money on retail theft prevention measures.

"New York City has made remarkable progress combatting violence in our communities, and I commend Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their leadership to stop retail theft and protect retail employees in this year’s State Budget,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez commented of the legislation. “This legislation marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to ensure safety and security for New Yorkers and the inclusion of funding to build on successful anti-theft programs, including our trespass affidavit program to stop repeat offenders, signals a robust commitment to tackling shoplifting head-on. Working together, we are making a clear statement: our communities and the hardworking individuals who serve them deserve to operate in environments free from lawlessness and fear."

More focus on retail theft comes after recent crime data showed a spike in related crimes from over the last six years (2017-2023), with larceny offenses up 51% and robberies, grand larceny, and petit larcenies up an estimated 86% in New York City during that period of time. 

“The retail industry strongly supports each budget provision related to organized retail crime and habitual retail theft in New York State, as we have prioritized many of these initiatives for years,” noted Retail Council of New York State President and CEO Melissa O’Connor of the initiatives. “I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for listening to the challenges facing stores and employees, and leading us to a point where we will soon have new laws to effectively prevent this illegal activity. Our work on store and community safety will not stop upon enactment of this year’s state budget. We will continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure a safe shopping environment for all New Yorkers.”