(The Center Square) — New data suggests progress in the state’s efforts to stop organized retail theft, which shows incidents of shoplifting are down in New York City and statewide.
The latest data from the NYPD, celebrated by Gov. Kathy Hochul, demonstrates that after a post-pandemic spike, retail theft has declined by more than 12% in New York City, and an estimated 5% statewide out of the state.
Hochul attributed the improvement to a series of reforms to crack down on organized thievery.
“Retail theft and quality-of-life crimes impact more than just the businesses who experience them — they impact entire neighborhoods,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement. “That is why I dedicated tremendous resources last year to fight the scourge of organized retail crime.”
Hochul pledged to address retail theft in her State of the State address to lawmakers last year, citing increased property crime levels since the pandemic.
Over the past year, Hochul and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature have agreed to toughen criminal penalties for certain kinds of retail theft and devote $40 million to the state budget to create specialized teams within the state police and district attorneys’ offices to investigate and prosecute retail theft. The state also created a $3,000 tax credit for small businesses that spend money on retail theft prevention measures.
The Retail Worker Safety Act, signed by Hochul last September, requires Walmart, Target and other major retailers with more than 500 employees nationwide to install panic buttons in their stores or provide employees with mobile-phone-activated or wearable alert systems. That requirement was opposed by retailers who said the costly security upgrades will be ineffective in stopping violence and theft.
Hochul was also criticized for vetoing a bill two years ago to create a 15-member crime task force to review the state’s current laws and provide recommendations to help prevent retail theft, enhance consumer protections and address the economic impact of retail theft.
Nationally, organized retail crime is estimated to cost retailers an estimated $111 billion a year, according to the 2023 Retail Security Survey. Retailers reported a 26.5% increase in organized retail crime incidents from 2021 to 2022. At least eight in ten retailers reported that violence and aggression associated with organized retail crime increased in 2021, the report’s authors said.
Last year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams rolled out a plan to address retail theft by allowing businesses to share video surveillance with the New York Police Department in real-time through closed-circuit television.
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jessica Walker said feedback from NYC storefront business owners suggests that New York “has turned a corner on bringing down crime and addressing retail theft.”
“There is more work to do but we are thankful that Governor Hochul’s legislative policies on retail theft and discovery reform appear to be working as we had hoped,” she said.
The Retail Council of New York also welcomed the data showing a decline in retail theft, calling the result of “strong and consistent collaboration among retailers, law enforcement, prosecutors, community groups and Gov. Hochul.”
“Organized retail crime and habitual retail theft is more than just a financial loss for retailers investing in the state, it is a community safety issue that needs to be managed accordingly,” Council President Melissa O’Connor said.
