ALBANY (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a $45 million plan Tuesday to tackle retail theft in New York state, saying brazen crime rings pose a "real threat" to businesses and the vitality of communities.
Surrounded at the New York State Capitol by legislators and small business owners, Hochul said it was personal for her, as she once worked alongside her mother at their family's small business.
"As governor, I'm not going to stand by and watch brazen thieves wreak havoc in their shops, dismantle and destroy everything they've built," she said.
The plan is included in the governor's FY 2025 Executive Budget, which is due April 1 as negotiations among state lawmakers continue.
Hochul said her budget proposal includes $25 million to establish a retail theft team within the New York State Police known as the Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit. The team—made up of 100 new state positions—would build cases against organized retail theft rings.
Another $10 million would assist district attorneys prosecute property crime cases and deploy Retail Theft Teams in their offices.
Additionally, $5 million would be set aside to help local law enforcement combat retail theft, and another $5 million would go towards a tax credit to help small businesses pay for added security like guards and cameras.
The governor said she'll also push for legislation that would impose elevated penalties for assaulting retail workers, as is already the case with attacks on first responders. Additional legislation would establish criminal penalties for online marketplaces and third-party sellers that foster the sale of stolen goods, the governor said.
Alongside the governor, Nelson Eusebio, of the National Supermarket Association, said New York City saw a 64% increase in reported shoplifting incidents from 2019 to 2023—the largest increase in the country. "This is not a category we want to be number one in," he said.
Deborah Koenigsberger, who has owned Noir et Blanc vintage boutique in NoMad for 35 years, said shoplifters casually help themselves to merchandise and walk right out of her store.
"I have never, in all my years in retail, seen such brazen madness," Koenigsberger said.
Hochul said the surge in coordinated retail theft necessitates a statewide crackdown.
"They have lookouts, they have getaway cars, they have planned escape routes—it's like Bonnie and Clyde all over again," she said. "I mean these are very sophisticated. And they have access to fledgling illegal online marketplaces where they can quickly turn their ill-gotten gains into cash for themselves."
It's not just a matter of protecting business owners and workers, she said—the crimes take a psychological toll on the communities they serve.
"These incidents have become much more frequent, and as a result there's been a pervasive unease just seeping through our communities," Hochul said. "It's really unsettling when you walk into a store and see items you thought you could purchase easily locked up behind glass windows."