Following Crack Down on Organized Retail Theft, Governor Hochul Announces Reduction in Retail Theft in New York City

Following Post-Pandemic Spike, Retail Theft Has Declined More Than 12% Year Over Year in New York City, Down 5% Outside New York City

Governor Committed Over $40 Million for Dedicated Retail Theft Teams; Deployed Additional 100 State Police Personnel to Combat Retail Theft

Bolstered Criminal Penalties, Amended Larceny Charges To Hold Serial Perpetrators Accountable, and Made it Illegal to Foster the Sale of Stolen Goods

Governor’s Record Investments in Public Safety Have Resulted in Reductions in Shootings, Murders, Robberies in New York City and Across the State

Governor Kathy Hochul today was in Harlem to speak with local business leaders to highlight the state’s progress in combatting organized retail theft in New York City and across the state.

Following a spike in organized retail theft in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Hochul announced new measures to crack down on these crimes that included over $40 million to support targeted law enforcement initiatives, stronger laws to hold perpetrators accountable, and new protections for frontline retail workers. Today, New Yorkers are seeing results from this comprehensive approach with retail theft declining more than 12 percent year over year — a decrease of nearly 5,000 instances — in New York City and 5 percent across the rest of the state.

"Retail theft and quality-of-life crimes impact more than just the businesses who experience them — they impact entire neighborhoods. That is why I dedicated tremendous resources last year to fight the scourge of organized retail crime,” Governor Hochul said. “While today’s numbers represent significant progress in the fight against retail theft, we will not back down. I remain committed to supporting our businesses and their workers to restore a sense of security and peace of mind for shoppers and store owners alike.”

Crime data shows a significant spike in retail theft crimes immediately following the pandemic in 2022 as business operations began returning to normal. To combat this spike, as part of the FY2025 State Budget, Governor Hochul signed into law initiatives to deter crime and protect businesses. These included:

• 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.
• Allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file larceny charges and allowing retail goods from different stores to be aggregated for the purposes of reaching a higher larceny threshold when stolen under the same criminal scheme.
• 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.
• $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.
• $5 million allocated to help alleviate the burden on small businesses for additional security measures. Funding provides a $3,000 tax credit for any small businesses who spend the threshold amount of money on retail theft prevention measures.

Following Governor Hochul’s recent investments, New York State is now on track to see retail theft crimes drop to pre-peak levels. Additionally, New York City has seen a more than four percent reduction in index crime and an 11 percent drop in felony robberies. Shootings in New York City are down nearly 20 percent while murders are down 21 percent.

Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “Whether an individual is a business owner, retail worker or customer, everyone deserves to have safe retail experiences in New York. Businesses are the backbone of New York and need the proper resources and attention to continue thriving. Investments in additional law enforcement, tax credits for small businesses and changes in criminal penalties, have shown to be an effective way of reducing retail theft throughout the State while increasing protections for retail workers. By cracking down on this issue, Governor Hochul is putting the safety of New Yorkers as a top priority, ensuring success for us all.”

A positive trend in retail crime reduction follows a successful operation to uncover a sprawling, multi-year, international operation that saw upwards of $2 million in retail goods stolen by organized crews. The case, announced in late 2024 by Governor Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and investigated by the Retail Theft Teams within the State Police, included the first-ever charges under New York’s strengthened retail theft laws.

In addition to cracking down on organized retail theft, Governor Hochul continues to invest in broader public safety initiatives to keep New Yorkers safe, committing nearly $3 billion to public safety efforts to date.