ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Governor Kathy Hochul is cracking down on organized retail theft in New York State.
"Owners go broke replacing broken windows and stolen goods driving many out of business," she said, "I say no more the chaos must end."
The governor said retail theft has grown exponentially since the pandemic and that larceny has risen 3% year over year and continues to trend upward.
"These attacks are nothing more than a breakdown of social order," she added.
In the governor's recent State of the State address, she introduced several initiatives to keep businesses safe and provide peace of mind to customers.
"I'm also proposing to help those business owners with a tax credit to help them cover the additional security costs," she said.
Also on her list:
- Introducing legislation to establish criminal penalties for online marketplaces and third-party sellers that foster the sale of stolen goods and increase criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers;
- Launching the Retail Theft Joint Operation to coordinate through our network of Crime Analysis Centers the response of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, modeled on the successful intra-state task force on gun trafficking, but focused on combatting organized retail theft crime;
- Deploying a dedicated New York State Police team to build cases against organized retail theft rings;
- Setting up a New York State Police Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit.
- Expanding the work of the 11 Crime Analysis Centers (CACs) by providing a centralized intelligence gathering and evidence collection strategy across the State designed to receive intelligence from retailers victimized by organized crime theft. These data, intel and evidence would be collected by the CACs and shared with local law enforcement to enhance the investigation and prosecution of these crimes across state jurisdictions;
- Establishing a Commercial Security Tax Credit to help business owners offset the costs of certain store security measures;
- Providing funding for dedicated teams in District Attorneys’ offices throughout the State focused on property crime, primarily organized retail theft;
- Funding for the DAs and new SP units to allow for an increased use, enforcement and prosecution of Trespass Affidavits and other legal strategies to assist small businesses in combatting this retail theft
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said Hochul's plan helps as his office will be able to work on small-scale and large-scale crimes with state police.
"A lot of times the ringleaders of these operations are using people who are addicted to drugs to do the actual stealing and so they're feeding them with drugs as a payment," Flynn said.
This crackdown would help businesses like Vidler's in East Aurora. We met with co-owner Don Vidler last month. His business isn't immune to thefts but in the meantime, they're taking steps to minimize losses.
"[We] probably have more cameras than people realize," Vidler said. "Our employees are good."
