The New York State Police Retail Theft Task Force that was established in March 2024 to try to make a dent in thefts that have been hurting businesses has produced worthwhile results, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. She visited with small business owners in Brooklyn and delivered an update on task force operations.
Hochul reported there were 1,006 operations involving State Police and local law enforcement partners that resulted in 1,224 arrests for retail theft and the filing of 2,146 charges. Overall, there has been a 13.6% decrease in retail theft in New York City and a 13% decrease outside of New York City from January through June of this year as compared with the same period last year. About $2.6 million in stolen merchandise was recovered.
“I’m a big believer in small businesses, supporting the 70,000 retail businesses that we have across the great state of New York, but also protecting them, making sure that they know that we are on the front lines to make sure they have everything they need,” Hochul said. “Number one was putting money into the system. Number two was also making sure that we had grants to help small businesses that needed security funds to put in some cameras and other measures they can take to protect their merchandise. Number three, we had to change the laws to increase the penalties for anyone who assaults.”
At the request of Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal, Hochul’s office broke out results for task force operations in the Hudson Valley.
State Police Force F, which covers Green, Ulster, Orange, Sullivan, and Rockland, conducted 113 retail theft enforcement details with 98 people arrested and 133 charges filed. State Police Troop K, which covers Columbia, Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester conducted 119 retail theft enforcement details resulting in 63 people arrested and 94 charges
“It’s all about supporting the local mom and pop shops,” Hochul said. “It’s about making sure that they know that we’re protecting them. Nationwide you saw the brazen efforts by these organized retail theft rings that would just go into stores and sweep the shelves — fill up their bags and boxes and backpacks and jump into vehicles and go on and do it again and again. And this was having a paralyzing effect on our small businesses.”
Hochul said that by working with the State Legislature $40 million was allocated to help local district attorneys set up their own teams to address retail theft crimes in addition to the 100 or so State Police working on the problem.
“We never say mission accomplished,” Hochul said. “I want to put a spotlight on the fact that as we enter this holiday season, we want people to come out. We encourage people to shop in person as much as you can. We want to keep retail theft down, keep more money in the pockets of our business owners.”
