The five-finger discount is in retreat.
Shoplifting is down 13% in the Big Apple and across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul crowed Wednesday – taking yet another victory lap for her retail theft crackdown ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Hochul touted her administration’s efforts, including a $40 million statewide task force, in tackling the post-COVID-19 pandemic shoplifting surge that caused big box stores to start locking up goods.
“We’re going to keep the money coming and make sure our businesses can thrive, especially as we enter the holiday season,” she said during an event in Brooklyn, heralding the task force’s work as a boon for mom and pop shops.
NYPD data shows the city has seen 46,736 retail theft incidents so far this year, compared to 54,081 during the same span last year, for a 13.5% decline.
Hochul’s happy holiday hooplah over the shoplifting drop was nearly identical to her summer celebration of a 12% year-over-year decline in retail theft cases.
Both times, the governor claimed the declines were thanks to the state police-led task force waging war on retail theft.
The group has 100 dedicated officers coordinating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as district attorneys, Hochul, who is running for re-election next year, said Wednesday.
The pandemic-era surge in shoplifting ravaged stores statewide, including in New York City — leading to $4.4 billion in losses during 2022 alone.
Hochul’s push to crack down on shoplifting via the task force was eventually enshrined the state budget, as were several other initiatives aimed at addressing retail theft.
The task force has made 1,224 arrests and recovered more than $2.6 million in stolen goods since it was created in April, according to the governor’s office.
Hochul’s office didn’t provide details on how many shoplifting arrests in New York City were tied to the task force.
“It had gone up literally 68% since the pandemic,” Hochul said about retail theft. “Now, look how it has dropped in just one year because of our efforts.”
Other measures in the state budget included new laws making it easier to go after recidivist shoplifters and third-party sellers of stolen goods, as well as upgrading the assault of a retail worker to a felony from a misdemeanor and $5 million in tax credits for small businesses to boost security measures.
— Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
