New York retailers are blasting Gov. Kathy Hochul after losing a whopping $4.4 billion last year to theft, as the Democrat governor vetoes measures to tackle the issue.
Hochul vetoed a proposal last week that would have created a 15-member task force of appointed experts to tackle organized retail crime, to the “chagrin” of store owners, the New York Post reported.
“Retailers throughout the state are extremely disappointed to learn that Governor Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have established the New York State Organized Retail Crime Task Force,” the Retail Council of New York State said in a statement on November 20.
“Stores that invest in New York communities lose $4.4 billion to retail theft, and this illegal activity certainly has community safety implications.”
Council president and CEO Melissa O’Connor said she spoke with Hochul “at length” to discuss the “need for immediate action and an effective, collaborative response to this problem,” but reported that her administration has disappointed store owners throughout the state with her inaction.
A spokesperson for Hochul excused the veto by saying that the task force would have cost the state $35 million that was not in the budget, the Post noted.
New York City has seen major increases in retail theft, with a 64 percent surge in reported incidents over the four-year period between mid-2019 and June of this year, according to a Council on Criminal Justice report.
While the Big Apple faces the brunt of crime, smaller cities throughout the state have also seen tremendous losses from organized retail theft, officials say.
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Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said last month that his town has seen a 55 percent spike in shoplifting since 2021, noting that the figure is a conservative estimate due to under-reporting.
“That number is likely higher because businesses often don’t report it—but they do continue to express concerns,” Cecile told CNY Central.
The chief warned that small businesses are “having trouble sustaining themselves” amid the crime surge.
One local pharmacy chain has been suffering losses of over a quarter million dollars per year alone, he told the outlet.
In the state capital, Albany, police have fielded 23 calls for larcenies at a single convenience store this year, up from 14 at this time in 2022.
Not surprisingly, the owner eventually had to shut down the location.
“Retail theft at convenience stores throughout the state is not as organized as at some other retailers but is as dangerous and impactful,” Kent Sopris, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, told the Post.
“My members have reported theft that leaves stores in shambles as criminals seek cigarettes, lottery tickets, and anything they can get their hands on.”