New Law Makes Retail Theft and Assault a Felony In New York State

By FrumNews.com 

Albany, NY — A new law included in the New York State Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 makes retail theft more likely to be charged with a crime. According to the governor’s office, the new approach “targets every area of vulnerability” and “puts more power in the hands of law enforcement, prosecutors and business owners.”

The new protections include increased criminal penalties for assaulting a retail worker, elevating it from a misdemeanor to a felony. The budget also allows prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file larceny charges. Retail goods from different stores can be aggregated to reach a higher larceny threshold when stolen under the same criminal scheme.

The budget includes $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. As well as another $5 million tax credit to help small business owners invest in added security measures.

According to the governor’s office, the focus on organized retail theft comes as crime data shows a significant spike in these crimes over the past six years. Larceny offenses in New York City have spiked by 51 percent between 2017 and 2023. Robberies, grand larceny and petit larceny in New York City are up by 86 percent during that same time period.

“I promised the retail workers and our small business owners that I would protect them – and we are doing just that,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “Here in New York, we are standing up to organized retail theft, backing our businesses and their workers with the full force of the law, and restoring that sense of security and peace of mind so they can focus on what they do best.”

“We’re bolstering criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker. It won’t just be a misdemeanor anymore. You think it’s okay to walk in and assault a retail worker? You’ll be charged with a felony. There are serious consequences to this. Serious consequences. And that was important to me. And others thought we couldn’t get it done, that it wasn’t possible, and yet we did. And again, I congratulate everyone in the Legislature and our leaders for helping us get to where we are today.” Hochul added.