Collective Action to Protect our Stores

We are a coalition of 10,000 diverse small businesses from around New York City and New York State that have come together in an effort to address the lack of enforcement and accountability of the pervasive issue of retail theft, in particular, organized theft and repeat offenders which has negatively impacted our safety, our livelihoods and our communities.

WE DID IT!

“Retail workers—called essential during the pandemic—have been desperately asking Albany leaders for help, and we are glad they listened with a budget that will finally tackle retail theft in a real way. Store workers are often immigrants and people of color, and this budget will go a long way toward keeping them safe in their stores. No one should feel unsafe in stores, whether they are workers, customers, or owners. We would like to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her strong support throughout this process and for prioritizing retail theft. We would also like to thank Speaker Heastie and Leader Stewart-Cousins for helping get this agreement across the finish line, as well as all of our legislative champions.”

-Collective Action to Protect our Stores spokesman, Nelson Eusebio

We at CAPS are urging New York City and New York State leaders to take action to address the pervasive issue of retail theft that is negatively impacting our safety, our livelihoods, and our communities.

To achieve this goal, we recommend the following:

  • Create dedicated units and direct resources to expedite response times and increase communication and coordination between law enforcement and DAs to deter repeat offenders.

  • Call on prosecutors to use “harm on harm” to request bail to allows DAs and judges to request and set bail for repeat offenders who are facing charges in another case and are rearrested for causing another harm.

  • Pass the following bills:

    • S1644 / A1504 creates the offense of fostering the sale of stolen goods.

    • S4448 / A4121 raises a subsequent offense to grand larceny in the fourth degree.
      S5479 / A5260-A elevates an assault of a retail worker to the class D felony of assault in the second degree

  • Launch and run a public service announcement campaign against shoplifting and hold every level of the criminal justice system accountable for doing their part to tackle this issue.

We believe that New Yorkers deserve to feel safe when they shop, and it is up to us as a community to ensure that our stores and customers feel comfortable coming to work and entering our stores. As New York's political leaders, we look forward to working with you to make our communities safer and more prosperous.

WHY ARE WE TAKING ACTION?

The rise in larceny cases in New York City has hit independent supermarkets, bodegas, grocers, and mom & pop retail shops hard. Many of our members have been assaulted, terrorized, and had their physical and mental health jeopardized. This untenable situation is negatively impacting our safety, our livelihoods, and our communities. As a result, we have come together to form CAPS to address the lack of enforcement and accountability for organized theft and repeat offenders.

  • $300 million

    Local stores lost an estimated $300 million in revenue due to theft.

  • 22% Increase

    Robbery, burglary, and other crimes have increased more than 22%.

  • 63,000 Complaints

    Merchants have made approximately 63,000 complaints, most of which have gone unresolved.

In 2022, 327 offenders accounted for 30% of New York City's 22,000 retail theft arrests. Recidivists were arrested nearly 6,600 times, averaging about 20 times each. As a result, shoplifting is vastly underreported, and shopkeepers are putting themselves in harm's way to resolve altercations.

WE MUST TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR STORES AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.

RECENT NEWS

Fox 5 - NYC

NY lawmakers debate effectiveness of harsher penalties for retail crime in NYC

March 20th, 2024

Commercial Observer

Hochul Aims to Curb Organized Retail Theft With $40M in State Budget

May 1st, 2024

Spectrum News 1

Top New York State Democrats disagree over whether increased penalties deter crime

April 8th, 2024

Spectrum News 1

Governor Kathy Hochul celebrates retail theft policy win in state budget

April 14th, 2024

Spectrum News - NY1

Albany Officials and store owners sounding alarm over rise of retail theft in New York City

February 20th, 2024

ABC News

NY Gov. Hochul proposes dedicated task force in plan to combat series of retail thefts across NYC

February 14th, 2024

City & State New York

Kathy Hochul is not done talking about crime: Governor highlights her proposals to curb retail theft.

February 14th, 2024

AM New York

‘We’re coming after you,’ Hochul warns shoplifters while announcing $45M plan to combat retail theft in NY

February 14th, 2024

New York Post

Woke NY pol’s ‘worker safety’ bill could kill small business with costly mandates: critics

January 27th, 2024

New York Post

Bronx stores using WhatsApp and calling officers directly in new NYPD test to combat shoplifting — and they say it’s working

February 5th, 2024

Politico

Hochul State of the State: Democrats’ next crime fight: Retail theft

January 29th, 2024

Crain’s New York

The battle for Congress could curtail Albany ambitions in 2024

January 29th, 2024

New York Post

Gov. Hochul vows crackdown on shoplifting scourge as NY businesses plead for help

January 7th 2024

AM New York

State of the State: Hochul focuses on retail theft in annual address

January 9th, 2023

New York Post

We must protect New York’s essential retail workers from rising violent crime

March 2nd, 2023

City & State New York

OPINION: Albany must step up for essential retail workers

January 8, 2023