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.

READ OUR FULL OPEN LETTER

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