Governor Kathy Hochul put New York’s shoplifters “on notice” Wednesday: “We’re coming after you… We’ve had enough.”
Amid a spike in retail theft around New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 14 proposed $45 million in new spending to crack down on shoplifting.
From 2017 to 2023, reported incidents of shoplifting have risen by an eye-popping 50% in the Big Apple, which comes despite rates of many other crimes falling. Last year alone, police arrested around 25,000 shoplifters across the five boroughs, though the city saw approximately 64,000 stores get looted during that time, according to police data.