Congressman Lawler Offers Sound Solution for Ending $4B in Retail Theft in NYS

by Mindy Cohn

Following Governor Kathy Hochul's declared war against shoplifters in her 2024 State of State address yesterday, Congressman Mike Lawler offers the logical solution that should be obvious to anyone with an honest intent to stop shoplifting.

"If you want to stop shoplifting," Lawler states on X, "here's a novel concept: prosecute criminals and implement jail time. $4 billion in retail theft last year with no end in sight."

The sound logic was posted this morning in response to the governor stating the obvious regarding the fact that shoplifting has gotten so bad that many products in stores are kept under lock and key. Yet, her solutions do nothing to get to the root of the problem. 

While Hochul's big reveal yesterday of how she is going to combat escalating retail theft includes additional penalties for offenders who assault retail workers, there is no mention of the simple solution Lawler brought up after hearing all of the governor's empty slogans. That included yesterday's firm declaration during her 2024 State of the State, where she declared emphatically, "I say, 'No More!' The chaos must stop!." 

This total disinterest on the part of Hochul in actually working to stem the rising tide of shoplifting, is nothing new as was reported by Rockland Daily here.

Other empty initiatives that will do nothing to address the fact that catch-and-go practices do nothing at all to hinder the explosion in crime that is driving honest businesses into the ground include -

• Providing a tax credit to help store owners cover security costs and the financial loss resulting from shoplifting.
• Forming a new joint state, local, and federal retail theft operation.
• Expanding the work of Crime Analysis Centers, which collect evidence from retailers victimized by organized crime.
• Nothing was mentioned about tougher penalties. All of the many new initiatives are simply bandaids for the gaping wounds shoplifting is wreaking across the state. 

Yet the governor admits that the problem is this bad: "Across our nation and state, retail theft has surged, creating fear among the customers and workers. Thieves brazenly tear items off the shelves and menace employees. Owners go broke replacing broken windows and stolen goods, driving many out of business. These attacks are …. a breakdown of the social order." 

And, as this is the case, the question put forth by others besides Congressman Lawler is when the governor will do something of substance that will actually begin to mend that breakdown in the fabric of normal society.