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Lawmakers Monday expressed outrage over the shoplifting crisis that is killing local businesses.
“It is absolutely ridiculous that 30% of shoplifting arrests in 2022 will be made up of a small percentage of professional criminals,” said City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), referring to a startling statistic the NYPD revealed last week. citing a total of 327 professional offenders who were caught. About 6,600 times.
“We cannot have this crime revolving door in our state. It’s time to brush off New York City’s successful 90s tactics that actually worked to reduce crime.”
Rep. Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), chairman of the Small Business Commission, also planned a joint hearing with the Public Safety Commission because of the “urgent need for a solution to address this problem.” I said yes.
On Sunday, The Post exclusively reported that a new coalition of grocers is demanding that the state’s controversial 2019 bail reform law be overturned, calling it a “repeated thief offender,” prosecutors said. Officials are calling for a new law that would allow cases to be combined to bring felony charges against a series of shoplifters. Theft instead of multiple misdemeanors.
The Joint Action Group to Protect Our Stores is also calling for retail workers to be subject to the same laws that make assaulting police officers, MTA workers, and paint drivers a felony.
State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ort (R-Lockport) said he was “very confident” that his GOP meeting would “absolutely” support the CAPS proposal and possibly additional proposals.
But “maybe we can invent new fusion power cells sooner than that by getting our colleagues to commit new crimes,” he said.
Congressional Minority Leader Will Barkley (R-Fulton) also said business owners were “understandably fed up and need to change things.
“The attacks and damage shopkeepers are undergoing are a direct result of Democrats turning a blind eye to crime,” Barclay said. “The increased penalties for repeat offenders have expired and Albany should move forward with something soon.”
Congressman Innes Dickens (D-Harlem) has described himself as an “Albanian maverick” among Democrats when it comes to rolling back bail reform.
“We need common sense reasoning. We need some changes,” she said.
“I went to the fish store the other day and someone came in and stole the biggest fish and left. I thought it was terrible.”
Dickens added: These crimes are taking place in communities of color… Our small business owners — Black-owned, Brown-owned, Asian-owned — are struggling to survive. ”
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been accused of being vulnerable to crime, said “the increase in shoplifting we’re seeing across the city post-COVID is unacceptable,” and Bragg’s office said it was “doing harm for harm.” It said it uses a provision known as “add”. Seek bail for serial shoplifters on a case-by-case basis.
Bragg’s office didn’t say how many times the rule was actually invoked, but the Washington Post reported last month that former con man Wilfred Ocasio was arrested in connection with 27 new thefts from Manhattan pharmacies. It has been made clear that this rule applies to
The move comes after Bragg’s office previously said it had pursued only two of nearly 20 other lawsuits against Ocasio.
Queens County Attorney Melinda Katz also said, “I have and will continue to effectively use the harm-for-harm doctrine to track down the most frequent offenders.” A spokesman for Brooklyn prosecutor Eric Gonzalez said prosecutors were “already doing it because it’s relevant.” serial thief. ”
A spokesperson for Bronx DA Darcel Clark said prosecutors were “seeking bail for a retail theft repeat offender,” and said the DA’s Office of Crime Strategies had identified “the top 57 repeat offenders.” Case.
Staten Island DA’s Michael McMahon said: They deserve our full support as they survive in the lawless sea. ”
Meanwhile, Albany County DA David Soares, far from the bustling Big Apple, said he had seen “similar trends related to theft in our jurisdiction,” adding that the case could be slapped so shoplifters could be slapped with a felony. supported the “consolidation” of
“I support all measures that allow prosecutors to do their jobs more effectively,” Soares said. “Repeated theft not only harms business, but it also harms defendants who may be in need of intervention and treatment if the vicious cycle cannot be stopped.”
House Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) sidestepped the Post’s question about the reform proposal on Monday, saying, “I think we have to realize that justice really comes down to the disposition of the case.”
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins (D-Yonkers) declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochol referred to comments she made last week.
“My state is going to be very thorough with public safety in the next few days. [address]’” Ho-chul told reporters on Friday.
The speech is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:00 pm.
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