Hochul announces progress in fighting retail theft rings

New York is making big progress in the fight against retail theft rings, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Hochul visited New York State Police Troop G headquarters in Latham on Monday to update progress in the fight against crime.

She announced gun seizures are up by 160% across the state.

She also talked about tackling gun violence in Albany, Schenectady and Troy. Those cities take part in the state’s gun involved violence elimination initiative.

The next focus now is a specialized theft unit within the New York State Police, said Hochul. She is setting aside $45 million for this effort.

“In the meantime, I’m putting these retail theft rings on notice. You see how we go after the illegal gun traffickers. You saw how we went after the car thieves. Well, guess what? You’re next,” said Hochul. “As I said all along, I’ll give all the state police every tool they need to protect New Yorkers.”

Car thefts are down in Albany County by 25%, said Hochul, who added her administration’s auto-theft reduction strategy is working.