New York, NY – On June 17, 2024, the NYC ALTO team attended the quarterly New York City Retail Theft Task Force meeting held by the mayor’s office. Established by the mayor to address retail theft, this task force offers a crucial platform for community engagement between public and private entities. The meeting provided crucial updates on the city’s ongoing efforts to combat retail crime, featuring insights from a diverse range of stakeholders.
NYC Retail Theft Task Force updates: stakeholder efforts highlight legislative changes, analytics, collaboration and camera integrations program
The meeting, which included participation from Chief Michael Lipetri of NYPD; David Johnson, VP of Asset Protection & Retail Operations at National Retail Federation (NRF); and Lt. Michael Ricupero of the NYPD Detective Bureau Real Time Crime Center, addressed recent legislative changes to protect retail workers, such as:
- A new felony classification for assault.
- A new crime category for selling stolen goods online.
- Aggregation of theft charges to pursue grand larceny.
Additionally, NYC small businesses with fewer than 50 employees can now benefit from a $3,000 tax credit for implementing security measures.
Retail crime in New York City has been an ongoing issue after COVID-19. Chief Lipetri reported a 21% rise in shoplifting complaints year-to-date, with 1,065 repeat offenders (three or more crimes) accounting for 41% of cases. He also highlighted that retail theft has surged by 100% since 2019. To enhance public transparency, retail theft has been added to the CompStat sheet, an online crime data platform developed by the NYPD. Additionally, the Detective Analytics Crime Linking Initiative aims to improve crime linking and investigation.
During the meeting, David Johnson, VP of Asset Protection & Retail Operations at National Retail Federation (NRF), provided updates on their retail security efforts, with emphasis on collaboration with the NYC Retail Theft Task Force. Meanwhile, Lt. Michael Ricupero of the NYPD Detective Bureau Real Time Crime Center discussed the FUSUS Camera Integrations Program, which merges private security systems with the NYPD while maintaining confidentiality and restricting access exclusively to the NYPD.
On the retail side, Doug Horstings, ORC and Special Investigations Manager at Rite-Aid, shared best practices and challenges similar to those faced by ALTO’s retail partners, particularly the frequent absence of police reports which are vital for addressing retail crime offenses.
Dean Takacs, founder of Detective Analytics, showcased their platform’s ability to identify repeat criminal groups through comprehensive data analysis. It connects crimes across retailers, simplifies data collection, and enhances shared criminal data with minimal setup from the NYPD, enabling larger investigations and faster information sharing integrating retail and public crime data to allow the NYPD to cross-reference and investigate more effectively.
“The event was fantastic and will enable us to engage with key stakeholders and enhance our processes in NYC,” said Jimmie Hernandez, Senior Advisor at ALTO and retired NYPD lieutenant.
Previously, on May 15, 2024, also in collaboration with the NYPD and key stakeholders, ALTO held its second annual Alliance meeting in Manhattan to boost awareness and foster collaborative efforts on retail safety in NYC. Read about the event here.
The last mile of retail asset protection
By collaborating with retail store teams and analyzing incident data, ALTO teams advocate for consequences for those who compromise retail safety. This approach allows both in-store and corporate teams to focus on their core business functions, assured that ALTO is safeguarding their assets and delivering desired results.
