News/Commentary

NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ toothless plan to combat shoplifting panned: ‘These are not serious people’

May 21, 2023 | | Print Article

New York City Mayor Eric Adams rolled out his new initiative to crack down on shoplifting in the criminal-infested Big Apple this week but critics are already pointing out the obvious flaws with the program’s toothless approach to getting a handle on the plague of stealing that has cost retail businesses millions of dollars as emboldened thugs have helped themselves to merchandise.

Adams held a press conference on Wednesday along with the release of a report titled “Combatting Retail Theft In New York City” by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice which noted that such thievery has exploded by 77 percent over the five years ending in 2022 with Hizzoner pointing out that last year, a relatively small number of habitual pilferers were behind nearly one-third of all shoplifting incidents.

“Last year alone, 327 repeat offenders were responsible for 30 percent of the more than 22,000 retail thefts across our city,” said Hizzoner. “This hurt our businesses, our workers, our customers, and our city.”

Adams, a former police officer who ran on promises to clean up the city, was elected to replace notorious socialist Bill de Blasio at Gracie Mansion but has so far struggled to get the genie back into the bottle after it was released by his criminal-coddling predecessor who all but handed over the key to the city to miscreants and with his shoplifting plan featuring such dubious deterrents as no prosecution for first-time offenders who will instead receive a weak slap on the wrist with intervention programs, de-escalation training for retail employees and social services kiosks in retail establishments, skeptics ridiculed such tepid measures.

One prominent Twitter user posted a screenshot from a local media report from New York City’s Fox News affiliate with the plan for action listed in bullet point form, writing “These are not serious people.”

Other Twitter users were inclined to agree that Adams’ new plan leaves much to be desired and ridiculed the idea that handling the shoplifters with kid gloves will be an effective way to crack down on a problem that will likely only continue to grow with no serious consequences for the predators.

“The Dems’ latest answer to skyrocketing crime in cities is … self help kiosks for thieves??” Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) asked. “This is beyond parody.”

“These kiosks will be stolen first,” predicted GOP strategist Steve Guest.

Other thumbs-down reviews of the mayor’s office’s war on shoplifters.

“This plan will help us invest in diversion programs and in underlying factors leading to retail theft, work upstream to stop some of the factors leading to a crime before one takes place, trains retail workers in de-escalation tactics and security best practices, and takes numerous actions to increase necessary enforcement against repeat shoplifters and deter organized crime rings perpetrating these thefts. Most importantly, this plan aims to reassure our store owners that we know they are essential to our city, and we have their backs,” Mayor Adams said.

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Chris Donaldson
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