Schumer calls for investigation into organized retail thefts in Rochester
Senator Chuck Schumer was in the Rochester area Tuesday morning to address retail theft in New York.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Sen. Chuck Schumer was in Rochester on April 2 to address retail theft in New York. He was at the Victor Crossing Shopping Plaza in front of the Ulta store, an area that he says is on the frontlines of shoplifting—rebranded for 2024 as organized retail theft.
Schumer explained these crime rings get "bad actors" to break into businesses with duffel bags and shove products into the bags. In addition, some even break into cars to steal anything that could allow them to steal someone's identity and purchase thousands of dollars in products.
The Ontario County Sheriff's Office says the suspects in their county are residents that come from Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse. The Sheriff said that these are not just property crimes. "We're not talking about single shoplifters going into a store and grabbing an item or two, we're talking about criminal enterprises that have real hierarchy with basically pawns that come out to do this theft," said Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione.
Schumer said that these crime rings affect communities by raising prices and making it harder for customers to shop. To address the thefts, Schumer wants to increase enforcement to investigate and prosecute theft things and dealers on the black market. He said that all available measures under the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) should be used to bring these down.
"Congress passed RICO in 1970 and it was to help federal agents take down the Mob—the Mafia," said Schumer. "It was extremely effective by providing the feds with new tools to investigate and prosecute these crime rings. Those same principles can be applied here."
Schumer acknowledged that some retailers report seeing a spike in stolen items, saying that $7 million was stolen from four large Monroe County retailers in 2023. To that end, Schumer said he secured nearly $1 million for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office to combat emerging crime trends and fund the Regional Investigative Operation Center.