New York law will make assault on retail workers a felony

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Legislation that gives extra protection to retail workers in New York State is now law, state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) announced on Sunday.

At a press conference in Forest Superette and Bagels — surrounded by Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, members of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation — Scarcella-Spanton shared the news that her bill, recently included in the state budget, was signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“As we’ve been saying for quite some time now, no one should have to live in fear of being assaulted when they go to work,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “Especially our deli owners right here on Staten Island— who have non-traditional hours, who a lot of times work 24/7— and we’ve heard these reports time and time again. I’m really proud to get this done.”

McMahon, the district attorney, attributed a string of robberies and assaults on the island’s small businesses to a group of repeat offenders. While his office prosecuted cases of retail thefts and assaults, McMahon characterized success in these areas as “few and far between,” due to limitations previously placed by state law, and sought help from the state senator.

In addition to protecting retail workers, Scarcella-Spanton’s office also earmarked millions of dollars in the budget to allow the district attorney to form a dedicated retail crime prevention unit, McMahon said.

Read the full article here.