Establishing civil penalties for theft of a bicycle or motor vehicle.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing civil penalties for theft of a bicycle or motor vehicle.

Currently, New York State law contains several criminal penalties for the theft of a motor vehicle or bicycle under statutes prohibiting larceny and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The proposed bill would institute a civil penalty for any individual convicted under the Penal Law for larceny of a bicycle or motor vehicle, or the unauthorized use of a vehicle. For theft of a bicycle, the amount of the penalty would be between $500-$1,000 per bicycle, and for theft of a motor vehicle, the amount of the penalty would be between $5,000-$7,500 per vehicle. These penalties would be recoverable at the Environmental Control Board, and would be an addition to or as an alternative to any criminal penalties authorized by law. The civil penalty would also not limit any cause of action available to an individual or entity aggrieved by the acts applicable to this section.