ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The holiday shopping season kicks off on Friday, and along with it, the threat of retail crime. Albuquerque leaders said despite the threat, things have gotten easier to keep shoplifters behind bars. Mayor Tim Keller said retail crime has been one of the most problematic crime areas in the last two years. However, he said under a new law, things are starting to turn around. "This is actually the first month where we have seen, year over year, shoplifting cases go down in at least three years. So, a long ways to go. We know it's an all-time high, but for the first time, at least this month, we've turned the corner, and want that trend to continue,” said Keller. Albuquerque man sentenced for killing home intruder Legislators passed a law in 2023 that helps keep retail criminals behind bars. The big change? Thieves can now face a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor for repeat offenses, even if each theft is a small dollar amount. Since the new legislation went into action a year-and-a-half ago, APD said they've sent 61 of these felony cases to the DA's office. Some of the most recent offenders are facing as many as five or more years in prison. "I want to thank Representative Matthews for everything she did to get that important piece of legislation forward. Because if not, we'd be looking at catch and release an individual being booked on a shoplifting or given a ticket, maybe getting a warrant later and being released credit time served. And we're actually getting real results because of this legislation," said Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. Medina also credits APD’s Telephone Reporting Unit, which makes it easier for the public to call the police when they catch shoplifters in the act. Emphasizing the importance of community-police collaboration. “You know, at times we've faced criticism because the fact that we were forcing a lot of people to report crimes over telephone report unit. It was something new. It was something that hadn't been done in the past. But I'm happy to say that our detectives are reporting that it's working extremely well,” said Medina. Starting Black Friday, Chief Medina said there will be an increase in patrols in major shopping areas like Uptown, Coronado Center, Cottonwood Mall, and Winrock. He said officers in uniform and in plain clothes will be on the lookout for thieves and to keep shoppers safe. Police say they will also be using technology like shot spotter, license plate readers, and facial recognition to help make arrests.