Felony thresholds shield Canal Street

New York’s value‑based felony thresholds (e.g., $1,000 and $100,000) make proving street‑level counterfeiting as felonies difficult, so prosecutors routinely downgrade or dismiss cases; combined with high ACD and dismissal rates and constraints from civilian‑complaint policing rules, that creates a de facto tolerated market that returns hours or days after each NYPD sweep. The article documents 908 counterfeiting arrests in two precincts in 2025, 92% booked as felonies but only two felony arraignments across Manhattan, and very high ACD rates (68% for counterfeiting) that explain enforcement failure. — It reveals how legal design (value thresholds) plus prosecutorial and civilian‑oversight incentives can neutralize street policing and sustain open illegal markets, with implications for public safety, commercial property rights, immigration enforcement, and prosecutorial reform.