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SACRAMENTO – California’s largest-ever single investment to combat organized retail crime is paying off. Law enforcement agencies across the state that received Organized Retail Theft grants have made 6,922 arrests and invested in new technology and programs to improve public safety in their communities. The $267 million state investment — a signature part of Governor Newsom’s Real Public Safety Plan — was distributed to agencies in 55 cities and counties in October 2023 to crack down on organized retail crime.
“California is funding the police and reaping results: With the state’s $267 million investment, law enforcement agencies report more than 6,900 arrests in just six months to crack down on thieves targeting our communities. We will keep working together to advance the successful tools and strategies that have continued to reduce California’s crime rates from the record highs of the last century. I thank our law enforcement partners for their ongoing work to address retail theft in their communities,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) recently published the results of the second quarter of the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant and the Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Grant Program. The grants, which are awarded to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout California, fund efforts to hold retail and property thieves accountable.
The Organized Retail Theft Prevention (ORT Prevention) Grant is a competitive grant for city police departments, county sheriffs’ departments, and probation departments to help crack down on organized retail, motor vehicle, and property theft. California has invested more than $242 million through the grant program, providing funding to 31 city police departments and seven sheriff’s offices to assist with operations, equipment and technology, and partnerships.
The Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Program provides district attorneys with resources to dismantle complex criminal enterprises involving organized retail theft. Nearly $24.8 million was distributed to 13 district attorneys’ offices. During the first two quarters of the grant program, prosecutors charged a total of 1,112 organized criminal enterprise suspects for organized retail theft crimes.