What you need to know: In late 2023, California distributed over $267 million to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across the state to combat organized retail and property crime. In just the first six months of the grant cycles, local law enforcement agencies that received grants reported 6,900+ arrests for retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and cargo theft offenses.

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.” - 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. 

Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant 

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. During the first two quarters of the ORT Prevention grant program, local law enforcement recipients:

- Arrested a total of 6,922 suspects, including:

     -- 5,499 organized retail theft suspects

     -- 1,389 vehicle theft suspects

     -- 34 cargo theft suspects

Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Program 

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.

Taking down organized retail and property crime 

Agencies have reported the following highlights from the second quarter period of the grant cycle:

- The Bakersfield Police Department arrested 105 suspects through grant-funded blitz operations and applied grant funding to install and use mobile flock cameras and vehicle trackers.
- The Citrus Heights Police Department, along with the Sacramento Police Department, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Roseville Police Department, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in February 2024 used a grant-funded information center and technology to locate and arrest a suspect who had stolen more than $265,000 in products from JCPenney.
- In Santa Clara County, the grant helped fund the takedown and prosecution of a large operation involving the theft and resale of items stolen from TJ Maxx stores and other retailers in San Jose. Nearly half a million dollars in items were stolen and the Santa Clara County District Attorney charged the nine suspects with multiple felony counts.
- The Placer County District Attorney and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office used their funding to, among other things, create publicity campaigns warning the public that retail theft would not be tolerated in their communities.

Stronger enforcement. Serious penalties. Real consequences. 

This follows Governor Newsom’s recent signing of a robust and historic public safety package to strengthen California’s existing law enforcement tools and better protect Californians. 

California law provides existing robust tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to arrest and charge suspects involved in organized retail crime - including up to three years of jail time for organized retail theft. The state has the 10th toughest threshold nationally for prosecutors to charge suspects with a felony, $950. Forty other states - including Texas ($2,500), Alabama ($1,500), and Mississippi ($1,000) - require higher dollar amounts for suspects to be charged with a felony.

Local support to fight organized retail crime

Governor Newsom has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. Today’s action builds on the Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan – which focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets, including by deployment of California Highway Patrol to hot spots including Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco. 

Statewide efforts targeting organized retail crime 

Last year, the California Highway Patrol reported an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety. And since January 2024, CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is on track to surpass the work in 2023, making 884 arrests and recovering more than a quarter of a million stolen goods valued at over $7.2  million.