San Francisco receives more than $17 million in state funds to fight organized retail theft
SAN FRANCISCO -- Officials in San Francisco on Thursday confirmed that the city has received $17.3 million in grant funding from the state to help local law enforcement fight rampant organized retail theft.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced on Tuesday that hundreds of millions of dollars would be distributed to multiple cities and counties following a recent vote by legislators. The announcement said $267 million would be spread across 55 cities and counties, with funds allocated to several law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area.
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The State of California's Organized Retail Theft Grant Program, administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, is providing the funds. A press release issued by Mayor London Breed's office said the San Francisco Police Department has been awarded $15.3 from the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program, while the San Francisco District Attorney's Office is being awarded $2 million from the California Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Grant Program.
"This is critical support to help us expand on our efforts to tackle retail theft," the mayor said in the release. "Retail theft hurts both small and large businesses, and it's dangerous and threatening for workers and residents. I want to thank Governor Newsom for investing not just in San Francisco, but in jurisdictions across the entire state. Retail theft does not start and stop at any one city's borders and it's critical that our law enforcement agencies have the support to not only protect San Francisco, but to work with other jurisdictions to disrupt these theft rings."
"This money will significantly help the SFPD take on organized retail theft," said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. "I want to thank Governor Newsom for making this issue a priority. Our officers will now have more resources to arrest people who victimize our city's businesses. We will also be expanding our efforts to dismantle the fencing operations that sell these stolen items."
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Officials said the grant is critical to the short-staffed SFPD's mission, funding more personnel and covering overtime costs for operations that will put more officers in the community. The grant will also fund crime analysts, to help law enforcement fight crime aggressively and strategically.
The cost of essential equipment and vehicles aimed at curbing organized retail theft and catalytic converter theft, including Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) to aid officers in identifying vehicles used in the crimes, will also be funded by the grant.
The SFPD plans to host a symposium where law enforcement, politicians, business owners, and community stakeholders can work collaboratively to ensure we are making the progress that we need to make in addressing organized retail theft.
The District Attorney's Office will use this grant to fund a full time dedicated Assistant District Attorney and a full-time dedicated District Attorney Investigator to prosecute retail theft crimes in San Francisco. The release noted that retail theft offenders will be evaluated early in the prosecution process so that appropriate outcomes can be sought, ranging from diversion programs for first-time offenders, to drug or mental health treatment options where appropriate, to incarceration where needed to protect public safety.
"The overall goal of the program will be to reduce recidivism and hold offenders accountable for their actions," the release said.
The grants will provide funding for dedicated personnel in the SFPD and the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for the next three years. The Organized Retail Theft Grant program is a competitive grant program open to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Grant funds are slated to be disbursed on October 1, 2023.
