County DA Earmarks $4M to Fight Organized Retail Theft

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price

So-called smash-and-grab theft at retailers across the Bay Area and resulting store closures have put pressure on Alameda County law officials to step up.

Last Thursday, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced the creation of an Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Team and a total of $4 million to help.

In September, the DA’s office announced it received a $2 million grant from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) program to fund a new prosecution unit to address the growing issue of coordinated stash-and-grab incidents. Those grants were awarded to the Fremont and Newark Police Departments.

On Thursday, Price committed an additional $2 million for the project with funds from her Consumer Justice Bureau to help prevent retail theft in the rest of the county. The funding is poised to also aid local law enforcement in cracking down on other types of property crime related to organized retail theft — including vehicle and catalytic converter theft.

“Essentially, we want to choke off the demand that is driving a lot of what we see in our communities,” Price said at a media event.

The team will consist of two Deputy District Attorneys, two Inspectors, and multiple crime and data specialists who are expected to work together to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft cases from start to finish.

“Our goal is to dismantle, disrupt, and deter this type of criminality from occurring and, where appropriate, to divert those who are engaging in this type of criminality,” said Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Brian Varghese.

Price was flanked by Police Departments, representatives from various local Chambers of Commerce, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Association, the Bay Area Council, representatives from the cannabis industry, and retailers such as Whole Foods. Target, for example, announced it was closing three stores in September, including San Francisco, Pittsburg, and Oakland, because of an overwhelming number of smash-and-grab thefts.

“If the District Attorney’s new Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Team can provide some relief, I welcome the initiative,” Oakland City Councilwoman Carroll Fife said. “We must also keep in mind that these initiatives only work as one part of a much larger strategy that resources both small businesses and their patrons, so they are not struggling to meet their basic needs, which includes affordable commercial rents, low-interest business financing, robust infrastructure and city services and violence prevention services that support at-risk communities.”

Alameda County has had a difficult time stopping coordinated smash-and-grab thefts because the commercial shoplifting valued at less than $950 during business hours was a misdemeanor crime and underreported, according to a report last month by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Since the passage of Proposition 47 (2014) and the return from COVID restrictions, Alameda County reported the third largest increase in shoplifting rates in 2022 (more than 250 reported incidents, a 10 percent increase over 2019), putting them behind San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

DA Price’s new team is expected to try and connect the dots sooner, cooperate with police and sheriff resources, focus on the investigation, and specifically prosecute organized retail theft crimes.