Organized Retail Theft Grants
Initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom and strongly supported by the Legislature, the Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Grant Program represents California’s commitment to addressing organized retail theft. The program consists of two grants: Prevention and Vertical Prosecution.
The ORT Prevention Grant was established by the Budget Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 154) and was awarded through a competitive grant process. The grant supports city police departments, county sheriffs’ departments, and probation departments in preventing and responding to organized retail theft, motor vehicle or accessory theft, or cargo theft. It allows public safety agencies to implement strategies like surveillance technology, community education, and collaboration between law enforcement and retailers, fostering a unified effort to enhance public safety and effectively address organized retail crime statewide.
The ORT Vertical Prosecution Grant was established through Assembly Bill 178 and was also awarded through a competitive grant process for district attorneys to address increased levels of theft-related property crimes using a vertical prosecution model. The model allows for a streamlined approach that ensures prosecutors manage cases comprehensively (i.e., from arraignment to sentencing), providing continuity for victims and law enforcement.
ORT Prevention Quarterly Status Updates
Grantees submit quarterly status updates to the BSCC. These reports summarize information submitted by all 38 grantees.
ORT Prevention 4th Quarter Status Report (Jul - Sep 2024)
ORT Prevention 3rd Quarter Status Report (Apr - Jun 2024)
ORT Grantees Initial Progress Survey
On January 2, 2024, the BSCC sent a survey to all ORT Prevention and ORT Vertical Prosecution grantees. The survey asked grantees to identify their planned activities, share highlights related to the progress in implementing their project, and describe any challenges encountered. Key takeaways and findings from the ORT Prevention grantees are summarized below. Findings from Vertical Prosecution grantees are summarized on the ORT Vertical Prosecution page. Initial Progress Survey Results - Printable
ORT Prevention Survey Findings
Response Rate:
For the ORT Prevention grant, 100% (38 of 38 grantees, listed below) responded to the survey.
Key Takeaways for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program:
- The majority of grantees have initiated the procurement process for purchasing and installing surveillance, investigative, and/or tracking equipment and technology; some purchases have been completed.
- The majority of grantees plan on conducting ORT operations (e.g., blitz, task force, bait cars, etc.). Some have already implemented such operations resulting in over 900 arrests.
- All the grantees who plan on entering into agreements, contracts, or memoranda of understanding (MOU) with retailers and/or other partner organizations have established communication with some of their planned partners, with some grantees starting the contracting/MOU process.
- Grantee challenges have primarily been related to delays in implementation as a result of local policy and procedures, such as the procurement process or obtaining approval from city council/board approval for accepting the grant funds.
Technology and Equipment
98% of grantees (n= 37) plan on purchasing and installing surveillance, investigative, and/or tracking equipment and technology. Of these 37 grantees*:
- 78% have initiated the procurement process for new equipment and technology.
- 41% have completed the purchase of new equipment and technology.
- 20% have installed new equipment.
ORT Operations
75% of grantees (n = 29) plan on conducting ORT operations (e.g., real-time crime centers, patrol, task force, blitz, sting, fence, bait car, catalytic converter etching, etc.). Of these 29 grantees:
- 42% of grantees have conducted blitz and/or enforcement operations (over 40 operations were conducted by these agencies).
- 7% of grantees have conducted bait car operations.
- 17% of agencies reported making arrests because of these ORT operations (at least 900 arrests were made across these agencies).
Hiring New Staff
68% of grantees (n = 26) plan on hiring new staff. Of these grantees, 76% (n = 19) have initiated the hiring process for new staff for the following positions*:
- police officers and/or detectives (48%).
- support staff (46%).
Establishing Partnerships
40% of grantees (n = 15) plan on entering into agreements, contracts, or memoranda of understanding with retailers and/or other partner organizations. Of these 15 grantees*:
- 100% of grantees have initiated contracting/MOU processes with partners.
- 47% of grantees report collaborating with retailers.
New versus Existing Efforts
- 78% of grantees (n = 30) plan on implementing new ORT efforts.
- 63% of grantees (n = 24) plan on expanding or augmenting their existing ORT efforts.
- 55% of grantees (n = 21) plan to fund overtime operations.
- 43% of grantees (n = 16) plan other activities including community outreach, crime prevention, and networking/partnership development.
- 15% of grantees (n = 6) have scheduled or completed new training.
- 11% of grantees (n = 4) are in the process of developing/building Real Time Information Centers.
Contract and Procurement Process
37% of grantees (n = 14) noted challenges related to the local contract and procurement process. This included:
- increases in costs from when they originally received quotes.
- lengthy local procurement procedures.
Staffing and Hiring
32% of grantees (n = 12) noted challenges related to staffing and hiring. This included:
- time it took to complete a background check.
- finding qualified staff to fill the positions.
- changes in current staff (e.g., retirements, medical leave).
Governing Board Approval
24% of grantees (n = 9) noted the amount of time it took to receive local approval for accepting the grant funds from their city council/board of supervisors. This included:
- lengthy local approval process.
- addressing privacy concerns related to the planned technology purchases posed by the city council/board of supervisors.
Program Evaluation
13% of grantees (n = 5) reported having challenges contracting with an evaluator.
Grants Administration
13% of grantees (n = 5) noted challenges related to grant administration, due to:
- being new to grant administration.
- being new to administering a grant of this size/scope.
- All of these grantees also noted that BSCC staff and/or the BSCC Grant Administration Guide have been extremely helpful in this process.
ORT Prevention Grantees
At the September 14, 2023 BSCC Board Meeting, 31 City Police Departments and 7 Sheriff’s Offices were awarded in total $242,250,000 in ORT Prevention Grant Funding. The grant cycle for these projects is October 1, 2023 through June 1, 2027.
Recognizing that applicants have different capacities, resources, and needs, there were two (2) categories within which applicants competed. The maximum an applicant could apply for in the Medium Scope of Work category was $6,125,000. The maximum an applicant could apply for in the Large Scope of Work category was $15,650,000. Multi-agency partnerships (Medium Scope of Work or Large Scope of Work) could apply for up to the maximum grant award in that Scope of Work category multiplied by the number of partnering applicants listed in the proposal.
ORT Prevention Grantees: (in alphabetical order)
| ORT Prevention Grantees | County Location | Scope of Work | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Police Department | Orange | Medium | $6,104,863 |
| Bakersfield Police Department | Kern | Large | $6,203,009 |
| Beverly Hills Police Department | Los Angeles | Medium | $4,534,580 |
| Brea Police Department | Orange | Medium | $5,941,357 |
| Campbell Police Department* | Santa Clara | Medium | $400,562 |
| Chula Vista Police Department | San Diego | Medium | $3,037,986 |
| Citrus Heights Police Department | Sacramento | Medium | $2,752,138 |
| Coalinga Police Department | Fresno | Medium | $1,745,015 |
| Costa Mesa Police Department | Orange | Medium | $3,518,133 |
| Daly City Police Department ^ | San Mateo | Medium | $8,033,830 |
| Delano Police Department | Kern | Medium | $633,761 |
| Fremont Police Department | Alameda | Medium | $2,453,958 |
| Fresno Police Department ^ | Fresno | Large | $23,663,194 |
| Garden Grove Police Department | Orange | Medium | $1,302,231 |
| Hemet Police Department | Riverside | Medium | $2,500,065 |
| Irvine Police Department | Orange | Medium | $5,403,369 |
| Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office | Los Angeles | Large | $15,650,000 |
| Los Angeles Police Department | Los Angeles | Large | $15,650,000 |
| Modesto Police Department | Stanislaus | Medium | $6,003,419 |
| National City Police Department | San Diego | Medium | $935,100 |
| Newark Police Department | Alameda | Medium | $986,444 |
| Orange County Sheriff’s Office | Orange | Large | $15,127,350 |
| Palm Springs Police Department | Riverside | Medium | $4,559,233 |
| Palo Alto Police Department | Santa Clara | Medium | $5,176,812 |
| Riverside County Sheriff’s Office- Jurupa Valley Station | Riverside | Medium | $2,219,710 |
| Roseville Police Department | Placer | Medium | $609,147 |
| Sacramento Sheriff's Office | Sacramento | Large | $9,424,987 |
| Salinas Police Department | Monterey | Medium | $3,573,307 |
| San Fernando Police Department | Los Angeles | Medium | $494,964 |
| San Francisco Police Department | San Francisco | Large | $15,326,301 |
| San Jose Police Department | Santa Clara | Large | $8,489,349 |
| San Mateo County Sheriff's Office ^ | San Mateo | Large | $15,643,538 |
| San Ramon Police Department | Contra Costa | Medium | $5,616,613 |
| Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office | Santa Clara | Large | $11,767,578 |
| Santa Monica Police Department | Los Angeles | Medium | $6,125,000 |
| Santa Rosa Police Department | Sonoma | Medium | $560,653 |
| Vacaville Police Department | Solano | Medium | $4,432,444 |
| Ventura County Sheriff’s Office | Ventura | Large | $15,650,000 |
| Total Awarded: | $242,250,000 | ||
* Partial award
^ Multi-agency partnerships - partner agencies listed below
Multiple-Agency Partnerships
| Lead Agency | Partner Agencies |
|---|---|
| Daly City Police Department | 1. San Bruno Police Department 2. San Mateo Police Department |
| Fresno Police Department | 1. Clovis Police Department 2. Fresno County Probation Department 3. Fresno County District Attorney's Office |
| San Mateo County Sheriff's Office | 1. Atherton Police Department 2. Belmont Police Department 3. Broadmoor Police Department 4. Burlingame Police Department 5. Colma Police Department 6. East Palo Alto Police Department 7. Foster City Police Department 8. Menlo Park Police Department 9. Northern California Regional Intelligence Center Fusion Center (NCRIC) 10. Pacifica Police Department 11. Redwood City Police Department 12. San Mateo County Vehicle Theft Task Force (VTTF) 13. South San Francisco Police Department |
Orientation Virtual Binder
Orientation Agenda ORTP Orientation Day 1 Section 1: Welcome and Grant Overviews Presentation Section 2: Administrative Overviews Presentation Section 3: Program Responsibilities Presentation- 3.1 UPDATED July 2024 - Comprehensive Monitoring Visit (CMV) Tool with Instructions
3.1 Comprehensive Monitoring Visit (CMV) Tool
- 5.1 Evaluation Resources
- 5.2 Data Collection Tips
- 5.3 Evaluator Roles
- 5.4 Local Evaluation Plan
- 5.5 Final Local Evaluation Report
ORT Prevention LEP Webinar
- ORT Prevention LEP Webinar PowerPoint Slides - January 24, 2024
- ORT Prevention LEP Question Template
- ORT Prevention LEP LER Guidelines-Draft
- Race and Ethnicity Form
- AB1998-FINAL
- Evaluator Roles
- Data Collection Tips
- Evaluation Resources
- ORT Prevention LEP Webinar Recording
ORT Prevention Quarterly Progress and Baseline Reporting
ORT Prevention Grant Applications Submitted by Friday, July 7, 2023 at 5:00p.m. PST
Per Senate Bill 154, “the Board of State and Community Corrections shall post to its public website all applications received.” Click on the applicants below to read their proposals.
Archive
The BSCC released the ORT Prevention Grant Program RFP on April 14, 2023 with a proposal submittal due date of July 7, 2023. The RFP made available $242,250,000 through a competitive process for projects that addressed the Program Purpose Areas: Organized Retail Theft, Motor Vehicle or Motor Vehicle Accessory Theft, and/or Cargo Theft.
Bidders' Conference / FAQs
The BSCC held a virtual Bidders’ Conference on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 10:00 AM for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program. The Bidders’ Conference provided an opportunity to answer technical questions from prospective bidders (applicants) and provide clarity on the Request for Proposal (RFP) Instruction Packet. A copy of the Bidders’ Conference PowerPoint Presentation, a video recording, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are provided below:
- ORT Prevention Grant Program - Bidders' Conference Meeting Recording
- ORT Prevention Grant Program - Bidders' Conference PowerPoint
- ORT Prevention Grant Program - FAQs
Scoring Panel
The ORT Scoring Panel members met on July 31, 2023 and August 1, 2023, and were trained on the RFP and RFP Rating Factors and Criteria.
Board Items
A listing of Board meetings on the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program are provided below:
- July 25, 2022 | ORT Prevention Grant Program, Appointment of Chair and Establishment of an Executive Steering Committee
- April 13, 2023 | ORT Prevention Grant Program, Request for Proposals
- September 14, 2023 | ORT Prevention Grant Program Funding Recommendations
Contact the BSCC regarding the ORT Prevention Grant
If you have questions about the ORT Prevention Grant Program, email ORT@bscc.ca.gov.
This website will be updated as new information becomes available. You may also subscribe to the BSCC listserve for updates about BSCC’s grant projects and funding opportunities. Sign up for BSCC email updates.