San Francisco could be getting $15M from California to combat retail theft
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Police Department could be receiving over $15 million from California to crack down on organized retail theft.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced on Tuesday hundreds of millions of dollars may be going to multiple cities and counties following a vote on Thursday.
UPDATE: San Francisco receives more than $17 million in state funds to fight organized retail theft
"Enough with these brazen smash-and-grabs. With an unprecedented $267 million investment, Californians will soon see more takedowns, more police, more arrests, and more felony prosecutions." Newsom said. "When shameless criminals walk out of stores with stolen goods, they'll walk straight into jail cells."
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The $267 million would be spread across 55 cities and counties, including several law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area.
- $15,643,539 could go to the San Mateo County Sheriff
- $15,326,301 to San Francisco police
- $8,489,349 to San Jose police
- $11,767,578 to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
- $5,176,812 to Palo Alto police
According to the project summaries document, the funds in San Francisco would go toward supporting "blitz operations, training equipment, community engagement, and more, focusing on organized retail crime in the Union Square commercial district."
Money would also be directed toward cracking down on "fencing activity supporting organized retail crime in the Mid-Market district."
The governor's office said recommendations for the projects were made after a competitive grant process, and voting on the funding will be on Thursday at the Board of State and Community Corrections meeting.
There is also recommended funding for district attorneys' offices to help with charging and investigating retail theft.
The $267 million set to be distributed would be the state's largest-ever single investment to combat organized crime in history, the governor's office said.