Organized Retail Crime
Launched in January 2024, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) Vertical Prosecution Unit is responsible for combating organized retail theft (ORT) crimes in Alameda County. The intent of the ORCA Unit is to address the low rates of case resolution in ORT and create more opportunities for evidence-based diversion and restorative justice opportunities.
The O.R.C.A. Unit
The work of the ORCA Unit is driven by data analysis and coordination with law enforcement. Retail theft cases meeting certain criteria are sent to the unit. The ORCA Unit follows the vertical prosecution model, a system in which a prosecutor is assigned to a case from the initial filing of charges through the penalty phase. In Alameda County, the ORCA Unit comprises two deputy district attorneys, two inspectors, a senior program specialist, and two data analysts. Their primary roles are the investigation and prosecution of organized retail theft crimes.
O.R.C.A. Method
The ORCA Unit is using a four-pronged approach embraced by district attorneys, police chiefs, and retailer associations from across the state to combat ORT: Dismantle, Disrupt, Deter, and Divert.
The assigned Deputy District Attorney, Inspector, and Senior Program Specialist will aim to dismantle the infrastructure behind these crimes through partnerships with law enforcement throughout the county and Bay Area prosecutors from neighboring counties through shared data collection, crime analytics, as well as pooled investigative tools to prosecute those involved with organized retail theft schemes successfully.
A key strategy to disrupt ORT is to focus on the drivers of organized retail crimes by investigating money laundering, tax evasion, and other tax law violations. In addition, these strategies provide the opportunity to disrupt the digital black market. Partnerships like the signed Collaborative Agreement announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta with Retailers and Online Marketplaces ensure that we are all better equipped to combat organized retail crime as they strengthen efforts to minimize the use of non-criminal online retail platforms for the purpose of fencing. The agreement advances information-sharing and detection regarding the loss of items from various stages of the supply chain, including cargo and retail goods, that may end up for sale in online marketplaces.
The ORCA Unit will work with not only the California Attorney General’s Office but also regional law enforcement to deter serial theft. This will be achieved by working collaboratively with partners as we have and continue to do as a part of other violence prevention and theft-related crimes.
Where and when appropriate, the ORCA Unit will divert people and cases to alternatives to incarceration. Recent research published by California Policy Lab entitled, The Impact of Felony Diversion in San Francisco, shows that a simple referral to a collaborative court program can result in lower recidivism rates, and the effect on recidivism persists for five years post referral. The ORCA Unit will leverage the robust portfolio of Specialty and Collaborative Court Programs in Alameda County to address the nature and prevalence of ORT in the County. While each program has unique components centered on the needs driving people to engage in unlawful conduct, all have demonstrated success in linking people to success and reducing recidivism.