Woodridge police receive $115,000 grant to help deter retail theft

The Woodridge Police Department has been awarded a $115,000 grant from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to prevent retail theft crimes.

This grant was issued by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who established the Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Task Force in 2021. The purpose of this task force is to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces and law enforcement agencies to target organized retail crime enterprises.

As part of this task force, law enforcement agencies can apply for an ORC grant each year. If awarded ORC funding, law enforcement agencies must use the grant money for initiatives that will help prevent organized retail crimes, which, according to the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, account for $45 billion in annual losses.

In Woodridge, the police department will purchase and install 20 license plate reader (LPR) cameras. These cameras will allow officers to search for suspected license plates involved in retail thefts and, as a result, catch more retail theft criminals.

“Our focus as a Police Department is to reduce crime in the Woodridge business community,” said Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham said in a news release. “We are honored and excited to have received this grant money, which will help us purchase modernized equipment and resources to reduce theft and keep Woodridge businesses and residents safe.”

This is the first year the Woodridge Police Department has applied to the ORC Grant Program and received funding. The department plans to apply again next year to purchase further equipment and secure additional funding to support required law enforcement overtime due to investigations resulting from retail theft crimes.