Retail Theft Prevention Program

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary mentions a reversion of $200,000 from the Safer Streets program in July 2027 if unspent, but does not specify total funding amounts for the new retail theft grants.

Retail Theft Prevention Program

This law creates a new advisory board and grant program to help Colorado fight organized felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Retail Theft Prevention Advisory Board inside the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Public Safety.
• Establishes procedures for applying for grants, reviewing applications, and awarding funds under the new program.
• Requires the board to collect data on theft trends, losses, prosecutions, and outcomes related to organized felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.
• Allows eligible agencies to use grant money to investigate and prosecute crimes, buy technology or data tools, provide training, and create prevention plans.
• Requires an annual report starting in January 2028 on the grant program and theft trends during a specific hearing.
• Extends the Safer Streets Grant Program until November 1, 2029.

Who It Names or Affects

• State and local law enforcement agencies
• District attorney offices
• Tribal law enforcement agencies
• Multijurisdictional or regional task forces

Terms To Know

Advisory Board

A group that develops grant rules, reviews applications, awards grants, and studies theft trends.

Grant Program

Funding available to eligible agencies for investigating crimes, buying tools, training staff, or preventing theft.

Felony-level retail theft

Serious shoplifting cases that are classified as felonies under the law.

Limits and Unknowns

• The text does not state how much total money is available for the new grant program.
• No effective date is listed in the provided official summary or metadata.
• Specific rules on who wins grants beyond eligibility are left to procedures developed by the board.

Official Summary Text

The act creates the retail theft prevention advisory board (advisory board) in the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety (division). The advisory board shall develop procedures related to applying for a grant for the retail theft prevention grant program created in the act; review grant applications and award grants; collect and analyze data related to organized felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud trends, losses, prosecutions, and outcomes in Colorado; and develop policy recommendations in coordination with state and federal partners on how to combat felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.
The act creates the retail theft prevention grant program in the division. A state or local law enforcement agency, district attorney's office, multijurisdictional or regional task force, or tribal law enforcement agency may apply for a grant, which may be used to investigate and prosecute organized felony-level retail theft or gift card fraud; develop or invest in technology, data-sharing systems, and analytics tools to analyze felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud metrics; provide training and technical assistance to retailers or law enforcement agencies; and develop prevention and deterrence initiatives specific to felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.
Beginning January 2028, the act requires the division to annually report during its 'SMART Act' hearing certain information about the retail theft prevention grant program and felony-level retail theft in Colorado.
The act extends the crime prevention through safer streets grant program (safer streets grant program) to November 1, 2029, and makes the retail theft prevention grant program an allowable use of the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program. On July 1, 2027, $200,000 of the unexpended and unencumbered money remaining at the end of the 2026-27 state fiscal year from the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program reverts to the general fund.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)