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Greater Stockton Chamber honored for START retail-theft app; DA cites prosecutions tied to initiative
Summary
The Board recognized the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce for a regional award for START, an app and partnership that chamber and law enforcement say helps businesses report retail theft and improve prosecutions; the district attorney office reported felony charges filed in recent months.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors presented a recognition Tuesday to the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce for its START program, which combines an app, camera installations and public-private partnerships to reduce retail theft and assist prosecutions.
Tim Quinn, representing the Chamber, told the board that the START initiative won the Western Association of Chamber Executives’ Outstanding Chamber Program Award for a program that partners businesses, law enforcement and the county to deter retail theft through reporting and crime-prevention strategies. “Early indications are our START program is serving as a model for other counties throughout the state,” Quinn said.
District Attorney Ron Freitas described the chamber-led effort as a collaborative program the DA’s office joined to improve both prosecution results and prevention. “When the chamber first approached my office, we joined the effort wholeheartedly,” Freitas said. He told the board the DA’s office has filed felony charges against multiple commercial shoplifting and serious drug cases since the campaign, and said an MOU with the chamber marked a new level of cooperation.
Contractors and vendors involved in the program also spoke. Blake Smalley of Cowdad Services, a firm installing cameras under START grants, recounted a personal experience of witnessing repeated shoplifting at a local CVS and said the app and cameras give merchants tools to report and deter theft. Revamp Signs owner Razi and representatives from the San Joaquin County Office of Education and other partner groups described the program as a community-driven, “all hands on deck” approach.
Quinn asked businesses and residents to download the START app and create merchant profiles to help reporting. The board praised the partnership, with several supervisors noting it could be adapted to other problems, such as illegal dumping.
The recognition was ceremonial; the board did not take formal policy action on the START award. Ending: The board lauded the Chamber and partner agencies for a public‑private model they said has already produced prosecutions and interest from other counties.
