Specialty Crop Trade Council April 2013

1. California Rural Crime Prevention Task ForceCommodity Theft Investigation & PreventionSergeant Mike Chapman Fresno Sheriff’s Office Ag Task Force

2. Specialty Crop Trade Council April 2013 • “How ready is your company in the case of stolen product due to organized crime?  Are you doing all you can to protect your company?  As California commodities continue to increase in value, more companies are faced with dealing with stolen goods, falsified information, etc. which results in financial loss.  Hear from an expert in the industry discuss how to better protect your company from this type of crime and what to do if this happens to you.”

3. Commodity Defined “A product of agriculture or mining” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary)

4. Common Commodities Targeted by Thieves • Grapes, raisins • Nuts-almonds, walnuts, pecans • Citrus, stone fruits and other tree fruits • Cantaloupes, tomatoes, onions, garlic • Gold, precious metals • Hay/feed

5. Grapes, Raisins Table grapes are usually stolen from the vine, or in packed boxes left in the field unattended. Raisins are stolen after the trays have been rolled or by the bin when left in the field unattended.

6. Raisins Waiting to be Stolen

7. Recovered stolen Raisins

8. Nuts-Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans Usually stolen from groves or after nuts are loaded in bins and/or on trailer(s)

9. Citrus, Stone Fruits and other Tree Fruits These are usually stolen from the trees after regular business hours by rouge picking crews.

10. Cantaloupes, Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic These are usually stolen from the field prior to harvest or are gleamed post-harvest

11. Gold, Precious Metals Raw precious metals are stolen from quarry plants.

12. Hay/Feed Theft of hay bales from fields or stacks or rolled corn from dairies

13. Apiary Thefts

14. How Commodity Theft Impacts the grower and the Economy • The grower loses the product from the field and the profit they would realize in the sell. • The product is sold from roadside vendors at well below market value, taking demand away from legitimate growers. • The product may not be properly prepared or poor health care from roadside vending may cause health issues that is both a threat to public health and could spawn an unfounded Nation-wide health panic for that product.

15. Commodity theft investigative challenges • Crimes occur in rural, unpopulated, unsecured areas • Crimes are not always discovered and/or reported in a timely fashion • Often times the victim leaves equipment in the field that the suspects use to load and steal the commodities • There is no readily available easy way to determine ownership of suspected stolen commodities • The buying, selling and brokerage market for most commodities is loosely structured • Public perception that hungry people are only taking a small amount of food from a field

16. Commodity theft suspect profile Most large commodity thefts are committed by; • Employees • Associates of employees • Former employees • People with increased knowledge of commodity market

17. Law enforcement three pronged approaches to battling commodity theft

18. Traditional Reactive Patrol and Investigation • Predictable is preventable • Where and when have the crimes occurred in the past? Keep Patrol resources informed of past crime trends as commodities near harvest • Educate Patrol personnel on where and what to look for to catch thieves in the act. Educate them on getting accurate descriptions of the property stolen, (hay bales, alfalfa or oat, bale size and binding description). Do this before the thefts begin.

19. Proactive Operations Baiting operations are not always conducive to commodity thefts, but can be applied with the support of growers. Putting out other Ag related bait is also a consideration. You might not catch them for commodity theft, but it’s still an Ag theft.

20. Education & Crime Prevention The best way to fight commodity theft is to prevent it from occurring. Use the bargaining units, co-ops, Farm Bureaus and growers leagues/associations to inform potential victims.

21. Crime Prevention Signs

22. Use technology to your advantage • Common email address agcrimes@fresnosheriff.org • Informational blogs • Twitter/Facebook, etc.

23. Ag Crime Prevention Measures • What you can do to not be a victim

24. Screen employee hires • Keep accurate, up to date employee records • Do background checks on potential employees • Consider random drug tests of current employees • Have employees sign polygraph waivers • Educate employees in what to report and consider a reward system for employees

25. Consider security patrols

26. Remove rolled trays from the ends of the rows and/or roadways.

27. Don’t leave keys in the forklift next to the full bins of raisins.

28. Plow trenches around storage areas to keep vehicles out

29. Control access to the area by cabling/gating lanes

30. Report suspicious activity in a timely fashion

31. Report suspicious activity in a timely fashion

32. Ag Crime Prevention Measures • Bait & Switch • Be wary of entities you have not had dealings with in the past, i.e., trucking firms or commodity brokers. • Confirm credentials and licensing through third party before doing business.

33. Partners in Ag crime prevention and education endeavors • California Farm Bureau (as well as your County Farm Bureau) • California Raisin Marketing Board • Raisin Administrative Committee • Almond Board of California • California Walnut Board • Other Co-Ops and associations

34. Define Job Roles and Authority • Institute Job description and duties for management and middle management positions • Be conscious of Skidding, Kickbacks and Embezzlement schemes.

35. Questions or comments? Sergeant Michael Chapman Fresno Sheriff’s Office Ag Task Force 1055 S. Golden State Selma Ca. 93662 (559) 351-7769 (cell) Michael.chapman@fresnosheriff.org