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In This Issue...
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ACTION Project in Santa Cruz County �" Keeping Farms Safe
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ACTION Project in Santa Cruz County �" Keeping Farms Safe
By Santa Cruz County Sheriff Steve Robbins
Santa Cruz County is now the newest partner to join the ACTION (Agricultural Crime Technology, Information, and Operations Network) Project. The Sheriff’s Office joined with District Attorney Bob Lee and Agricultural Commissioner David Moeller in signing an agreement that formally solidified Santa Cruz County’s partnership with the other ACTION project counties to fight agricultural crime in our county. We will join the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joa-quin, Stanislaus, Tulare, San Luis Obispo and Monterey in this effort.
Agriculture is a vital part of California’s economy. It is estimated that California produces 50 percent of all the fruits, vegetables and nuts along with 20 percent of milk consumed in the United States. In Santa Cruz County, agricultural products grossed more than $400 million in 2004. Yet it is estimated the state loses $10 million annually from agricultural thefts of crops and equipment and $7 billion nationally.
The ACTION project was originally started in 1996 in Tulare County and in 1999 was expanded to cover the entire San Joaquin Valley. The member counties are made up of dedicated and specialized agricultural crime units from the counties’ Sheriff’s Departments, District Attorneys and Agricultural Commissioners.
The members meet on a regular basis to share crime information and work together to develop problem solving and crime control techniques. Member agencies found that agricultural crimes are not just local occurrences but often are regional operations extending nationally and internationally.
Stolen goods, whether it is tractors, agricultural chemicals or commodities, can easily be transported great distances in a matter of hours. Some counties have seen whole orchards stripped of their fruit in one night. Theft of irrigation pipe, pumps, farm vehicles, gasoline, chemicals, cut flowers, animals and other items have occurred routinely in Santa Cruz County. The loss of an everyday tractor could mean the difference between a year of loss and a successful season for a local farmer.
Statewide Ag Crime Database Developed
To fight this pervasive problem, the ACTION project has developed an integrated database of ag crime information. The database allows the partner counties to share case, suspect, crime loss and recovery information that have occurred within each county on a “real time” basis over the Internet. Ag crime deputies can instantaneously share information and collaborate on investigations.
ACTION also provides some equipment to the member counties to help the ag crime law enforcement staff conduct investigations. It provides specialized training for these investigators to keep abreast of trends and new methods of operation used by agricultural crime suspects.
Another benefit is crime prevention techniques to assist the farmers, ranchers, and growers from being victims. One of ACTION’s crime prevention programs is the Owner Applied Number (OAN) system. This program assigns a unique number that is stamped, etched, branded or engraved into farm equipment and related tools which identifies the owner of those items.
We know that thieves do not stop at county lines. This program allows law enforcement to pinpoint the owner of equipment in any state and county within the United States, regardless of where the property was stolen or found. Counties currently have access to several thousand OAN assignments with owner information and the list continues to grow daily.
The farmers, growers and ranchers in Santa Cruz County now have the ability to register and catalog their farm equipment marked with their OAN number free of charge by a member of the ACTION staff and placed in the statewide database. Items marked with these distinct numbers have been found to be stolen less often than unmarked equipment.
Prosecutors and Deputies Working Together
In addition to a single point of contact with law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office provides a prosecutor who can handle prosecutions of ag crime cases where the assigned assistant district attorney tracks the case through the Santa Cruz County justice system. This makes prosecuting a criminal more effective and easier for the victims.
Further, the California Highway Patrol will also assist in the investigation of stolen vehicles from farm properties. The deputies assigned to the ACTION project in Santa Cruz County are Deputy Brian Erbe and Sergeant Christine Swannack of the Sheriff’s Community Policing Division. They work at the Sheriff’s South County Community Service Center, and can be reached by calling 831-763-4420. Along with his law enforcement duties, Deputy Erbe also contributes articles to the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau’s monthly publication.
Working with the growers, Farm Bureau and our county partners, the Sheriff’s Office hopes to bring greater crime-fighting and prevention techniques to our local area farmers and track statistical information to fully understand the extent of ag-related crime that is occurring in our County.
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