BEND, OR -- Deschutes County has been awarded a nearly $18,000 state grant to crack down on organized retail theft.

District Attorney Steve Gunnels recently told County Commissioners it happens in every corner of the county: groups of people enter a store, spread out, fill carts with merchandise, then walk out. His office wants to start a training program for retailers and partner with law enforcement to prosecute the offenders.

Gunnels had applied for $50,000 from Oregon's Criminal Justice Commission's Organized Retail Theft Grant Program. The Commission approved $17,877 for nine months and told Deschutes County it can apply for the remainder in January, if it meets certain milestones, including establishing "collaborative partnerships with retailers, community groups or associations impacted by organize retail theft."