PRESS RELEASE

Eyes Off Eugene Reports on Springfield, Oregon’s Use of Organized Retail Theft Grant Funds

Lots of spending, questionable outcomes.

Springfield, OR, August 31, 2025: Eyes Off Eugene is announcing the release of two documents available to support accurate reporting on Springfield’s use of state Organized Retail Theft (ORT) grant funds and related community perspectives.

Community Report: Springfield Police Organized Retail Theft Grant – Spending vs. Outcomes (Q1-Q3). This report summarized documents obtained through public records requests on the spending and use of ORT grant funds by the Springfield Police, and summarizes the reported outcomes. In total, more than half of the $330,000 already spent has been on equipment (including $93,000 on public surveillance). It has resulted in a total of $3,411 recovered, and 17 arrests, but only 2 related to organized retail theft. All public records related to this report are available via Github.

Review: Retail Theft Grants Aren’t Fixing Retail Theft. They’re Buying Surveillance. This article presents a community viewpoint regarding the use of ORT funds for general surveillance. It explores how ORT grants have been co-opted to purchase general public surveillance instead of targeted approaches to tackle what they were intended for: retail theft.

These materials are provided for journalists and editors seeking primary documentation and clearly attributed viewpoints to inform coverage. Additional background, interviews, or clarifications are available upon request. We’re sharing these materials so reporters have direct access to the source documents and clearly labeled perspectives.

Media contact:
Seth May, Eyes Off Eugene
[email protected]
eyesoffeugene.org