2023 'Top 10' Reports Coming This Week! This week, the D&D Daily will be recapping the Top 10 ORC cases and news stories from throughout 2023.  Follow the D&D Daily to see which cases and stories make the list!

2023: The Year That Led Some Retailers to Say 'Enough is Enough'
"Enough is enough. All this retail theft. All this sort of crime, enough is enough."

Big-city crime in 2023 had some businesses saying enough is enough
In major cities across the country in 2023 a number of retail stores and other businesses faced with rampant crime, to the detriment of their livelihood and customers' well-being.

Major metropolises like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Portland and Washington, D.C., were plagued by retail thieves ransacking malls and department stores, with many of the instances caught on video that were posted on social media.

In September, Target announced it would close multiple stores in Portland, San Francisco and New York City due to an alarming rise in theft and violence. California in particular saw smash-and-grab robberies in luxury retail areas in southern and northern parts of the state.

In August, a Bay Area county supervisor, frustrated by rising retail theft in the area, admitted that state laws were "not working" to deter criminals.

"Enough is enough. All this retail theft. All this sort of crime, enough is enough. We really need to look at state laws. What we have in place right now is not working," San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said. "We can't go on like this."

The Democrat admitted that he regretted supporting California's Prop 47, which voters passed in 2014. Prop 47 downgraded certain thefts and drug possession crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor if the value of the stolen goods was less than $950.

In San Diego, a new law that allowed loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution resulted in a surge of prostitution in the city, leaving businesses to take on additional security costs and warn their customers that they will likely see near-naked women, as well as pimps, in the area.

The business owner spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity out of concern that pimps or prostitutes in the area might retaliate against the business owner's vehicles, property or employees. The business owner has been operating at the same location for the last 25 years.  foxbusiness.com


Smash-and-Grab Epidemic Raged in 2023
Will more progressive cities form ORC task forces like Los Angeles?

2023 review: Smash-and-grab epidemic crippled Democratic cities
Smash-and-grab crime crippled retailers in Democratic-controlled cities across the United States throughout 2023. This type of criminal activity has been utilized by robbers in the past few years, but 2023 saw their popularity appear to rise as videos, police reports, and stories of businesses closing flooded social media.

Many credit left-wing policies such as "no cash" bail and the "defund the police movement" for catalyzing smash-and-grabs and greater retail crime, which has increased nationally by 26% since 2002.

With the number of lives and the total amount of product lost, several cities, even Democratic-controlled cities, have taken action to address the crisis. In September, Los Angeles County was approved to receive $15.6 million to fight smash-and-grab crime affecting retail businesses.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the funding, which comes from the state government, to create an Organized Retail Theft Task Force.

It will be made up of at least one lieutenant, three sergeants, and 30 detectives and work with other law enforcement bodies and businesses, according to officials.

"Our Retail Theft Task Force through our Major Crimes Bureau is focused on reducing these crimes by targeting these crews and aggressively pursuing not just those who commit the theft, but everyone in the criminal chain," Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"This Organized Retail Theft Grant will allow us to continue to investigate retail theft crimes and provide dedicated staff and equipment necessary to continue to combat these thefts."

Whether other Democratic-controlled cities will follow Los Angeles County's lead in 2024 will have to be seen. gazette.com


NYC Murders Down 11%, Shootings Down 24% in 2023
Murder, shootings down in NYC in 2023 - but assault is up: NYPD
Murders and shootings dropped in New York City in 2023 - but the number of assaults continue a troubling upward trend, according to a year-end review of NYPD data.

Overall crime in the five boroughs squeaked through the year on a high note - down .5% through Dec. 24 when compared to the same period last year, NYPD data show

Murders declined 11%, with 380 so far this year compared to 429 in 2022. Shootings plunged 24%, with 967 so far this year vs. 1,277 in the same span last year. Assaults, however, ticked up 6% - to 27,299 from 25,745; while car thefts surged 15% to 15,503 from 13,430, the data through Dec. 24 show.

Retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the growing population of homeless mentally ill people on the street could partly explain the continued upward assault trend.

Retired Sgt. Joseph Giacalone, also an adjunct at John Jay, warned that overall major crime for the year is up 22.9% when compared to 2021.

"The two-year trend overall we're almost up 23 percent. . . . so we're like somewhere in the early 2000s when it comes to crime," he said.

"If the mayor or anybody says to you we're down in crime, it's nonsense because the current trend is up . . . this is nothing to celebrate."  nypost.com


San Francisco Shoplifting Surges 50% Since 2019
But 'inconsistent information makes it difficult to assess the issue'

California lawmakers want to curb retail theft, but say it's not as easy as it sounds
While California lawmakers feel pressure to address concerns about crime, the murky and sometimes contradictory evidence of an increase in lawlessness has put legislators in a bind.

Recent studies show that retail theft has increased in some of California's big cities - with shoplifting rates jumping nearly 50% in San Francisco since 2019 - while some rural and suburban areas of the state have seen a drop in those crimes.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), who sits on a recently formed special committee to address retail theft, said the inconsistent information makes it difficult to assess the issue as lawmakers prepare to reconvene in January and draft proposed laws to combat the rash of highly publicized thefts.

"I am concerned the way social media is not fully representing the extent of the incidences of crime we are experiencing or the root cause of that crime," Bonta said.

Some California prosecutors and business leaders blame the state's "toothless" laws against nonviolent retail theft, saying the problem has grown worse because of the lack of serious consequences for offenders.

They want to see changes made to the decade-old ballot measure, known as Proposition 47, that classified as misdemeanors certain drug possession offenses and nonviolent property crimes that do not exceed $950 in value.

But civil rights advocates are skeptical about returning to a tough-on-crime approach.

There have already been two hearings this month to address this issue in Sacramento, one held by the bipartisan retail theft committee and the other by the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency that was asked by the Legislature to examine these issues. Some lawmakers expressed frustration about how to move forward without clear data.  latimes.com


U.S. Immigration System Fueling Retail Crime?
Opinion: Open borders spur retail thieves

The crisis of retail theft engulfing storefronts is a crisis of U.S. immigration policy.

Federal immigration authorities have failed to capture important background information about foreign nationals entering our country through a special visa program. In so doing, they have contributed to a crisis that's turned American retailers into thunder domes of violence and crime.

Organized retail theft costs retailers billions and contributes to a climate of danger that is gripping consumers and workers. Unlike shoplifting, organized retail theft involves criminal gangs skilled at stealing inventory at volume for resale in other markets. These criminals vary in sophistication, from small time thieves hawking stolen power drills online to international syndicates tied to drug trafficking and money laundering.

The visa waiver program allows citizens of 41 countries to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Participant countries must share background information, such as criminal histories, with our immigration authorities and extend the same entry privileges to our citizens.

Criminals from all over the world are exploiting this system to steal from American retailers. Call it crime tourism.

Criminals from Chile are prime offenders. Chilean burglary cells ripping heady crime jaunts across America have been tied to hundreds of home break-ins and mass theft of inventory.

A more expansive audit of the visa waiver program is needed. Reports indicate that organized crime syndicates from all of the world - Romania seems to be another major player - are engaged in retail theft in this country. Immigration authorities should ensure that every country participating in the waiver program is furnishing necessary information about their nationals. No new country should be admitted to the waiver program until we ensure the system is working as intended. . christianpost.com

   RELATED: Homeland Security officials investigating Mexican cartels' role in ORC


'Rogue DAs' Fueling ORC Threat
The Hill: Organized retail crime is threatening American families

Many of these reoccurring crimes are simply not being prosecuted.

To address the problem, the House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence recently held a hearing titled "From Festive Cheer to Retail Fear: Addressing Organized Retail Crime."

During the Dec. 12 congressional hearing, Home Depot's vice president of asset protection Scott Glenn testified regarding the level of organized violence his employees have experienced in stores across the nation. "These individuals are becoming increasingly aggressive," Glenn said. "They are dangerous and often care little about any consequence other than getting out of the store with as much product as possible."

Stores faced with shoplifting are inevitably forced to either jack up their prices to remain in business or close their doors from revenue loss. 

If only prosecutors chose to diligently enforce the law, instead of ignoring our nation's dangerous crime wave as they have done for far too long, Americans might finally be able to safely access the groceries they need to survive at affordable prices. But rogue district attorneys are blatantly refusing to hold criminals accountable for their crimes.

Lawmakers should pass the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), to protect frightened Americans this Christmas season and beyond. CORCA would give federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security the authority to investigate and prosecute members of crime rings and bring criminals to justice. If passed, CORCA would make it far easier for law enforcement to carry out its duty to protect the vulnerable in their neighborhoods. thehill.com


Memphis Real Time Crime Center Starting to Make a Difference
10,000 cameras: MPD grows video surveillance network
Nearly a year after the Memphis Police Department launched its Connect Memphis camera integration and registration system, the agency now has access to more than 5,000 cameras throughout the city.

While the program is not without its critics - including concerns about the idea of "crowdsourcing surveillance capabilities" - MPD and others point to numerous successes.

And thousand of residents and businesses are supporting the program by voluntarily joining the network. More than 4,500 business and residential cameras have been registered with Connect Memphis, and 620 have been integrated directly into MPD's system for viewing the video footage during emergencies.

PD Deputy Chief of Information Services Joe Oakley credits the program, in part, for a 12% reduction of part-one crimes (which include burglary, robbery, rape, vehicle theft, aggravated assault and larceny) between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12 compared to the same 28-day period in 2022.

The department has been aggressively promoting the program and encouraging citizens to integrate their cameras during media and public-speaking appearances and on social media.

"This is 21st-century policing at its finest"  dailymemphian.com


Memphis, TN: 2023 goes down as a violent year in Memphis
It was a year of high violence in Memphis, with hundreds of homicides, thousands of robberies and smash-and-grab thefts, affecting children, families and businesses. "We are Memphis and our future depends on what we do right now," new Mayor Paul Young said as he was sworn in Monday. 2023 ended with a drastic jump in homicides and murders, plus hundreds of carjackings and robberies. Here are the preliminary numbers from MPD - full end-of-year numbers will be available Tuesday at the earliest.  wreg.com


Oregon laws targeting drugs, retail theft go into effect January 2024
As retail crime continues to plague Oregon businesses, Senate Bill 340 will impose harsher penalties for those convicted of retail theft. This comes as growing theft not only harms businesses and puts employees at risk, but also drives up costs for customers.

'Retailers are effectively turning into warehouses', says expert as Walgreens locks up all but 2 aisles as theft soars

Why retailers are walking back claims of organized theft

Target, CVS, and Rite Aid among chains hardest hit by 2023 theft-sparked closures
 
Cincinnati and Ohio retailers facing less shoplifting, but a rise in organized crime

Lululemon Closes DC Store Following Robbery

How the Modesto Police Department is cracking down on organized retail theft

First Responders Need Modernized IT Security Systems
Tech upgrades for first responders are a necessity, not a luxury

Public safety professionals want technology upgrades and adoption of federal standards for first responder IT security, reporting and efficiency

"We heard a resounding response from first responders across the country: They are concerned about their public safety agency's ability to withstand cyberattacks and natural disasters, given the ever-increasing number and severity of bad actors attacking public infrastructure as well as the uptick in extreme weather incidents," said Matthew Polega, President, Mark43.

"Public safety professionals made it clear that they need access to modernized systems - like cloud-native CAD and RMS - to improve the security and resilience of their agencies, so they can respond faster to community members in need. Our 2024 report shows that technology plays a central role in everything a public safety agency does," added Polega.

First responders face growing concerns amidst cybersecurity surge

The ever-increasing number, severity and cost of cyberattacks is reflected in the concerns and experiences of first responders. 82% worry that their organization's data could be stolen or fall victim to ransomware, a 6% increase over the 2023 survey, showing a need for enhanced security like cloud-based computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS).

91% of first responders have experienced cybersecurity-related issues in the past year like phishing, scam calls and malware attacks. Scam calls and malware/viruses are now the leading cybersecurity concern for first responders, overtaking phishing from last year's survey.

92% of first responders also are somewhat or very concerned about how their agencies would handle a tactical response to cyberattacks or physical attacks at large-scale events like sports games, concerts and conventions.

Natural disasters, grid failures raise alarms - Public safety agencies scale up data collection amid tech boom:  helpnetsecurity.com


'Greater Uniformity' in IT Security
Why you need to extend enterprise IT security to the mainframe
Organizations with mainframes face a unique challenge: extending consistency across the entire enterprise, including mainframe environments.

The ongoing issue lies in the incompatibility of tools designed for both mainframes and enterprise settings, resulting in disparate solutions, training methods, and user experiences. This highlights the immediate need for greater uniformity across the organization.

Ensuring modern security standards

For organizations relying on mainframes, ensuring modern security standards for access is essential. This entails identifying network users and validating their authorization to access sensitive data, typically managed through an identity and access management (IAM) system.

However, a common discrepancy arises as the IAM system used in the enterprise often differs from the one employed for mainframe authentication. To achieve comprehensive protection and uniformity, it is imperative to leverage the same IAM system on both the enterprise and the mainframe. This not only fortifies secure host application access but also facilitates regulatory compliance, crucial in helping to prevent cyber threats. helpnetsecurity.com


5 pivotal cybersecurity trends for 2024
Heading into 2024, the attack surface is set to expand even further, with threats likely to grow more and more elusive. Considering the increasing power and accessibility of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), it will be imperative to stay several steps ahead of threat actors and know what tactics to expect in the coming year.

1. Custom ChatGPT-like bots: Crafting convincing social engineering attacks
2. SaaS apps as stealthy attack vectors: Learning from TeamsPhisher
3. AI-driven automation in cyberattack campaigns: A glimpse in the future
4. Deepfakes and multi-modal ML models: The evolution of deception
5. Guarding against adversarial prompts in LLM-powered services: A startup frontier helpnetsecurity.com


The biggest cybersecurity and cyberattack stories of 2023
2023 was a big year for cybersecurity, with significant cyberattacks, data breaches, new threat groups emerging, and, of course, zero-day vulnerabilities.
 
Cyber Badness: 12 Top Hacks, Data Breaches, Missteps of 2023

How to Use OpenAI's ChatGPT to Create Your Own Custom GPT

Lynwood, WA: Police are finally starting to make arrests in connection with the "smash and grab" ring that allegedly stole nearly $500,000 from Ulta
After more than a year and a half of "smash and grab"-style robberies in which nearly half a million dollars' worth of beauty products were stolen across Washington state and Oregon, authorities have begun making arrests surrounding a ring of organized retail thefts to dissolve, accordingly KOMO TV. The Lynwood, Washington Police Department, in collaboration with the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force, announced that on December 28, 2023, they arrested a 26-year-old woman who has not yet been identified to the media. The woman was charged with robbery and organized retail theft. Lynwood police said they plan to make additional arrests in the case as they continue to investigate the woman's actions.

KIRO TV Separately, it is reported that the woman in the film was caught robbing multiple locations, often with accomplices, and behaving in a manner described as "chaotic" and dangerous. She reportedly often brings bear spray during her robberies to intimidate store employees who approach her, and is also said to have smashed and destroyed several store displays in the process.

The Lynwood Police Department also released at least one video of the woman during one of her robberies. In the video, she can be seen smashing displays and pulling shelves out of displays. An Ulta spokesperson confirmed to KIRO that they have been assisting police with their investigation and that the woman has cost the company over $450,000 to date. According to the statement "THThe rise in organized retail crime is affecting all retailers, including Ulta Beauty, and we have a dedicated nationwide team of investigators who work closely with various law enforcement agencies and other retailers to solve complex cases involving organized theft. We are deeply committed to this issue and ensure a safe working environment for our employees and a shopping environment for our guests."  worldtimetodays.com


Jacksonville, FL: Smash and grab burglary at local GameStop
A local GameStop is boarded up after it became the target of a smash-and-grab this weekend. A video posted on social media captured the whole thing. A group of what appears to be six individuals in two separate cars can be seen sprinting into the building. Just a few seconds later, they reappear and run full speed back to their cars. One individual even slips and falls on the ground during the commotion, while another leaps through a car window before speeding off. According to sources, an unknown amount of inventory was stolen, and the business was left a mess. We've also learned there was another recent burglary at a separate GameStop in town and are investigating whether the two incidents might be connected. actionnewsjax.com


Indianapolis, IN: Police chase U-Haul truck through Johnson County after robbery at Indy Target
A wild police pursuit involving a U-Haul truck ended in a crash and foot chase in Franklin on Saturday afternoon. Franklin Police said their officers were notified by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) to be on the lookout for a U-Haul that had been used in a robbery of a Target store at Emerson Avenue and Southport Road. According to a police report, the pursuit went through the back of Northwood Elementary School, where the driver went through a fence and drove through the school's playground. The chase then went south on US 31, where the truck hit two cars and ran another off the roadway before hitting several more cars and getting stuck at the Jefferson Street intersection. Police said the suspect, Troy Bradford Jr., bailed out of the truck, and video shows him unsuccessfully trying to get into another car. According to a police report, a state trooper deployed their taser while taking Bradford Jr. into custody. Police say he had used a gun in the robbery at Target but investigators say it turned out to be an airsoft pistol. He was checked out at the hospital and then was booked into the Johnson County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted robbery, leaving the scene of an accident, resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.  fox59.com


In Case You Missed It: 2 Big ORC Cases Over the Holidays

S.F. police arrest 18 people in anti-shoplifting operations in Stonestown, Mission District
Eighteen people were arrested by San Francisco police in anti-shoplifting operations this week in the city, according to police.

The San Francisco Police Department said the operations were conducted Tuesday on retail stores located in the 700 block of Mission Street and in the 200 block of Winston Drive.

Two of the people arrested were booked at San Francisco County Jail #1 for outstanding warrants, in addition to the on-view theft charges, while a suspect was booked into the same jail for on-view felony theft charges, according to police.

Twelve suspects were cited for shoplifting and released from the scene. The stolen property was seized during the operations and returned to the stores, police said.  mercurynews.com


$1 million in goods recovered from California retail theft crew, authorities say
A specialized unit of the California Highway Patrol has recovered more than $1 million worth of stolen cosmetics and other merchandise during searches this week in Paramount and Los Angeles, and they arrested a woman allegedly connected to an organized theft ring that targeted retailers across Southern California.

The crew has hit a variety of local retailers, including CVS, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Rite Aid, Nordstrom and the 99 Cents Only store, the CHP said.

Brenda Yanez, 48, was arrested on suspicion of multiple charges, including grand theft and possession of stolen property. Investigators with the CHP Southern Division Organized Retail Crime Taskforce have been working with various loss prevention personnel to return the stolen merchandise to retailers, according to a CHP statement.

The stolen merchandise was found when investigators served search warrants at a warehouse in Paramount and at The Makeup Store on Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles. The officers also found tools believed to have been used to remove retailers' anti-theft devices, the CHP said.

Early estimates provided by loss prevention personnel valued the recovered stolen merchandise at more than $1 million, according to the CHP.

It wasn't clear if authorities have identified any other suspects in the alleged ring.  mercurynews.com
 

2023 Holiday Week Retail Crime

Increases from 2022 Holiday Week: Fatalities Up 87% - ORC Cases Up 67%

Click here to see the Daily's ORC & Retail Crime reporting
from December 23rd through December 31st

28 Fatalities - 25 ORC Cases - 104 Robberies/Burglaries