Big City Store Managers Say Crime & Violence is Worse Than Ever
Retail Store Crime Is Much Higher Than Reported
Last week, Walgreens Chief Financial Officer, James Kehoe, expressed satisfaction with the company's performance on store theft (what retailers call "shrinkage"). "We're stabilized," he said, and Walgreens is "quite happy with where we are" on shrinkage.

But if you talk to store managers in urban stores you hear a different story. Products like Oreo cookies (above) are stored under lock and key. If you want to buy the product you can't take it off the shelf, someone has to come and unlock it for you. In a time of labor shortage and with so many products behind glass and locks, that's a time-consuming process.

It's not just Oreos. In a normal store, thousands of items are locked up. Store managers say there's nothing they can do. If a thief comes in and steals less than $1,000 of products, the police will not prosecute. When they do prosecute, the accused thief is given a court date and goes home.

What Is The Message Here?

The solution we're using isn't working. Companies are recording less crime in stores but some of that is because so many thefts don't get prosecuted so they go unrecorded.

We are telling customers you must find a store employee to help you when you want to buy coffee. We are telling potential criminals it's ok to steal. We are telling store employees they have to live with theft and the attendant danger.

We are telling citizens you have to shop next to people who are stealing. You have to pay, they don't. There could be violence and the risk is yours. All these messages are wrong and we can do better.

The numbers are way higher than reported and it's not a corporate problem, only the government can solve this. We never get all the government we pay for but right now we need more than we're getting. forbes.com


Wisconsin Seeks to Lower Felony Threshold for Thefts
Lawmakers propose lowering felony threshold to deter thieves
Currently, thieves in Wisconsin need to steal $2,500 worth of merchandise before it's considered a felony. Two lawmakers want to lower that threshold to $1,000. Wisconsin lawmakers are proposing to make it easier to charge thieves with a felony.

Currently, Wisconsin law says a thief needs to steal at least $2,500 worth of merchandise before they could be charged with a felony. State Senator Andre Jacque is part of a proposal to lower that threshold to $1,000.

Wisconsin and Texas have the highest felony thresholds in the country, both at $2,500. Neighboring states like Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Missouri all have felony thresholds between $500 and $1,000.

"A biggest portion of our thefts are coming from Kohl's, Ulta, Dick's Sporting Goods, Home Depot. Pretty much our big box stores are our primary problems," said Jeff Caponera, Grafton's police chief. "We're seeing the criminals now are being more and more brazen, are just walking in and grabbing stuff and walking right out armloads of stuff."

Caponera said thieves are taking the highest-priced items and selling them online. He thinks lowering the felony threshold wouldn't help very much.

Caponera said a major thing standing in the police department's way of stopping and preventing these thefts are the big box stores' corporate policies, which direct employees not to call police during a theft incident.

Caponera sits on Wisconsin's Organized Retail Crime Association. He said the state should create an organized crime task force so it can catch thieves before they can target stores. wisn.com


Illinois Becomes 9th State to Ban Assault Weapons
Illinois bans assault weapons after parade shooting. Which other states have bans?

Nine states and D.C. have passed assault weapons bans, and three others have additional safety requirements on the weapons.

Illinois passed an assault weapons ban Tuesday, six months after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park left seven dead and dozens wounded.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act late Tuesday, making Illinois the ninth state in the nation to ban assault-style weapons. The law includes a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, among other gun safety reforms.

"For too long people have lived in fear of being gunned down in schools, while worshipping, at celebrations or in their own front yards," Pritzker said. "This legislation will stop the spread of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches and makes our state a safer place for all." usatoday.com


Fighting ORC a Top Priority for Virginia AG
AG Miyares highlights law enforcement support, prioritizing victims in 2023 agenda
Attorney General Miyares announced on Tuesday his priorities for the 2023 General Assembly session.

"This session my office is supporting common-sense legislation that supports law enforcement, prioritizes victims, and makes our communities safer. By working with the members of the General Assembly, we hope to crack down on organized retail crime, punish drug dealers peddling lethal fentanyl, support members of the Jewish Community, and protect Virginia consumers from policies designed for Californians," said Miyares. "I look forward to working with legislators to serve our Commonwealth and bring results for Virginians."

Combating Organized Retail Crime by cracking down on smash-and-grab retail theft and giving tools back to law enforcement to appropriately charge criminals engaging in Organized Retail Crime. wjla.com


D.C.'s Effort to Curb Violence
'Thou shalt not kill' posters coming to DC. Can they help curb gun violence?
Amid recent gun violence that the police chief has called "completely unacceptable," local community leaders are hoping an age-old commandment, printed on a red and white cardboard sign, will help stem the bloodshed.

Pannell said he's hoping the signs espousing the sixth commandment will reinvigorate discussion about stopping gun violence.

Pannell said the D.C. mayor's office is providing 1,000 posters that are set to be delivered Monday, and Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, is underwriting the costs of printing 2,000 posters. wtop.com


5 Ways Cash Bail Systems Undermine Community Safety
The cash bail status quo harms community safety through its effects on health, economic stability, employment, familial relationships, and housing.

Shoplifters or Security Guards: What's the bigger financial burden?

Detroit, MI: Detroit Police release year-end crime totals, says youth violence rising

6-year-old shooter raises difficult questions for the criminal justice system

US: 103.1M Cases - 1.1M Dead - 100M Recovered
Worldwide: 669.6M Cases - 6.7M Dead - 641M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 828

COVID Leading Cause of LE Deaths For Two Years - 475 Officers Died in LODDs
LE LODDs Down in 2022, largely due to COVID death decrease from 2021

Report: LE LODDs down 61% in 2022, but firearms-related deaths up 21% two year trend

In 2022, 64 officers were shot and killed in firearms-related incidents, according to NLEOMF's report

WASHINGTON - According to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), law enforcement line of duty deaths are down 61% from 2021.

The 2022 End-of-Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report reported that 226 federal, state, county, municipal, military, tribal and campus officers died in the line of duty in 2022, with the top causes of officer deaths related to firearms and COVID-19.

In 2022, 64 officers were shot and killed in firearms-related incidents. This number closely mirrors the number of firearms-related deaths in 2021, with both years seeing a 21% increase when compared to the average of 53 firearms-related deaths between 2010 and 2020.

In 2022, 70 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty as a result of contracting COVID-19, an 83% drop compared to the 405 officers killed in 2021. police1.com


Public Health Emergency Extended
Biden administration extends Covid public health emergency as highly infectious omicron XBB.1.5 spreads
The Biden administration has extended the Covid-19 public health emergency until April as a highly transmissible omicron subvariant stokes concern that the U.S. may face another wave of hospitalizations from the disease this winter.

"The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remains in effect, and as HHS committed to earlier, we will provide a 60-day notice to states before any possible termination or expiration," a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department said.

The U.S. has renewed the Covid public health emergency every 90 days since the Trump administration first issued the declaration in January 2020.

The emergency declaration has had a vast impact on the U.S. health-care system over the past three years. It has protected public health insurance coverage for millions, provided hospitals with greater flexibility to respond to patient surges and expanded telehealth. cnbc.com


The Post-COVID Return to Work Continues
Starbucks CEO tells corporate workers to return to the office 3 days a week
Starting Jan. 30, employees within commuting distance will be required to report to the coffee giant's Seattle headquarters on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and a third day decided on by their teams. The memo didn't specify what qualified as commuting distance.

Workers closer to regional offices will also be required to come in three days a week, although the specific days aren't mandated.

The coffee giant's corporate workforce has been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. In September, Starbucks asked those workers to work from the office one to two days a week. But CEO Howard Schultz wrote in a memo to employees on Wednesday that badging data showed employees weren't adhering to that directive. cnbc.com


Republicans demand end to COVID-19 emergency declaration

Coronavirus variant XBB.1.5 rises in the United States - is it a global threat?

LP Leaders Among Top Retail Influencers
RETHINK Retail's Top 100 Retail Influencers of 2023

This list is comprised of retail experts, consultants, analysts, academics, journalists, and thought leaders who are making an impact in retail in 2023.

We recognize influencers for their activity within the online retail community. Influencers frequently comment on retail trends or news stories, share industry insights and join thought leadership discussions. These influencers take on many roles. We selected executives from academia, media, consultancies and analyst firms.

Among the 100 Retail Influencers, several have close ties to the LP community:

See the full list of retail influencers here

U.S. C-Store Rankings

150K C-Stores in the U.S. - Up 1.5% from 2021
U.S. convenience store count reverses four-year decline

The number of convenience stores in the United States inched up in 2022.

There are 150,174 convenience stores operating in the United States, a 1.5% increase from a year earlier and reversing a four-year decline, according to the 2023 NACS/NielsenIQ Convenience Industry Store Count.

Store count increases were recorded in 39 states and Washington, D.C., led by Georgia, which increased by 271 stores. California's count shrunk by 53 stores, the most of the seven states that saw their counts decline. The industry growth was fueled by an increase in single-store operators, which increased 1,087 to 90,423 stores (60.2% of all convenience stores).

Texas continues to have the most convenience stores (116,018 stores), or more than one in 10 stores in the United States. The remainder of the top 10 is the same order from the year prior.

Despite a decline in store count, California remains second at 12,000 stores, followed by Florida (9,596), New York (7,917), Georgia (6,719), North Carolina (5,749), Ohio (5,673), Michigan (4,879), Pennsylvania (4,728) and Illinois (4,666). Alaska grew its store count by 9.2% but still has the fewest stores (190) of any state. chainstoreage.com


Nominations Open
2023 SIA Women in Security Forum Power 100

Recognizing Women Who Lead, Inspire and Innovate in the Global Security Industry

The Women in Security Forum (WISF) Power 100 recognition program honors 100 exceptional women in security who are raising the bar, changing expectations and breaking barriers. They lead, they inspire change and they innovate, and this is their time to be recognized!

Who Can Be Nominated?

• Any individual who is actively advancing diversity, innovation and/or leadership in the security industry

• Companies can nominate multiple individuals from their organization

• Past honorees can be renominated

How Can I Nominate an Individual?

Complete the nomination form here to recognize women who are actively advancing diversity, inclusion, innovation and leadership in the security industry. securityindustry.org


First Unionized Apple Store Begins Negotiations
Apple's first US labor union reaches new milestone for tech industry
Workers at Apple's first unionized retail store began collectively bargaining with management on Wednesday, in a milestone moment not only for the iPhone company but for all of Big Tech.

Apple store workers in Towson, Maryland, who made history in June by voting to form the first union at one of the tech giant's US stores, started contract negotiations with Apple management on Wednesday morning. The worker group, based out of a mall near Baltimore, is organized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union.

Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said "there's a lot at stake" for Apple employees at this and other stores as the negotiations commence. "Other Apple workers will be watching this," she said. "Other workers in the tech industry will be watching this." cnn.com


The Worst Job in the US Is Working in Retail
Retail store associates have the worst job in the US right now as the industry faces a series of post-pandemic headwinds, a US News & World Report analysis found.

Bed Bath & Beyond plans more layoffs
 
Bloomie's, Bloomingdale's small-format store, continues to expand

CPI report shows inflation slowed again in December

Growing Number of IoT Devices Provide Entry Point for Attackers
The dark web's criminal minds see Internet of Things as next big hacking prize

Cybersecurity experts say 2022 may have marked an inflection point due to the rapid proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

Groups buy and sell services, and one hot idea - a business model for a crime - can take off quickly when people realize that it works to do damage or to get people to pay. Last year, it was ransomware, as criminal hacking groups figured out how to shut down servers through what's called directed denial of service attacks. But 2022, say experts, may have marked an inflection point due to the rapid proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

Attacks are evolving from those that shut down computers or stole data, to include those that could more directly wreak havoc on everyday life. IoT devices can be the entry points for attacks on parts of countries' critical infrastructure, like electrical grids or pipelines, or they can be the specific targets of criminals, as in the case of cars or medical devices that contain software.

IoT devices are a key entry point for many attacks, according to Microsoft's Digital Defense Report 2022. "While the security of IT hardware and software has strengthened in recent years, the security of Internet of Things (IoT) ... has not kept pace," according to the report.

A rash of attacks that reached the physical world through the cyber world in the past year show the rising stakes.

What many experts are anticipating is the day enterprising criminals or hackers affiliated with a nation-state figure out an easy-to-replicate scheme using IoT devices at scale. A group of criminals, perhaps connected to a foreign government, could figure out how to take control of many things at once - like cars, or medical devices.

In other words, the possibility already exists. It's only a question of when a criminal or a nation decides to act in a way that targets the physical world at a large scale.  cnbc.com


Profiling Cybercriminals
Inside the Mind of a Cybercriminal: Facts and Fiction
Law enforcement agencies have been researching the backgrounds, personal qualities, and patterns of behavior exhibited by persons engaged in data ransoming, identity theft, and a host of other cybercrimes with the aim of developing a criminal profile of the typical hacker.

To be sure, cybercriminals are a diversified cast of characters and can't be painted with too wide a brush. Over the years, forensic psychologists have been able to identify certain traits that criminal hackers have in common. But scientists admit that the relatively short history of cybercrime, a lack of abundant data, and the subjects studied-who were not always perpetrators of serious crime but rather dabblers-means there's lots more evidence to be gathered in support of the profiles they've developed. But let's take a look at what the research reveals so far.

One of the more comprehensive studies of cybercriminals was launched in 2018 by Hyslip and Holt. It involved 821 respondents, all of whom self-identified as cybercriminals. The data gathered by the study was all self-reported by survey participants, which scientists caution may impart a certain amount of bias. For example, when asked to assess their own levels of skill on a scale of 1 to 10, most survey respondents gave themselves a 10, but the second most common answer was 1.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between. But in terms of basic demographics, the survey found that respondents were predominantly male (88%), white (63%), and young. The majority of respondents had also attended college. Smaller studies found that 68.6% of respondents were single. The majority were employed and had no criminal record.

The lone-wolf theory of cybercriminals has been largely debunked. Cybercriminals often work in small groups. That's particularly true of hacktivists, a subset of cyber offenders who are united by common beliefs, often political in nature. But group affiliation isn't limited to hacktivists. A significant portion of cybercriminals belong to cybercrime gangs. Gangs facilitate a wide range of crimes, from extortion to credit card fraud to money laundering. totalsecurityadvisor.blr.com


Skills, Challenges & Trends
Steps to Strengthen Cloud Security

Troy Leach on Cloud Security Skills, Challenges and Trends

"If we look at all of the types of issues with cloud breaches, it always comes down to misconfiguration," says Troy Leach of Cloud Security Alliance. "The challenge is: People try to treat cloud environments the same as they've always done on-premises, and that is unfair for both environments."

Leach says that part of the problem is that we do more "training than teaching." Instead of telling employees what they need to do, "when we teach them, we empower them to be part of the solution," he says. "Work at trying to find ways that they not only understand but then are proactive of understanding why it benefits the company as well."

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Leach discusses:

• Challenges businesses face when moving to the cloud;
• Why misconfigurations are the number one cause of data breaches in the cloud;
• Cloud security trends to watch in 2023. govinfosecurity.com


'Cyber Catastrophe Bonds'
Insurers Aim to Insulate Against Catastrophic Cyberattacks
Insurers have become increasingly leery of the risks that a major cyberattack could pose to their businesses after claims from a surge in ransomware attacks starting in 2020 sent their loss ratios soaring.

Insurer Beazley PLC on Monday debuted a cyber catastrophe bond, which it says is the first of its kind. It was designed to cover Beazley against shock claims resulting from cyberattacks that exceed $300 million. Catastrophe bonds are insurance-linked securities, meaning they can be traded in the same way as regular fixed-income instruments. They are used to address rare events such as natural disasters, and they allow insurers to indemnify themselves against potentially fatal losses while giving noteholders higher yields than many other forms of debt securities. cybersecurity.cmail20.com


Better Phishing, Easy Malicious Implants: How AI Could Change Cyberattacks

98 Patches: Microsoft Greets New Year With Zero-Day Security Fixes

Pleasant Hill, CA: Takeover robbery at Camera shop similar to other recent cases police investigating
It's happened yet again. Another Bay Area camera shop held up by a group of masked men. The latest takeover robbery happened at Mike's Camera on Contra Costa Boulevard in Pleasant Hill. Five men invaded the store at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, just a half-hour before it closed. They forced everyone to the ground, smashed display cases and stole cameras and other expensive equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars. "They were in, they were out, the made their point and they got some gear along with it," said Heather Shaw, Mike's Camera district manager for California. "It was all very fast, but it was very impactful." After the holdup, staff kept busy, sweeping, cleaning up and assessing the damage. And it was at the Dublin store back in December when five men smashed display cases and ordered workers and a customer to the ground. The robbers escaped with camera bodies, lenses and drones worth $80,000.  ktvu.com


Sweetwater, FL: Man swiped nearly 200 pairs of panties from Dolphin Mall Victoria's Secret
Sweetwater Police arrested a 48-year-old South Florida man accused of being a serial panty thief Tuesday. According to an arrest report, Carlos Angel Ramirez Rodriguez stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret stores at the Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater and the International Mall in Doral multiple times. The thefts reportedly date back to March and continued until his arrest Tuesday afternoon, police said. The report states loss prevention officers had seen Ramirez Rodriguez stealing items numerous times on surveillance video. According to the report, police located Ramirez Rodriguez at a Sweetwater Walgreens Tuesday after being called out for a theft in progress. Police said officers noticed he was holding a plastic bag with a large amount of Victoria's Secret clothing. The report states Ramirez Rodriguez "unlawfully removed 197 pairs of Victoria's Secret panties and one Victoria's Secret fragrance" from the Dolphin Mall store in the most recent theft.  local10.com


Memphis, TN: Thieves steal jewelry from store at Wolfchase Galleria
Three men smashed their way through cases at a store in the Wolfchase Galleria on Tuesday, January 10, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD). MPD said the men walked into Mr. Gold Box inside the mall with hammers and backpacks around 1 p.m. Surveillance video shows the men breaking through the glass cabinets and filling backpacks with stolen jewelry.  fox13memphis.com


South Euclid, OH: Walmart Shoplifter returns next day in same clothing & same truck
Walmart loss prevention reported Jan. 4 that a shoplifter ran from the store and fled from the area in a truck. They said he was the same man that committed a theft the previous day while wearing the same clothing and driving the same truck. University Heights police later reported they had the Cleveland Heights man, 29, on a traffic stop for an unrelated reason.  cleveland.com


Southaven, MS: Women wanted after stealing $18K in merchandise from Polo store
Two women are wanted after stealing nearly $18,000 in merchandise from a store at the Tanger Outlets in Southaven, police said Tuesday. According to the Southaven Police Department, the women stole the items during "grab & go" thefts from the Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store on Airways Boulevard. The women left in a Nissan Altima. Anyone with information about the women's whereabouts or the thefts is asked to call police at 662-393-8652 or email tips@southaven.org. fox13memphis.com


Tahlequah, OK: Kool Aid UPC used to scan $550 of merchandise
On Jan. 2, Tahlequah Police Officer Mitchell Sellers was dispatched to Walmart in reference to reports that Michael Carpenter stole $530 worth of merchandise. Employees said the man scanned items as Kool-Aid with a homemade UPC device before leaving the store. Sellers met with Carpenter, patted him down, and found a loaded syringe. Carpenter was transported to jail and booked on tribal charges of petit larceny, trespassing, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and a warrant.  tahlequahdailypress.com


Lexington, SC: Police searching for alleged Hobby Lobby shoplifters
The Lexington Police Department is searching for two individuals who allegedly shoplifted from Hobby Lobby on December 7, 2022. Authorities say the shoplifters took over $170 in merchandise and left the parking lot in a dark color sedan. abccolumbia.com


Prince George, BC, Canada: RCMP seek suspect in Home Depot theft
RCMP are seeking your help in locating the suspect in a recent robbery at Home Depot. Police say the incident occurred on January 2, with surveillance showing a balding man with a slender build making off with 1,500 worth of goods. ckpgtoday.ca


Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii: Police seeking multiple suspects in Victoria's Secret theft
Four females are being sought for theft at the Victoria's Secret in the Windward Mall. All 4 suspects quickly collected multiple items and concealed them in oversize purses or shopping bag.