24/7 Asset Protection Solution

Prosegur Security Introduces First Fully Integrated Global Logistics and Supply Chain Security Service

The first global, end-to-end solution for 24/7 asset protection by providing a unique blend of people, process & technology as one integrated offering

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Jan. 25, 2022 -- Prosegur Security, a global security leader, has launched a new Global Logistics and Supply Chain Security service, offering a comprehensive, one-stop solution for 24/7 asset protection anywhere in the world. At a time when supply chains are under increased pressure, Prosegur's new service, backed by the company's global reach and 45 years of experience, aims to help companies track, protect and recover assets quicker and easier than ever before.

Prosegur's hardware offering includes GPS devices designed specifically for logistics and supply chain, including specific formats for trucks, trailers, containers and other common uses. Prosegur's Security Operations Center performs round-the-clock live monitoring, verification and incident management, while its law enforcement escalation platform assists with asset recovery and coordination with the police. To help companies improve the efficiency of their logistics operations, Prosegur offers a supply chain visibility and analytics platform designed to simplify dispatch and route optimization, trailer inventory management, maintenance records, and movement and location data. Other specialized services are offered as well, including cargo escorts and theft investigations.

Read more here
 

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

The Factors Driving America's Theft Surge
Op-Ed: Why shoplifting is soaring across the US - and will only get worse
Shoplifting no longer fits its traditional mold as a nonviolent crime perpetrated mostly by teens or substance-abusing adults. Nearly two-thirds of the retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation said that violence associated with store thefts has risen, led by organized gangs that resell the goods they steal. Like retailers, top law-enforcement officials place some of the blame for the crime surge on a widespread lessening of penalties for shoplifting.

California's recent headline-making "flash mob" shoplifting sprees have brought widespread attention to Proposition 47 - a 2014 state ballot initiative, supported by a range of left-leaning and libertarian groups, which, among other things, boosted the felony threshold for shoplifting from $450 of merchandise to $950. Soon after it passed, retailers in California began reporting a sharp uptick in retail theft, often in plain view of helpless store personnel and distressed customers.

What has received far less attention, however, is the fact that California's Prop. 47 was not an outlier among states. In the past 10 years, nearly half of all states have boosted their thresholds for retail felony theft. Thirty-eight states now don't consider shoplifting a felony unless $1,000 or more of merchandise gets stolen. A 2020 National Retail Federation report on organized retail crime found that two-thirds of retailers in states that had raised their felony shoplifting minimums reported growing retail theft.

The unintended consequences of other government policies have also contributed to the problem, retailers say. Changes to bail laws mean that increasingly, those who engage in misdemeanor property crime - considered a nonviolent offense - are quickly back on the streets, where some go right back to stealing. Mask mandates allow criminals to cover up their faces in stores without attracting attention. Bans on single-use plastic bags have made it acceptable for consumers to walk around stores with their own non-transparent reusable bags, enabling thieves to load up in the aisles and head for the exits.

Retailers and cops are looking for reforms to help stem the thievery. They'd like local governments to amend shoplifting laws so that the aggregate value of a repeat offender's stolen goods can count toward meeting the threshold for felony charges, rather than simply counting the cost of goods stolen from each incident separately.

Similarly, businesses and security experts want tougher bail for repeat offenders, even if the offenses in question are only misdemeanors, and a federal law targeting interstate shoplifting gangs. Finally, brick-and-mortar retailers want the federal government to crack down on online sites that sell stolen goods. Retailers have lobbied for a federal law requiring online sellers to disclose more information about their operations, though Amazon and other big tech companies have resisted. nypost.com

California Looks 'Like a Third-World Country' Amid Crime Surge
Could California get more conservative on crime & homeless issues this year?

Lawmakers see voters inundated with coverage of smash-and-grab robberies, encampments

As Californians look deeper into 2022, what can we expect lawmakers in Sacramento to tackle this year? Is the Golden State, long a beacon of hope for progressives, set to swing more conservative as some residents demand a crackdown on crime and homelessness?

Take crime. While some parts of the state have seen an increase in certain types of crime, statistics show California has not suddenly become a hotbed of criminal activity. And yet, the state's politicians know voters have been inundated with a barrage of footage of retail robberies and, recently, miles of train tracks in Southern California littered with pilfered Amazon boxes.

"That can drive public opinion as much as the statistics do," Pitney said, warning that "anything that goes wrong for California will be a video segment on Fox News."

Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed to acknowledge as much this week when he lamented, "We look like a third-world country," as he helped clean up railroad tracks in Los Angeles. In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed introduced a ballot measure that would expand police access to surveillance cameras as part of a bid to crack down on crime and rampant drug use in the Tenderloin and elsewhere.

Earlier this month, Newsom unveiled a budget proposal that called for more prosecutors and a new Smash and Grab Enforcement team to combat organized retail crime, along with grants for impacted businesses. The governor has also hinted, without providing details, that he plans on "leaning into conservatorships this year," perhaps as a way to force mentally ill homeless people off the streets.

And yet the notion that deep blue California, where Democrats hold supermajorities in both the state Senate and Assembly, would abandon its progressive ethos entirely to return to being a tough law-and-order state is a nonstarter. mercurynews.com

ORC Legislation Passes California Senate
SB 301 Dealing with Retail Theft Rings, Passes Senate on a 34-0 Vote
One of the first legislative efforts to crack down on retail theft rings, SB 301 authored by Senator Nancy Skinner, passed in the Senate by a 34-0 vote. The bill would help fight organized retail theft by limiting the sale of stolen goods on online.

The bill requires online marketplaces starting July 1, 2023, "to require a high-volume third-party seller on the online marketplace's platform... to provide to the online marketplace specified information, including certain contact information and a bank account number or, if the seller does not have a bank account, the name of the payee for payments issued by the online marketplace to the seller, as prescribed."

It would require the marketplace "to suspend future sales activity of a high-volume third-party seller that is not in compliance with the provisions described in this paragraph, as specified."

As the California Retailers Association pointed out in an April 5, 2021, letter issuing "support in concept" for the legislation, "For all its benefits to consumers and businesses, online marketplace platforms have also helped fuel a recent, dramatic rise in organized retail crime (ORC) and counterfeit goods. The anonymity that some platform operators afford their third-party sellers provides an easy "fence" for unscrupulous actors to resell illegitimate goods to unsuspecting consumers."

They add, "Basic transparency and verification requirements will make it more difficult for these bad actors to use marketplace platforms to deceive California consumers. It will provide law enforcement with an important tool to track and prevent illicit sales and will help protect Main Street California businesses - small and large - from the harmful practices of these businesses that do not create jobs for Californians."

The bill is also supported by the Prosecutor's Alliance, an advocacy group that backs progressive reform and progressive prosecutors. davisvanguard.org

New Wisconsin Bill Targets Shoplifters & Rioters
GOP to vote on tougher penalties for coordinated shoplifting
Assembly Republicans were poised to vote on bills that would create tougher penalties for protesters. One proposal up for a vote Tuesday would make attending a riot or blocking a street a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail and participating in a riot that causes property damage or personal injury a felony punishable by up to three-and-a-half years in prison. Anyone who harms or throws a bodily substance at a National Guard member would be guilty of a felony punishable by up to three-and-a-half years in prison.

Another bill would make it a felony to damage government property of historical significance. The bills come after protesters burned parts of downtown Kenosha and damaged two state Capitol statutes in 2020.

Another bill up for a vote Tuesday would create tougher penalties for coordinated shoplifting. The measure comes in response to reports last year of gangs of shoplifters running rampant through high-end department stores in California. There's been no reports of similar smash-and-grabs in Wisconsin, but the bill's chief Senate sponsor, Duey Stroebel, said in written remarks to the Senate judiciary committee that the state must send a strong message that organized theft rings will be punished. Under the bill, the severity of penalties for committing thefts as a group would be determined by the total value of the all the stolen items.

A package of bills designed to bolster police recruiting is also up for a vote Tuesday. The measures come as officer applications have dwindled in the wake of George Floyd's death and the national debate over police brutality and racism. The bills would create bonuses for applicants and officers who stay on the job; require at least two technical colleges establish part-time police academies; create a marketing campaign to attract recruits; prohibit local governments from banning no-knock search warrants; and require schools teach courses on how to respect and cooperate with police. Approval would send the bills to the Senate. weau.com

Home Depot's ORC Security Investments Back in the News
Multiple Home Depot thieves nabbed amid wave of organized retail crime

Retailers are losing an average of $719,548 per $1 billion dollars in sales from organized retail crime

Officials have nabbed multiple thieves who stole products from Home Depot stores in recent weeks as the retailer boosts its security measures. On Wednesday, a former New York pawn shop owner admitted to selling stolen goods from major U.S. retailers such as Home Depot.

The news comes as the store ramps up its security investments to combat retail theft - a problem being faced industrywide. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), companies are losing an average of $719,548 per $1 billion dollars in sales due to organized retail crime.

Home Depot Vice President of Asset Protection Scott Glenn told FOX Business earlier this month that the company has been "innovating some new tools and technologies" to make it harder for consumers to steal products.

"But we've also been investing in our own behind-the-scenes technology, innovative things like activation of product," he added.

Product-activation technology utilizes Bluetooth to create an on-and-off switch in certain products that must be activated through a transaction at the register. foxbusiness.com

NYC Mayor Revives Anti-Gun Police Unit, Calls for Bail Law Changes
Adams Unveils Ambitious Plan to Confront Rising Gun Violence

Mayor Eric Adams's proposal includes the restoration of a controversial anti-gun police unit.

Mayor Eric Adams, facing severe pressure to address a growing crisis of gun violence in New York City, announced an ambitious public safety plan on Monday in what has quickly become a pivotal moment in his first weeks in office.

Mr. Adams's plan included the restoration of an anti-gun police unit, and called on state lawmakers to make a number of changes, including to New York's bail law and to a law that altered how the state handles teenage defendants.

Gun violence rose sharply during the pandemic, as historic lows gave way to the highest number of shootings in a decade, and the number of murders approached 500 in 2021. The spate of recent high-profile shootings, including four incidents in which police officers were wounded this year, has continued to change the tenor of criminal justice discussions and policy.

In a sign of the shifting concerns, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, said earlier in the day that he would aggressively prosecute gun-related crimes, including possession - a seeming response to pushback for his adoption of lenient policies upon taking office. He had said during his campaign last year that he would avoid prosecuting people for gun possession unless they were actually involved in violent crime.

Perhaps the most immediate change offered by Mr. Adams on Monday was the highly anticipated revamping of anti-crime police units that were disbanded in 2020 amid social-justice protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd.

Police officials in New York City have identified hundreds of candidates to be assigned to the new units, called Neighborhood Safety Teams, which are expected to be introduced over the next three weeks in 30 precincts across the city where, according to the mayor's plan, 80 percent of violence occurs.

Unlike the disbanded anti-crime units, the plainclothes teams would wear a piece of police insignia like a windbreaker and be equipped with body cameras, Mr. Adams said. But the officers would not wear uniforms and would travel in unmarked vehicles. nytimes.com

LPD Chief discusses crime statistics
According to statistics from the Lafayette Police Department in Indiana, there were 111 robberies in 2020, but that number was cut in half in 2021.

Over 40% of Security Guards Face Abuse
Why do security guards get abused more than others?
Research conducted by the Union of Security Employees (USE) and SUSS's Centre for Applied Research found that over 40 per cent of 1,002 surveyed security officers reported experiencing verbal or physical abuse at work.

Once triggered, abusers are likely to be engaging in heat-of-the-moment snap reactions. There are two broad and interacting factors that may account for why such snap reactions result in acts of abuse: Motivators and enablers. In some cases, abusers may be originally motivated by a perverse sense of problem solving.

The directing of displaced anger and frustration onto security officers is a second motivating factor that may explain why security officers receive abuse.

In enforcing the rules, security officers often must deny abusers their goals (for instance, preventing someone who is not vaccinated from entering a mall), or impose unwanted constraints or requirements (for instance, requiring condominium visitors to register before entry) and all of these are frustrating to people.

While abusers are incapable of venting their anger and frustration towards the authority imposing the rule (like the Government or condominium management committee), security officers are often a less threatening and more available target.

The job of a security officer is an ambiguous occupation, concludes a 2010 study asking the Dutch public of their perceptions of security officers. One reason may be that security officers do a lot. Apart from controlling traffic and enforcing COVID-19 regulations, security officers give directions, fight fires, attend to the injured and help people stuck in lifts, all while making less than the national median income.

How do we prevent future occurrences of abuse against security officers? At an individual level, we can all work towards reducing the psychological distance between us and the security officers whom we interact with regularly. To see them as people who aren't that different from us - they too have a job to do, families to feed and frustrating circumstances to navigate in a given workday. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Supply Chain Robots
Gartner: Artificial intelligence will spread in supply chain

The supply chain is in for more transformation.

According to new analysis from Gartner, evolving data communications networks will help drive 25% of artificial intelligence-based supply chain decisions to "edge ecosystems" (physical locations where things, people, and data connect ‚ such as distribution centers) by 2025. Edge ecosystems transform operations by allowing decision-making close to the original source of information, noted Gartner.

Smart intralogistics robots will become part of most large enterprises

Gartner also predicts that 75% of large enterprises will have adopted some form of intralogistics smart robots in their warehouse operations by 2026. Smart intralogistics robots are specialized forms of hybrid cyber-physical robotic automation, primarily aimed at warehouse and distribution center environments.

According to Gartner, intralogistics robotics address the need to automate certain processes by adding intelligence, guidance, and sensory awareness, allowing them to operate independently from and/or around humans. Gartner identifies flexible robot use cases such as transporting pallets of goods, delivering goods to a person or picking individual items.

"Labor availability constraints, rapidly rising labor rates and the residual impacts of COVID-19 will compel most companies to invest in cyber-physical systems, especially intralogistics smart robots," said Dwight Klappich, VP analyst with the Gartner Supply Chain practice. "The good news is that there are already many flexible robotics use cases, and it is important to evaluate the best fits to an organization's specific needs. Supply chain leaders should take full advantage of growing trends in robotics by creating an organization led by a chief robotics officer, or equivalent role, within their organization."

Enterprises that adopt smart edge ecosystems and intralogistics robotics technology would fall into a supply chain category Gartner previously identified as "fit." According to Gartner, the fittest supply chain organizations see disruptions as inflection points to improve the value that the supply chain provides to the business. For fit supply chains, Gartner says the most impactful disruptions are those that involve fundamental, structural shifts in the context in which the supply chain operates, such as new technologies and changing competitive dynamics. chainstoreage.com

'Just Walk Out' Stores Move to the Suburbs
Amazon opening new Amazon Go store 'closer to home' for shoppers
The tech giant said it plans to open a new type of store aimed at serving customers in suburban-area locations. The first one will open in Mill Creek, Washington, in the coming months. Amazon also plans to open a second Go store in the Los Angeles area.

Like other Go stores, the location will leverage technology allowing customers to make purchases without ever interacting with a cashier. Using the Amazon app, you scan to enter, then pick your items. When customers walk out, they are charged for the items purchased through the app.

"We think local residents and commuters will enjoy the ease of our Just Walk Out Shopping to quickly and conveniently shop from an expanded selection of tasty, ready-to-eat food items and grab-and-go beverages and snacks in their own neighborhood," said Amazon in a statement.

The company has Amazon Go stores in four states, mostly in downtown metropolitan areas including New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. Amazon said the new suburban Go stores will offer snacks, everyday essentials, beverages and grab-and-go food items. usatoday.com

Retail's Union Push Continues
Workers at REI Store in Manhattan Seek to Form Retailer's Only Union

In filing for a union election, employees of the outdoor equipment retailer cited safety during the pandemic, among other concerns.

Employees at an REI store in Manhattan filed for a union election on Friday, making the outdoor equipment and apparel retailer the latest prominent service-industry employer whose workers have sought to unionize.

The filing at the REI store in SoHo asked the labor board for an election involving about 115 employees, who are seeking to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the same union that has overseen the union campaign at the Amazon warehouse in Alabama.

In addition to filing for the election, the REI employees have asked for voluntary recognition of their union, which would make a vote unnecessary. nytimes.com

More Sears & Kmart Closures
Sears gets smaller with Florida store closure
The ever-smaller Sears has closed another department store, this one in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Transformco, owner of the Sears and Kmart banners, also sold the store's underlying property to RK Centers, according to a press release.

Liquidation firm SB360, which has worked with Transformco on Sears and Kmart closures, included a Sears store in a Philadelphia suburb on a list of ongoing closures. The store is the last full-line Sears department store in Pennsylvania.

The list also includes two Kmarts, one in Montana and one in Florida. retaildive.com

BJ's Wholesale on a roll with new store openings