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Buffalo Tops supermarket shooter gets life without parole in prison

The gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racially-motivated shooting at a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket last May was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.

Payton Gendron, 19, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole, after pleading guilty in November to state murder and domestic terrorism charges. Gendron is the first person in New York state to be charged with domestic terrorism motivated by hate, which carries an automatic life sentence.

“There is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society,” Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan said, as she handed down Gendron’s sentence. “There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances.”

“The damage you have caused is too great, and the people you have hurt are too valuable to this community,” she added. “You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.”

Gendron drove three hours from his home in Conklin, N.Y., to the Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, to commit the massacre last spring. 

The self-proclaimed white supremacist planned the attack for months, visiting the store on multiple occasions to scout out the location. He showed up on May 14 dressed in tactical gear and equipped with a modified semiautomatic rifle that could be loaded with high-capacity magazines. thehill.com

UPDATED $0 BAIL STUDY: Yes They are "More Likely" to Re-Offend
Suspects released on $0 Bail had twice the felony rearrests, three times the violent crime re-arrests

YOLO COUNTY - Zero-dollar bail: It's a controversial topic. Last year, a local study from the Yolo County DA's office found 70% of suspects released on zero-dollar bail, reoffended. But were they *more likely* to re-offend? An updated study indicates the answer may be, yes. 

The new study compared the rearrest rate of suspects who were released without posting bail in Yolo County, to those who had to post bail. The data show suspects released on zero-dollar bail were twice as likely to be rearrested for felonies and three times as likely to be rearrested for violent crimes compared to those who had to post bail.

The study compares “a random sample of 100 suspects released on zero-dollar bail between 2020 and 2021 … to 100 suspects who did have to post bail in 2018 and 2019,” Yolo County DA Jeff Reisig said.

“The whole point of this study is not to debate the merits of some type of bail reform. It’s to look at the issue of zero bail where people are being automatically released,” Reisig said.

Under the zero-dollar bail system, Reisig said suspects were released by jailers, not judges. “I’m convinced, based on the data, that judges would have held people on bail,” he said.

Read the full study below.  Zero Bail vs Posted Bail Study

 

Arrest after arrest, victim after victim, according to data compiled by the Yolo County DA's office, hundreds of suspects were released on zero-dollar bail during the pandemic – and then re-arrested in Yolo County alone.

Last year, the Yolo County District Attorney ran the numbers and found, out of the 595 people released on zero bail over the 13 months the policy was in effect in that county, 420 were rearrested – more than 70%.

The Yolo County study was cited on the California State Assembly floor and was widely believed to have helped kill a bill related to zero bail.  cbs.com

 

Retail Businesses Express Alarm Over 'Rash of Robberies'

A team of an Oakland police sergeant and six officers will begin their patrols next week after local businesses expressed concern over public safety following a rash of robberies.

Oakland will send a police foot patrol to walk the city's retail corridors — an effort to address public safety concerns expressed by local businesses and to attract more shoppers in the city.

Mayor Sheng Thao, Acting Police Chief Darren Allison and business leaders revealed Tuesday that the team of one sergeant and six officers will begin patrolling different business corridors next week.

"We are committed to a safe Oakland for every person who lives here, who works here, who visits and who plays here," Thao said.

The announcement comes as businesses express alarm over robberies and the city struggles to address public safety concerns amid police staffing woes. The department currently has 713 sworn officers — the highest number in nearly a year.    officer.com

 

About Time Mayor Addresses Staffing Crisis & Open-Air Drug Dealing

SF Mayor Breed asks for $28M amid 'severe' S.F. police shortage

Citing the San Francisco Police Department’s “staffing crisis,” Breed said the supplemental budget request would essentially keep the department afloat for the remainder of the year.

Without the additional funding, Breed warned that the department could have to implement a hiring freeze and pause overtime spending. That would result in fewer police officers on duty for a department already widely criticized for failing to respond in a timely fashion to crimes like home break-ins.

Separately, Breed announced a second piece of legislation that would offer the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office a $200,000 funding boost. It would pay for three additional prosecutors focused on open-air drug dealing.

The budget increased by $56.6 million in this year’s budget, bringing total spending to $714 million.    sfexaminer.com

LA Launches Pubic Safety Alternative To Police Response

Los Angeles city officials launched a public safety initiative named Project TURN on Monday. TURN stands for Therapeutic Unarmed Response for Neighborhoods, and the project aims to provide trauma training and support to unarmed community intervention workers as an alternative to police response in some cases, NBC reports. The initiative will be supported by $2.2 million in city funds and will provide training and other services for over 100 community intervention workers in the city.  thecrimereport.org

 

 

MRA Recognizes Legislators Who Fought for MI ORC Initiatives

Michigan Retailers Association Announces 2022 Legislators of the Year

Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) announced it is recognizing six legislators for their work on advancing Organized Retail Crime (ORC) related legislation as its Legislators of the Year for 2022.

Each legislator played a key role in introducing and pushing to advance legislation that will help protect businesses, employees and customers from the hazards of ORC.

State Representatives Ben Frederick (former) (R-Owosso), Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills), Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills), as well as State Senators Curtis Hertel (former) (D-East Lansing), Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), Roger Victory (R-Hudsonville) worked tirelessly on legislation that increased penalties for selling known stolen goods and increased transparency into marketplaces for law enforcement.

All three of MRA’s ORC initiatives were signed into law in July 2022. This three-pronged approach includes the INFORM Act (HB 5486), adding ORC as a racketeering offense (SB 691), and a $3.5M budget line item to create an ORC unit under the Attorney General.

 

Biometrics industry has a big problem with call to ban ‘surveillance’ in airports

Two influential industry groups say a call by five powerful U.S. senators demanding a federal ban on facial recognition is way off base.

Last week, the senators said they wanted the Transportation Security Administration to stop deploying facial recognition systems in United States airports. Facial recognition software, they say, is being used or tested in 16 airports and plans call for a continued rollout.

The group claims travelers could have their facial biometrics leaked or stolen. That possibility forces people to decide if they want to travel by air urgently enough to gamble on losing control of their primary biometrics.

A rebuttal from the International Biometrics + Identity Association says the senators are either uneducated about what the TSA is doing, or they are politicking with inaccurate statements.

The TSA uses credential authentication technology, or CAT, terminals that do not recognize faces. They only try to match them to the documents travelers must carry to fly.

Association members say live images shown on TSA screens to verify identity are not stored in any meaningful way and are not used by the TSA as part of biometric surveillance at any airport.

p>The Security Industry Association was no more pleased than the biometrics association with the senators’ statement, said pollster Schoen Cooperman Research has found that 70 percent of Americans favor facial recognition used for TSA screening.  biometricupdate.com

SIA:  Calls to End Biometrics for Air Traveler Verification Are Misguided, Put Americans at Risk

It’s always important that implementations of advanced technologies like facial recognition balance privacy concerns; however, TSA should reject demands to end use of the technology because in this case, facial recognition provides enhanced security, accuracy and convenience for travelers without impacting existing privacy rights or expectations.  securityindustry.org

 

Over 100 drivers crash into buildings every day in the US & 10% Are Thieves
16,000 People Injured & 2,600 Killed Every Year

Cars crash into 7-Eleven stores every day, and the problem just cost the chain $91 million after a man tragically lost his legs

Nearly half of those cause an injury, while one in 10 is a deliberate attack by thieves to steal cash or goods.

Chicago man going by "Carl" stopped at his local 7-Eleven to grab his usual cup of coffee and wait for his carpool ride to work.  While he was waiting outside, another driver pulled into a parking space, but mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, popping the car onto the sidewalk and pinning Carl's legs against the wall.

Carl lost both of his legs as a result of his injuries, and was last week awarded a $91 million settlement against 7-Eleven — the largest pre-trial personal injury settlement in Illinois history, the local NBC affiliate reported.

As part of the discovery process, Carl's lawyers obtained crash incident data from all 7-Eleven locations in the US spanning the 15 years from 2003 to 2017. In all, there were 6,253 storefront crashes at 7-Elevens in that period — an average of more than one per day. One reason for the frequency is the sheer number of locations. 7-Eleven has more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. 

According to the Storefront Safety Council, more than 100 vehicles collide with buildings each day, with more than half of those occurring at retail shops, restaurants, or convenience stores. Each year, the council estimates as many as 16,000 people are injured and as many as 2,600 people are killed.

More than 40% of the crashes are caused by a 'pedal error' or other operator error, according to the council, but in one out of 10 cases, the crash is considered intentional, as thieves use a vehicle to smash into a building in order to steal merchandise, cash, or entire ATMs.

"If you install bollards, you pretty much solve that problem," Storefront Safety Council co-founder Rob Reiter told CBS Chicago.    businessinsider.com

 

DOJ White-Collar Crime Prosecutions Continue Decline

According to TRAC, Justice Department prosecutions for fraud and other forms of white-collar crime have hit another all-time low

The Department of Justice’s prosecution of white-collar crime has been dropping steadily for the past decade. Just as it did in 2021, another analysis of DOJ data shows that 2022 had the lowest rates of white-collar crime prosecution since tracking started two decades ago.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a Syracuse University joint research data center, has been creating reports on the case-by-case Department of Justice Data every year and recently found 2022 marked an all-time low since tracking began during the Reagan administration. 

TRAC found 4,180 white-collar defendants were prosecuted during 2022’s fiscal year, which ended in September. 

The DOJ has previously disputed TRAC’s methodology.

The fact is the trend is continuing and it is so persistent, regardless of changes in presidential administrations and their priorities, it continues,” Susan B. Long told The Crime Report. Long co-founded TRAC in 1989 with investigative journalist David Burnham and still acts as co-director.

TRAC found the review process for white-collar prosecutions filed in 2022 to be an average of 452 days, 3.6 times more than the average federal prosecution time for the whole year.

Cases against businesses tracked by TRAC were prosecuted by the DOJ at a much lower rate than individuals, with one business being prosecuted for every 100 individuals on average throughout the years since this type of data started to be recorded in 2004. While businesses are rarely prosecuted, white-collar crimes and fraud typically involve organizations, government programs or other providers. 

Read the full report, ‘Corporate and White-Collar Prosecutions Hit New All-Time Lows in FY 2022,’ at TRAC-FBI.  thecrimereport.com

FTC’s noncompete ban could snag even routine NDAs

The days of one-size-fits-all nondisclosure agreements could be over if the Federal Trade Commission prevents companies from limiting where ex-employees can work.

The Federal Trade Commission’s proposal to ban noncompetes could complicate how companies handle even their routine nondisclosure agreements, Aaron Levine and Matt Todd of Polsinelli said in an analysis.  

Although the FTC has noncompetes in its sights, the proposed rule it released in early January wraps in NDAs to the extent they function as a noncompete agreement. 

“A nondisclosure agreement between an employer and a worker that is written so broadly that it effectively precludes the worker from working in the same field after the conclusion of the worker’s employment with the employer [might be] a de facto noncompete clause,” the FTC said.   hrdive.com

“Wow....Retail Sales MUCH stronger....the consumer doesn’t want to back down”

January Retail Sales Shake off Sluggish December With 3% New Year Surge

On an annualized basis, the report said that sales at retailers and restaurants — which are not adjusted for inflation — were up 6.4% from January 2022.

 If food, fuel and auto sales are backed out, the core retail result was up 2.3% from December and 3.9% from a year ago.

Department Stores Go Crazy

Looking inside the latest numbers, the 17.5% monthly increase in sales at department stores was far and away the biggest gainer for the month, while on an annualized basis, trailed the latest headline inflation number by a full percentage point.

Other standout performers in January included a 7.2% sequential increase in food services and drinking places, a 6.4% rise in auto dealers, as well as a 4.4% gain by furniture stores and a 3.5% month-on-month bump in sales of electronics.  7.2% gain in restaurant retail sales in January was strongest since March 2021, before [the] pandemic.  pymnts.com

 

Neiman Marcus is laying off 5% (500) of its workforce

Walgreens & Aldi close their stores in north Minneapolis

FAT Brands to open 175 stores in 2023

 

Quarterly Results

Kering Q4 comp's down 7%, total sales down 2%
Kering Full Yr. retail & e-commerce up 10%, comp's up 9%, revenue up 15%
    Gucci Q4 sales down 14%, FY sales up 8%
    Yves Saint Laurent Q4 sales up 4%, FY sales up 31%
    Bottega Veneta Q4 sales up 6%, FY sales up 16%
    Other Houses FY Q4 sales down 4%, sales up 18%
    Kering Eyewear and Corporate Q4 sales up 30%, FY sales up 55%

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Biometrics and Smartphones Make Life Without Passwords a Reality

Nicole Jass, chief product officer at Prove Identity, told PYMNTS that despite the burgeoning popularity of biometrics and other advanced authentication methods, passwords are still overwhelmingly — perhaps even surprisingly — prevalent.

That’s evident in the fact that roughly 80% of data breaches are caused by password thefts.  Those of use who have embraced logging in with our faces are not fully protected, she said.

The biometric option is simply a substitute for a password and not yet a wholesale replacement.  But if a fraudster gets hold of the password itself, then they can still log into an unsuspecting victim’s account.

We won’t be truly passwordless, she said, until there are actually … no passwords.

“It’s going to take a while,” Jass said.  And until then, she said, consumers, and corporates, will remain vulnerable.  pymnts.com

 

Spanish Police Bust Phishing Ring That Defrauded Thousands

Gang Targeted American Victims and Pocketed Over 5 Million Euros (U.S. $5.3M) in Less Than a Year

A multinational law enforcement action led by the Spanish National Police shuttered an online scam ring that pocketed 5 million euros and mainly targeted victims in the United States.

Police in Spain arrested eight gang members, and police in Miami arrested one. The group's alleged head of operations is among the Spanish arrestees.

Spanish authorities say the group operated out of Madrid and mainly defrauded American citizens and companies by sending malicious links as phishing emails or via SMS.

After an initial phishing attack, gang members often pressed victims for additional information by making spoofed calls to obtain data they needed to drain bank accounts or make fraudulent online purchases.

The scammers then withdrew the money through ATMs, transferred the sums to overseas accounts or converted them into crypto assets, the authorities say.  Police also froze 74 bank accounts and assets worth over 1 million euros.  govinfosecurity.com

Teamsters Pushing Amazon About "Unsafe Secret Quotas"

South Dakota Senate Hearing Puts Spotlight on Amazon Injuries

Legislation Would Bring Transparency to Secret Work Quotas

(PIERRE, S.D.) – The South Dakota State Senate held a hearing Tuesday on the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, legislation being pursued in states across the country to rein in dangerous quotas in Amazon warehouses.

“When an Amazon warehouse comes to town, injuries go up and wages go down,” said Tom Erickson, President of Teamsters Local 120 and Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “Our union is fighting for good jobs for all warehouse workers, and we will hold Amazon accountable for its unsafe, secret quotas.”

In Amazon warehouses, workers race against an invisible clock as they hope to meet the company’s secret quotas, leading to injuries. The legislation would require Amazon and other major warehouse companies to provide workers with a copy of any quotas and ensure that quotas do not interfere with legally protected breaks. Similar laws have already been enacted in California and New York and have been introduced in six other states so far this year.

While the committee voted not to advance the legislation, the hearing was an opportunity for elected officials and the public to learn more about the high number of injuries at Amazon warehouses.  teamsters.org

Three men arrested for stealing nearly $80,000 in flooring tile from Home Depot.

Tulsa, OK: The group referred to as ‘The Texas Ticket Switchers’ had hit 3 Home Depot stores in Green County on Monday. The Home Depot Loss Prevention team has been tracking this group since January of 2022. The group had been responsible for thefts in both Texas and Oklahoma. Tulsa Police along with The Home Depot Loss Prevention Team stopped the group on Monday attempting to steal over $3000 of merchandise. Police also recover the group’s vehicle with 49 boxes of flooring materials. The group would swich the bar code on the expensive flooring ($75 per box) with a upc for $1.00 and proceed thru the self check out registers. fox23.com

$7.3K In Electronics Stolen From Burlington Co. Store, Suspect Sought.

Mount Laurel, NJ: Police are seeking a suspect who took more than $7,000 worth of items from a Best Buy in Burlington County. Mount Laurel Police released photos of a male suspect and the car they say he left in, a silver Chevrolet Malibu. Police said the man stole several items from the electronics display area of the Best Buy on Nixon Drive on Monday evening, then left in the car, which someone else was driving. The items totaled around $7,334, police said. patch.com

Thieves Bought So Much With Stolen Credit Card It Wouldn't Fit in Pickup.

Pierce County, WA: Investigators with Pierce County Sheriff's Department arrested two people last month suspected of being involved in an identity-theft ring that deputies say took information from at least 22 victims and used stolen credit cards to make fraudulent purchases. One purchase used a credit card stolen from a person's mailbox to buy $6,215 worth of merchandise from a Home Depot, deputies said. According to court records, the alleged thieves bought so much they couldn't fit it all into a Dodge pickup. About $2,000 worth of items was left in the parking lot.

Deputies caught wind of the suspects Jan. 9 when the victim of the fraudulent purchases made a police report, and investigators were able to obtain surveillance video of a vehicle tied to it. Deputies said another fraudulent credit card charge for $2,638 made at a Lowe's was declined. Investigators identified the three suspects using video from surveillance cameras. A 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were arrested Jan. 31 while driving the Dodge in Spanaway. The truck was impounded for a search warrant, and, in a news release issued Monday, deputies said "numerous" documents belonging to other identity theft victims were found. chronline.com

Police arrest 2 suspects for stealing $4,500 in items from outlet mall in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh, IN: Police have arrested two people accused of stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from the Edinburgh Outlet Mall. “Generally, we get a few items here and there but this is somebody that made a plan, had a plan, and probably had a list that we didn’t find or at least some ideas of what they needed to get,” said Chief Doyne Little with the Edinburgh Police Department. Friday afternoon, Edinburgh Police were called to the outlet mall for a couple of suspected shoplifters. One of the suspects reportedly ran away from mall security. Police ended up tracking down and arresting Dayani Penate and Yariel Gabian. Both suspects are from Tennessee. Detectives allegedly found their van loaded with stolen items such as jeans, bras, shirts and shoes. A total of more than $4,500 in stolen items. “A large amount of our thefts that occur down here are from out of state,” Little said. “They will come here and steal and then go back and sell it at a cheaper price.” fox59.com

Wanted: 3 Who Stole From Lowes, BJ’s.

Suffolk County, NY: Two men stole 20 Smart Lighting Switches from Lowes, located at 100 Express Drive North, at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 17 and fled the scene in a gray Dodge SUV. The merchandise has a value of $2,900. Police are also looking for the man who stole merchandise from a Commack store last month. He stole items, including two televisions, from BJ’s Wholesale Club, located at 2 Veterans Memorial Highway, on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. The items were valued at more than $500. huntingtonnow.com

Brinks security guard shot during Willowbrook Mall robbery.

Houston, TX: An armored car security guard was shot Tuesday at a Houston shopping mall during a robbery. The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. at the Willowbrook Mall, FOX Houston reported. A Brinks armored car guard was shot by a suspect, the FBI said. The guard was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive. Authorities said the guard was wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time of the shooting. The suspect got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.news.yahoo.com

5 Arrested in Roof Top Burglary at Marijuana Dispensary.

Los Angeles, CA: Five suspects were arrested breaking into a marijuana dispensary at 7569 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District early Tuesday morning. Police responded to a report of a burglary at the location at about 12:45 a.m. Tuesday. Five men wearing ski masks were reportedly trying to break in through the roof. One suspect was immediately arrested. Three more fled in a white Dodge Charger and F-150 pickup truck, but they were also taken into custody in the area. Security cameras in the building showed at least one final burglary suspect was hiding inside, possibly in a crawlspace. LAPD officers used bolt-cutters to get inside and arrest that suspect.

LAPD officers remained on scene to investigate. cbsnews.com

Houston, TX: Off-duty officer chases gunman after shots fired during fight at steakhouse downtown

abc13.com

Chicago, IL: Man sentenced to 8 years for trying to burn down Boost Mobile store in Chatham neighborhood.

fox32chicago.com

Chautauqua County, NY: Rite Aid Robbery suspect identified by Silver Creek village cameras

observertoday.com

Video shows smash-and-grab burglary at Canada Goose store on Magnificent Mile

abc7chicago.com

Johnstown, PA: Woman accused of stealing over $32k in lottery tickets from BP station.

wtaj.com

Bartow County, GA: Dollar General worker arrested for loading more than $6K to his personal debit card

wsbtv.com

Round Lake Beach, IL: Goodwill store in Round Lake Beach evacuated after employees find Training Grenade in donated items

lakemchenryscanner.com

Worchester, England: Man arrested after nearly 200,000 Cadbury's Creme Eggs worth $48,000 stolen from trailer.

mylondon.news

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