Retail Theft & Fetanyl Crises Top Priorities in California
State senators respond to fentanyl and retail theft crises with new legislation
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the California senate on Monday announced a package of legislation to address the growing fentanyl crisis and untamed outbreak of organized retail thefts.

The senate's action comes after Assembly leaders this month presented their plans to remedy the issues, an indication that the drug and theft crises will be priorities this legislative session - and in California's 2024 election.

The set of 14 bills announced by McGuire and other Democrat and Republican Senate leaders takes a sweeping approach. The legislation, if passed and signed by the governor, would increase access to treatment, enhance addiction services for those in the criminal justice system and penalize criminal trafficking of xylazine, or "tranq," a horse tranquilizer laced in fentanyl.

Among those bills is SB 1144, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), which will tighten regulations to help prevent stolen goods from being sold online.

Hollins said the package is needed "in an environment where special interests are gaslighting Californians with destructive and ineffective rollbacks." She was referring to law enforcement agencies that have lobbied for changes to Proposition 47, a contentious ballot measure that reduced certain retail theft and drug offense charges to misdemeanors.

Contra Costa County Dist. Atty. Diana Becton called for a strategic approach that strays from a one-size-fits-all approach to public safety.

"I have seen firsthand the need to reimagine our approach to criminal justice," she said. "To reexamine and reproach it through a lens of racial and socioeconomic disparity, with an eye to restorative justice programs and rehabilitation programs for nonviolent offenses."  latimes.com


Business Coalition Supports California's Prop 47 Reform Effort
Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft Endorses Proposed Initiative To Reform Proposition 47
Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft (CARRT) today announced its support for the proposed initiative called the Homeless, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act.

"The initiative focuses on repeat offenders of retail crime. It provides an opportunity for those with substance abuse and mental health problems to seek help through diversion programs. At the same time, it also ensures that there are real consequences for individuals who continue to break the law."

"Moreover, this initiative is a significant step towards putting an end to retail and residential theft in both Main Street and neighborhood areas."

According to data from the Public Policy Institute of California, there has been a significant increase in commercial shoplifting, with a 28.7% rise in 2022 alone. Commercial burglary and robbery have also seen an increase of 5.8% and 9%, respectively. Furthermore, a recent survey revealed that 88% of retailers are experiencing more aggressive and violent shoplifters compared to the previous year.

CARRT is a diverse coalition consisting of over 200 business associations, local groups, and victim organizations. Their main goal is to advocate for California officials to take action and equip law enforcement with the necessary tools to reduce theft. Prominent members of the coalition include local Chambers of Commerce, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, California Business Roundtable, California Black Chamber of Commerce, California Grocers Association, California Peace Officers Association, Crime Victims United, Klaas Kids Foundation, and the National Federation of Independent Business.

CARRT has been engaging in discussions with local officials, law enforcement, and legislators to ensure that they comprehend the true impact of retail and residential crime. They aim to provide public safety officials with additional resources to effectively address this problem. For more information about CARRT, please visit their website at www.carrt.org. businesswire.com


Calif. Governor & Senate Leader Calls Prop 47 Untouchable
CA Senate leader opposes Prop. 47 changes. Here's how he wants to tackle theft
California's new Senate leader on Monday came out against changes to Proposition 47, instead advocating for tools to target organized retail theft and help those dealing with opioid addictions.

"I do not believe that this state needs to touch Prop. 47 to be able to help make our communities safer, full stop," said Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, during a press conference.

That stance puts him in line with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who stated his opposition to altering the 2014 ballot measure during his January budget presentation. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said last week he was not yet ready to take a position on reworking Proposition 47.

Republicans and moderate Democrats have been pushing for changes to the measure amid concerns about retail theft and fentanyl overdoses. Proposition 47 made some nonviolent crimes misdemeanors, including shoplifting of items worth $950 or less and certain drug possession offenses.

The Public Policy Institute of California in September reported 2022 crime data showed shoplifting rates were lower that year than they were in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, commercial burglary and robbery rates increased during that time period.

Voters approved Proposition 47 as part of a larger effort to reform punitive state sentencing laws of the 1980s and 1990s. A panel of federal judges in 2009 ordered California to curb prison overcrowding, resulting in a series of ballot initiatives and legislation to reduce the number of inmates in state facilities.

McGuire instead laid out a series of Senate bills meant to increase access to drug treatment and addiction services within the legal system and address large-scale retail theft. The Senate leader's bill package comes on the heels of a similar proposal from Rivas. sacbee.com


NYC Government to Pay Stores to Boost Security?
Small biz would get cash for security amid retail theft spike, under NYC Council bill
New York City supermarkets, bodegas and other small retail businesses would be eligible for cash grants to beef up their security systems under a bill set to be introduced in the City Council this week in response to a local surge in shoplifting.

The Small Business Protection Act, authored by Bronx Councilman Oswald Feliz, will be formally introduced during the Council's stated meeting on Wednesday, he said in a recent interview.

The legislation, a copy of which was exclusively provided to the Daily News, proposes to create a city government program that would dole out grants to small retail businesses for purchasing security equipment like cameras, plexiglass windows and panic buttons. Any retail store that operates on the ground floor of a commercial space and qualifies as a small business under federal regulations would be eligible for the grants, according to the bill.

Feliz's measure doesn't include a dollar figure for how much money a small retail business owner would be able to receive under the program. The bill also doesn't spell out which city agency would be tasked with administering the program. He said those omissions are by design, as he envisions such specifics will be hashed out in the legislative process.

For his part, Feliz said it'd be reasonable for the city program to cover half of what it costs a business owner to do security upgrades, with a cap on the total allowable amount. He said he has spoken to bodega owners in his district, which covers Morrisania and other Central Bronx neighborhoods, who'd be able to install top-notch security camera systems in their stores for about $8,000.

Mayor Adams' support would likely be required for Feliz's bill to become law.

New York City saw a 64% spike in shoplifting offenses in 2023 as compared to 2019, the largest increase out of 24 major U.S. cities surveilled in a study by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice. nydailynews.com


Another D.C. Leader Facing Recall Amid Retail Crime Surge
2nd Dem faces recall effort in crime-ridden city after business owner endures violent robberies

DC business owner launches recall effort against Democratic councilmember, says violent crime has 'shattered lives,' 'eroded trust'

Concerned Washington, D.C. residents and small business owners have banded together to oust a Democratic councilmember during an ongoing crime surge, marking the second recall effort launch in the district in months.

The recall effort against Councilmember Brianne Nadeau launched Tuesday over her relaxed criminal justice reform policies as the district grapples with skyrocketing crime in recent years, leaving some business owners in turmoil and many residents feeling unsafe. The announcement echoed a push to remove fellow Councilmember Charles Allen, which has attracted support from Democratic political fundraisers and congressional staffers who have helped raise over $56,000 for the campaign.

Alvarez, who owns a small business in Nadeau's district, said she was driven to launch the campaign after her smoke shop endured three violent robberies.

"My employees were terrorized, and my security costs have become astronomical," she said in the statement. "I know that I am one of many people and businesses in this dire situation."

As crime has dropped in some major cities across the country, the nation's capital ended 2023 with a 26-year high in homicides with 274 murders, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Robberies and thefts spiked 67% and 23%, respectively, and motor vehicle thefts nearly doubled.  foxnews.com


419 Security Officers Murdered Since 2020
Less Than 15% of Security Officers Shot or Killed Were Armed
419 on-duty security officers have been murdered since the beginning of 2020. Hundreds of others have been shot.

Using police and news reports, data collected from workplace injury and death websites, shooting death websites, and internally by Private Officer International, conservative figures show that at least another 700 security officers were shot and wounded during the same period.

From the data collected, and in many instances confirmed by news and police reports of the incidents, the security officers who were shot were mostly unarmed.

The data shows that less than 15 % of those shot were armed and of those, the majority survived their wounds and their assailants were either wounded or killed by the security officer. Another aspect of the study concentrated on less-than-lethal weapons.

During the past four years, security officers armed with other non-firearm type weapons were able to fend off assaults and in two incidents, attempted carjackings of their vehicles. However, the data does not conclusively show that overall, security officers were safer with less lethal weapons.

As in previous studies, a defining fact showed that most security officers still are not equipped with two-way radios, GPS safety devices, or other methods to alert someone that they are either under attack, injured, or need emergency assistance.  privateofficer.org


Hundreds of gun shops monitored by ATF for weapons traced to crimes

Funny: FBI Brutally Roasted Over Picture Choice For Tweet About Theft
 

DOJ Slaps Family Dollar With $41.6M Fine for 'Insanitary' Warehouse
The plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years

Family Dollar agrees to pay $41.6M for rodent-infested warehouse in Arkansas
Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree, pleaded guilty Monday to holding food, drugs, cosmetics and other items under "insanitary" conditions at a now-closed, rodent-infested distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas, federal prosecutors said.

Family Dollar faced one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions at the facility, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. The company entered into a plea deal that includes a sentence of a fine and forfeiture amount totaling $41.675 million, the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case, the department said.

"When consumers go to the store, they have the right to expect that the food and drugs on the shelves have been kept in clean, uncontaminated conditions," said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. "When companies violate that trust and the laws designed to keep consumers safe, the public should rest assured: The Justice Department will hold those companies accountable."

A company spokesperson said it cooperated extensively with the DOJ's investigation.

The plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years, the DOJ said.

In pleading guilty, the company admitted that its Arkansas distribution center shipped FDA-regulated products to more than 400 Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. According to the plea agreement, the company began receiving reports in August 2020 of mouse and pest issues with deliveries to stores. The company admitted that by January 2021, some of its employees were aware that the unsanitary conditions caused FDA-regulated products held at the warehouse to become adulterated in violation of federal law.

According to the plea agreement, the company continued to ship FDA-regulated products from the warehouse until January 2022, when an FDA inspection revealed live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, and odors, and evidence of gnawing and nesting throughout the facility.

Subsequent fumigation of the facility resulted in the reported extermination of 1,270 rodents. seattletimes.com


Retailer's 'Second Chance Program'
Giant Food meeting workforce needs with incarcerated people

Second Chance Program filled a role few individuals wanted and gave a now-former inmate a fresh start.

Since Giant launched its initiative to bring Dorsey Run inmates onto its payroll, known as the Second Chance Program, the retailer has hired about 30 inmates at the correctional center, Petway said. That number includes people who are currently incarcerated as well as employees who, like Davis, have completed their sentences but still work at the warehouse.

Workers who participate in the program can have no more than 18 months left to serve in prison and must have prior work experience, such as handling kitchen duties at Dorsey Run, to be eligible. They also need a high school diploma or proof that they are working toward such a certification.

People who join Giant though the Second Chance Program receive the same pay and benefits as other associates and are unionized, Petway said, adding that the Ahold Delhaize-owned company's goal is to convert workers to permanent status, typically within a year and a half after they start.

The program has proved effective in helping Giant reduce its reliance on third-party staffing companies, which can charge twice as much per worker as the retailer spends on workers it directly employs, according to Petway, a 26-year Giant veteran who proposed the initiative to the company's leadership after arriving at the fresh food facility in 2022. Giant also sees the program as a way to demonstrate its commitment to the neighborhoods where it does business, she said.  supplychaindive.com


'Hands-On' Safety Training is Key
The Continuing Evolution of Safety Training

High-tech tools and an emphasis on individual learning are improving the effectiveness of safety training.

Thomas Pitts, Schneider Electric's director of safety and environment for Services and Solutions Group in North America, said: "People learn more when training is hands-on," Pitts says. "This [augmented reality] method allows people to understand specifically what happened in an incident and what could have been done differently."

"What has changed over the past few years, in terms of technology, is that people are able to be trained on a variety of devices, such as computers, tablets and smartphones. They can train however and whenever they want-even on their own time, if they would like."

This move toward individualized training is part of an overall company strategy. "Since COVID, there are two words that describe our training strategy: tailored and efficient," explains Pitts.   ehstoday.com

 
Dutch Bros to open 150 to 165 shops in 2024

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Guarding the Retail Fortress
Cybersecurity Challenges and Network Interruption Risks
In the last several years, retailers have increased the speed with which they have built online and mobile app presence. With this evolution into digital sales and the increased use of data mining, retailers are facing unprecedented challenges in digital security. Cyberattacks and network outages can disrupt operations and erode customer loyalty.

Robust Security Protocols

Retailers should establish and maintain strong security protocols such as:

• Secure socket layer (SSL) encryption
• Firewalls
• Systems intrusion detection systems
• Multi-factor authentication protocols
• Complex password requirements
• Segmentation of systems

Regular System Audits and Risk Assessment: Conducting regular audits of systems will help identify and address vulnerabilities before they are exploited by cybercriminals.

Employee Training: Training is needed that goes beyond stating rules and consequences. It should also be focused on ethical considerations as well as emphasizing the impact of cybersecurity breaches on personal and professional relationships.

Advanced Cybersecurity Technologies: Investing in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) can help in the early detection and response to cyber threats by analyzing patterns to predict potential breaches. According to a McKinsey & Company report, the integration of AI-driven security systems in retail has brought about a notable decline in the incidence of cyberattacks.

As the retail industry continues to navigate an evolving digital landscape, the importance of robust cybersecurity measures is key. Understanding the threats, assessing the potential impacts and implementing a comprehensive strategy can safeguard operations, protect customers and maintain reputations. This proactive approach to cybersecurity is an essential component of sustainable business practice in the landscape today. retailtouchpoints.com


'Compromising Valid Accounts'
Hackers using stolen credentials to launch attacks as info-stealing peaks

Abusing valid accounts: the most common entry point into victim environments in 2023.

Attackers prefer compromised valid accounts over phishing or any other infection methods to gain access into victim environments, according to an IBM report.

"As defenders increase their detection and prevention capabilities, attackers are finding that obtaining valid credentials is an easier route to achieving their goals, considering the alarming volume of compromised yet valid credentials available - and easily accessible - on the dark web," IBM said in the report.

The report, which is based on IBM X-Force's penetration testing data from incidents in 2023, also found security misconfigurations and poor authentication enforcement as top application security risks opening organizations to identity-based attacks.

Additionally, the report identified a drop in enterprise ransomware incidents as organizations either had tools to prevent such attacks or were prepared to refuse payment in favor of rebuilding infrastructure if attacked. csoonline.com


AI Has More Benefits for Defenders Than Attackers - For Now
Feds say AI favors defenders over attackers in cyberspace - so far

Officials from the FBI and DHS say generative AI has so far yielded more benefits for cybersecurity practitioners than malicious hackers.

As large language models and other artificial intelligence tools have proliferated more widely, researchers remain divided on whether highly capable AI tools will provide an advantage to attackers or defenders in cyberspace.

According to two U.S. officials on the frontlines of securing American computer systems, so far AI is giving an advantage to the defender - for now.

"Right now, there are probably more cybersecurity benefits from using AI than there are threats from our adversaries using it. But that's a precarious balance, and something we at the FBI are not taking for granted," Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director for the FBI's cyber division, said Tuesday during a speech at the Trellix Cybersecurity Summit. cyberscoop.com


Five Eyes nations warn of evolving Russian cyberespionage practices targeting cloud environments

White House: Use memory-safe programming languages to protect the nation