Has Convergence Been Achieved In Security? Why Or Why Not?

In today's interconnected world, the lines between physical and digital security are blurring. This means that threats can easily exploit vulnerabilities in both realms, potentially causing significant damage. That's why the convergence of cyber- and physical security systems is becoming increasingly important. It has already been a topic of discussion in the security market for more than a decade. To get a reality check, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Has convergence been achieved in security systems? Why or why not? 

Steve Burdet Axis Communications

Even if it’s not complete, convergence in security systems is thoroughly underway as segregated networks have proven costly and impractical. This shift towards integrated networks for both IT and IoT devices is driven by the demand for total usability from a system, which true convergence would provide. However, managing multiple vendor devices in the name of convergence presents a challenge, and the high resource intensity of onboarding and maintaining numerous devices throughout their lifecycles will need a specific solution to make everything cohesive. If organizations want true convergence, they’ll need to enable automated installation, security, troubleshooting, and streamlined processes. While progress toward this goal is evident, the extent of convergence varies, and organizations must navigate ongoing challenges to achieve widespread and effective security system integration.  securityinformed.com

Retail Dive Editors Take Their Shots at the LP Numbers - The LP Industry - The NRF & RILA
Basking is the glory of catching the 500lb. marlin

The Backroom: The story behind our stories on shrink and theft

When the National Retail Federation retracted a theft claim following our coverage of its special report on crime, the news went viral. Here’s what it took to get the story.

All kinds of news outlets cover retail crime, especially the alarming videos of smash-and-grab robberies, but not many dig into the industry’s attempts to pinpoint what is going on. Both the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association in recent years have attempted to quantify the impact of shrink and theft on retail; both have emphasized the problem of organized retail crime in particular.

Anyone taking a close look at retail shrink and crime soon finds a complex, layered set of issues that haven’t been well illuminated by the available research, not even by the specialized knowledge from the industry groups. After months of coverage, Retail Dive uncovered a faulty claim in a 2023 special report on crime from the NRF, along with other weaknesses in the numbers and terminology employed by both major groups.

The NRF ultimately walked back the number in question — that half of all shrink was due to organized retail crime. That retraction went viral at the end of the year, was picked up by several news organizations and led policy makers and others to demand better data. In this month’s episode of The Backroom, Senior Editor Kaarin Vembar and Senior Reporter Daphne Howland, who worked closely on these stories for much of 2023, talk about what went into the coverage, what the fallout was like and what stories they are working on to shed further light on these important topics.

Two Dive Editors talk about how their story went viral and how the industry has been unable to quantify the ORC problem that may not be as big as everyone’s claiming.

Resource links:

• Retailers have a crime problem. It’s in the numbers.
• 7 reasons why everyone’s confused about shrink and theft
• Most shoplifting is not organized retail crime: report
• RFID has been around for decades. Now it’s becoming retailers’ best crime-fighting tool.     retaildive.com

Editors Note:  Diving into a subject they've had no direct or reporting experience in and focusing on the one mistaken quote they found, like the 500lb marlin they caught, which drove the NRF's retraction, these two editors stumbled into this subject and appear to be continuing to stumble. 

Offering no real substance or findings after their 'exhaustive research' and being quick to point out issues as new, while we've all been dealing with them for years. 

Yes, it's difficult, if not impossible to come up with definitive ORC numbers when up until this past year, no one, not a retailer on this planet was willing to talk about definitive numbers externally for fear of being terminated. 

That is not until the marketplaces, the dark web, the drug problems, the progressive DA's, no-Bail reform, the Cartel's, the homeless, the Eastern Europeans, the in-store violence, the flash mobs, the social media gangs, police staffing shortages, the smash and grabs, and a few other factors I'm forgetting right now, all came together this past fall and drove a host of top retail CEO's to go public and basically declare a national emergency.  Oh, but no, according to these two editors and the NY Times, these CEO's were crying wolf.

To also say that law enforcement doesn't even know what ORC is, shows the level of research they've conducted.  With over 35 ORC Associations across the nation comprised of thousands of law enforcement personnel from virtually every branch involved.  From Homeland Security, the FBI, ICE, State Police, and hundreds of municipal police departments I feel safe to say that if a few in law enforcement are unaware of ORC then they've been existing with their heads in the sand and I feel bad for their respective community.

But to see these two well intentioned editors go on record touting these findings I felt the necessity to call them out, as they called us out.  Just my thoughts
- Gus Downing

Gangs Tell Memphis Mayor Rival Gangs Need to Put Their Guns Down Too

Memphis Mayor Asks Gang Members for '7-Say Ceasefire.'

Memphis Mayor Paul Young met with local gang members through the help of two of the city’s violence intervention programs to talk about what is driving them to engage in violent lifestyles and what can be done to get them to stop.

“It was a great conversation. My ask of them was to have a seven-day ceasefire, and they were willing to do it,” he said. 

The gang members acknowledged challenges in ceasing to engage in violence, particularly that rival gang members were not in the room with them to have discussions.  “They would need to agree to put their guns down as well,” he said of the gang member’s feedback.

But Young’s sit-down comes at a time of heightened concern over local crime. Overall crime is trending down, but Young believes there is “far too much” in the community. 

They're Celebrating Any Movement At All in Memphis

Memphis Q4 Shows 'Dip in Property Crime & Crime Overall'

The city saw a 43.8% year-over-year increase in its vehicle theft rate — and Shelby County a 42.9% increase — in 2023, according to Crime Commission data released this week. However, when comparing fourth-quarter 2023 to the same period in 2022, vehicle theft rates decreased 16.1% in Memphis and 16% in the county. 

The overall crime rate — which accounts for 54 Group A crime incidents, including murder, robbery, burglary, theft, and drug and weapons violations, reported to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation — increased 7.6% in Memphis and 6% in Shelby County in all of 2023, the Crime Commission reported. But it fell 6.4% in the city and 7.2% in the county during the fourth quarter.

Major violent crime diverged, however.

According to Crime Commission data, the city’s major violent crime rate was up 7.4% and the county’s 6.3% in 2023 compared to the year before. It also increased 6.3% in Memphis and 6% in Shelby County in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to fourth quarter 2022. 

A 53.8% increase in the murder rate and 20.7% in the robbery rate last year in Memphis (closely aligned with county increases of 52.3% and 19.6% respectively) pushed the major violent crime rate higher, according to the privately funded, independent commission’s report.

Crime Commission survey: 84% support hiring more cops

The Crime Commission also released results last week from an independent survey conducted Jan. 9-11 by Public Opinion Strategies. According to those results, 93% of respondents “expressed a high degree of respect” for police officers; 75% wanted to see more visibility of officers in their neighborhoods; and 84% supported hiring more police officers. 

In the Crime Commission survey, 64% of white respondents and 50% of Black participants said they thought the criminal justice system is too lenient. dailymemphian.com

Tough Case - Just Suspend it & Label it 'SL' -"Suspended-Lack of Personnel"

Over 250K Cases Dropped by Houston Police over Lack of Staffing

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he had called for the end of the practice of suspending cases because of a lack of staffing, and he says detectives would be calling on over 4,000 suspended cases.

Amid revelations that the Houston Police Department may have suspended more than 250,000 criminal investigations due to lack of manpower in recent years, HPD Chief Troy Finner has repeatedly stated he never signed off on that practice and that he told employees to stop using the code years ago.

But the short-staff case closures were written into the department's official policies as recently as December, according to documents obtained by the Chronicle.

The documents, which come from the internal manual for the department's major assault unit, or MAU, discuss various ways that employees can suspend a criminal investigation and the codes they can use to document it. They appear to allow the use of the code "SL," which means "Suspended — Lack of Personnel," for both felony and misdemeanor cases.  officer.com

San Diego's Smart Camera & License Plate Recognition Five-Year Journey

Once Completed San Diego Becomes the Largest Smart Streetlights & LPR Single Network in the Country

And it took a Murder Conviction of a Retail Store Owner Being Upheld in Appellate Court Over Smart Streetlights & the Expectation of Privacy

In the first two months the Technology is Already "Making Our City Safer" & Setting Legal Precedence

San Diego PD's Network of Smart Streetlights Already Seeing Success

San Diego police officials have called its growing network of streelights equipped with cameras and license plate readers a force multiplier, and the technology has already helped crack cases.

San Diego police officials said more than 100 smart streetlights have been turned on since the surveillance network got final approval late last year, and the technology is already making a difference in cases.

The department first proposed the controversial network — made up of 500 cameras, all of them equipped with automated license plate reader technology — in March. Once installed, San Diego would become the largest in the country to use cameras and plate readers as part of a single network, San Diego police officials have said.

"Instead of casting a large net based on sometimes vague descriptions, the Smart Streetlights cameras and (license plate reader) system now allow us to be laser focused and apprehend suspects event faster," Police Chief David Nisleit said in a statement. "This investment is precision, intelligence-led policing at its finest and will deliver results."

And they've already helped crack cases, the department said Friday. Police officials said the network has been used to investigate more than 20 cases, including burglaries, robberies, stolen vehicles and four homicides.

"Having our Smart Streetlight and (license plate reader) technology is already making our city safer, with examples just in the first two months of operating that show their ability to help police locate and apprehend dangerous suspects more efficiently and with greater certainty," Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement.   officer.com

The cost - The push back - The First Try - The privacy advocates - The 'Public Outcry' - The challenges. 

And finally, last month's state Appellate Court ruling setting the stage for the full roll-out of a single network Smart Streetlights & LPR and setting legal precedence. 

Continue Reading  SFPD's Smart Streetlights & LPR Journey

San Francisco Exodus Continues

Macy's Closing Union Square Store in San Francisco after almost a century of operations

Walgreens closes San Francisco Financial District location; seniors protest

 

DOJ: Family Dollar Stores LLC Pleads Guilty to Holding Consumer Products under Insanitary Conditions, Agrees to Pay $41.675 Million in Connection with Rodent-Infested Warehouse

Family Dollar Stores LLC pleaded guilty today to holding food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics under insanitary conditions, related to a rodent infestation at the company’s West Memphis, Arkansas, distribution center.

A criminal information unsealed today in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas, charged Family Dollar with one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions. The company, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., entered into a plea agreement 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 plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney presided over the company’s guilty plea and sentencing at today’s hearing

“Consumers trust that products purchased from retail stores such as Family Dollar are safe,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “It is incomprehensible that Family Dollar knew about the rodent and pest issues at its distribution center in Arkansas but continued to ship products that were unsafe and insanitary. Knowingly selling these types of products not only places the public’s health at risk but erodes the trust consumers have in the products they purchase. Products shipped and sold are required to be safe for consumers and the safety of Arkansans and others are extremely important to this office. Let me be clear, if you conduct business in Arkansas and allow the shipment or sale of unsafe and insanitary products, you will be held accountable.”

According to the plea agreement, the company began receiving reports in August 2020 of mouse and pest issues with deliveries to stores. By the end of 2020, certain stores reported receiving rodents and rodent-damaged products from the warehouse. The company admitted that by no later than January 2021, some of its employees were aware that the insanitary conditions caused FDA-regulated products held at the warehouse to become adulterated in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

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.  According to the plea agreement, subsequent fumigation of the facility resulted in the reported extermination of 1,270 rodents. On Feb. 18, 2022, the company voluntarily recalled all drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and human and animal food products sold since Jan. 1, 2021 in the 404 stores that had been serviced by the warehouse. justice.gov

 

Dollar Tree Press Release

Dollar Tree Responds by Creating & Hiring 2 'C' Level positions - Senior Positions in Food Safety, Product Quality & Regulatory Compliance, and Environmental Health and Safety: a Safety, Sanitation & Compliance Manager in each DC

“Having reached full resolution with the DOJ, we are continuing to move forward on our business transformation, safety procedures and compliance initiatives,” said Dollar Tree Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling. “When I joined Dollar Tree’s Board of Directors in March 2022, I was very disappointed to learn about these unacceptable issues at one of Family Dollar’s facilities. Since that time and even more directly when I assumed the role of CEO, we have worked diligently to help Family Dollar resolve this historical matter and significantly enhance our policies, procedures, and physical facilities to ensure it is not repeated.”

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are committed to selling quality food and products, maintaining a safe environment for associates and customers, and complying with all laws and regulations. In addition to Family Dollar initiating a voluntary recall of all FDA-regulated products shipped from DC 202 and decommissioning the site, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have significantly enhanced and continue to strengthen compliance and safety programs and capabilities.

Enhancements to strengthen safety and compliance

• Created new compliance and safety roles, hiring experienced personnel to strengthen the Company’s practices, including a new Chief Legal Officer with expertise and experience building and enhancing corporate compliance programs and working in and with the U.S. Department of Justice; a new Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer with experience leading compliance at a global retailer; senior positions in Food Safety, Product Quality and Regulatory Compliance, and Environmental, Health, and Safety; and a Safety, Sanitation, and Compliance Manager in each distribution center.
• Developed and implemented risk-based procedures and controls, and continuing to deliver extensive compliance and safety training to associates. This is supported by strengthened monitoring and auditing activities to test program execution and adherence and promote continuous improvement.
• Over the past 18 months, each of the Company’s distribution centers has passed an independent, third-party audit and became “Good Distribution Practices” (“GDP”) certified, with all distribution centers planning to maintain the distinguished certification.  dollartree.com

 

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in EHS

As we harness AI’s potential, the future of EHS looks promising—one informed decision at a time.

At its core, safety is an information-based discipline. This information can take many forms; it could be leading and lagging safety performance indicators, emissions numbers, risks noted over multiple observations at the shop floor, audit logs and so on. Today’s unfortunate reality is that environment, health and safety (EHS) leaders often spend more time worrying about the cleanliness, completeness and comprehensiveness of that information than they do thinking about how to strategically leverage the insights embedded within it.

Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the narrative. Stressed that your employees aren’t adequately documenting near misses or observations? AI can help. Struggling to stay up to date on the latest regulatory developments and ensure 100% compliance? AI can help. Straining to identify relationships within EHS datasets that will unlock performance gains? You guessed it—AI is here to help.

Broadly speaking, AI is allowing EHS professionals to spend more time doing what they got into this business to do: tactically implement programs, processes and procedures that help every worker get home safe every day. Let’s explore some of these use cases in detail.

See Everything That’s Happening - Finding Value in Large Datasets - Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics - Stay on top of Regulations - Improve Training and Drive Engagement - Challenges with AI

The integration of AI in EHS applications is reshaping the landscape of workplace safety. AI-driven EHS solutions will empower organizations to be more proactive by enabling better risk mitigation, real-time monitoring and streamlined compliance processes. AI will be less of a tool and more of a partner in the never-ending quest for zero harm. 

The possibilities of AI are only now coming into full view. As we harness AI’s potential, the future of EHS looks promising—one informed decision at a time.  ehstoday.com

 

Leaders Should Keep an Eye on Strikes & Focus on Their Actions
Ed. Opinion: Retailers saw more union activity in 2023 then it had in decades as well.

2023 had the most recorded strikes in decades

If last year felt like one of upheaval, BLS data shows that it wasn’t imagined — and it highlights growing worker power even in a rougher economic time.

In 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 33 major work stoppages — the most recorded since 2000, when there were 39. 

BLS defines a major work stoppage, also known as a strike, as an event that involves 1,000 or more workers and lasts at least one shift during the workweek.

Of the 458,900 workers involved in strikes during the year, 86.7% were in service-providing industries, including education, health services and the information sector, while 13.3% were in the manufacturing sector.

BLS’s data captures larger worker movements, including those by various hospitals and healthcare firms, such as the historic Kaiser Permanente strikes. What it does not capture are smaller pockets of work stoppages, such as movements by Starbucks Workers United, which staged strike actions throughout 2023 and captured a number of headlines.

2023’s strikes also serve as an example of how employee power is growing and shifting, Forrester analysts said in October. 

“Leaders should keep an eye on strikes but should focus their actions on a broader employee power framework,” J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, wrote in a company blog post. “Employee power in all its forms provides you with a valuable signal. It tells you that there’s misalignment between management and employees on key issues.”  hrdive.com

 

What’s next for Kroger and Albertsons as merger case moves on to court

The grocers’ ability to combine could come down to how a judge rules on the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction, antitrust experts said.

Kroger and Albertsons’ ability to complete their planned merger in the face of the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge will likely hinge on the grocers’ ability to convince a single federal judge that regulators have misunderstood the implications of the deal, according to antitrust law experts.

The judge will decide after listening to arguments from both sides whether to grant the FTC’s request for her to issue a preliminary injunction that would prevent the grocers from combining. And while the companies would be able to fight a court order stopping the merger, moving ahead under those circumstances would be daunting.  grocery.com

Texas Panhandle wildfires merge, become largest in state history at over 1 million acres

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy additional state emergency resources, just one day after he issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties. Evacuations were ordered in Canadian, Glazier, Double Diamond, Arrowhead Addition, Maverick Village, Alibates, McBride, Mullinaw and Harbor Bay.

 

FDA Files Civil Money Penalty Complaints Against 20 Retailers; seeking a fine of $20,678 against each retailer for the sale of Elf Bar products.

As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to crack down on retailers and vape manufacturers, the administration has now filed complaints for civil money penalties (CMPs) against 20 retailers for the sale of Elf Bar e-cigarettes. The FDA previously issued each retailer a warning letter for the sale of unauthorized e-cigarettes. However, the administration’s follow-up inspections revealed that the retailers had failed to correct the violations, and the agency is now seeking the maximum penalty amount of $20,678 for a single violation from each retailer

Storm on track to reach Bay Area; blizzard warning in effect for Sierra Nevada

Outback, Carrabba’s, Fleming’s, and Bonefish Grill Closing 41 Locations

The Container Store lays off 100 employees amid ongoing sales declines

 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director – Fire Protection & Life Safety

Lead Company-wide safety and risk control services with an emphasis on fire and life safety. Develop risk identification and control processes including the study of high risk or high consequence safety, process safety and loss exposures affecting employee, process, physical asset, or the community. Support organization adherence to Company Safety, Loss Control and Chemical Security Standards, in addition to regulatory and recognized national and international standards. indeed.com

 

Quarterly Results

Bath & Body Works Q4 sales up 0.8%, Full Year net sales down 1.78%

Macy's Q4 comparable sales down 5.4%, digital sales down 4%, total sales down 1.7%, Full Year comparable sales down 6.9%, digital down 7%, total sales down 5.5%

Lowe's Q4 comparable sales down 6.2%, total sales down 16.9%, FY

Top cybersecurity salaries shoot past $780k.

Although well-compensated, cybersecurity roles are increasingly multifunctional, combining responsibilities for IAM, application security (AppSec), and product security. The top 10% of cybersecurity professionals in the US drew as much as $783,000 on average in 2023, according to according to a joint IANS and Artico Search study. Although well-compensated, cybersecurity roles are often multifunctional, and typical functional combinations within a role include IAM, application security (AppSec), and product security, the study noted. The study, which is based on responses from 563 security professionals from April 2023 to November 2023, primarily surveyed security analysts and security managers working in the finance, healthcare, and technology sectors. “The global cybersecurity talent shortage is a perennial issue. In the US alone, there are only enough qualified cybersecurity professionals to meet 72% of current demand — which is hovering near a ten-year low,” said William Candrick, director analyst, security and risk management, Gartner. “Unfortunately, labor market supply-and-demand issues in cybersecurity will not be solved anytime soon. As a result, cybersecurity leaders and professionals often wear multiple hats and work long hours.” The study also underlined gender diversity has improved across various security domains while the pay gap persists, and recognition and job perks help retention rates.

Security roles are well-compensated. Cybersecurity directors, managers, architects, engineers, and analysts were all well compensated, with high quartiles (top 10%-25%) having annual salaries considerably higher than the median pay for their roles.

“Top quartile total earnings across the various roles in the sample are considerably higher than the median pay,” the study added. “In many cases, the top 10% average is as much as three times the median total compensation, indicating a significant pay band within each of the roles.” For cybersecurity directors, the total annual compensation was $330,000 on average, with $250,000 being the cash compensation they received annually. The compensation was at $402,000 and $325,000 respectively for senior directors, who are more experienced, and those who have a larger span of control compared to directors. (csoonline.com)

European Discount Retail Giant Pepco Loses €15 Million to Cybercriminals

The UK-based company reported losing €15.5 million (roughly $16.8 million) in cash as a result of a “sophisticated fraudulent phishing attack” at its Hungarian business.

An investigation has been launched and Pepco is working with banks and the police to recover the money, but the company says it’s currently unclear whether the funds can be recovered.

“At this stage, the incident does not appear to have involved any customer, supplier or colleague information or data,” the Pepco Group said.

The Pepco Group owns the Pepco, Dealz and Poundland brands. The 3,600 Pepco stores spread across 19 European countries have more than 30 million customers every month.

Based on the company’s brief description of the incident and the amount that was lost, it may have been targeted in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme, where cybercriminals use hacked email accounts to trick the targeted organization’s employees into transferring money to bank accounts they control.   securityweek.com

CISA, FBI, and MS-ISAC Release Advisory on Phobos Ransomware

Etsy is cracking down on coupon misuse

Etsy sellers have long complained about shoppers abusing coupon codes. Now, Etsy is making a change that aims to crack down on the problem.

Etsy plans to add expiration dates to “thank you” and “abandoned cart” coupons sometime in March, a spokesperson confirmed to Modern Retail. The marketplace is making the change to help its 7 million active sellers cut down on instances in which their coupon codes are reused or used by people who do not meet the coupons’ requirements. The move “will also help Etsy sellers have a clearer view on the usage and impact of their coupons so that they can make the most of their offers,” the spokesperson said via email. Etsy will reveal more information about the terms of the coupons in the coming weeks.

For years, Etsy has offered two types of coupons. The first, called Etsy Coupons, are funded by Etsy and sent to certain buyers. These may include discounts like “10% off your next purchase.” The second, called Shop Coupons, are set up by individual sellers as part of their marketing campaigns. The two coupons Etsy is introducing changes to — the “thank you” and “abandoned cart” coupons — fall into the latter category. Etsy has traditionally used deals as a way to bring more customers onto the platform; last fall, it encouraged sellers to offer discounts earlier than ever for the holidays.  modernretail.com