ORC Task Forces Popping Up Across the Country
Local task forces emerge as an effective means to disrupt these criminal organizations

Why Retailers Need Task Forces To Fight Organized Retail Crime
The fight against ORC is a complex challenge that calls for action on a multitude of levels. It's encouraging to see both the U.S. House and Senate considering bills that would strengthen the federal response to this continuing issue. But the legislative process is slow moving - and retailers need solutions faster than the gears of Washington can turn.

Establishing Greater Coordination

That's why it's so promising to see local task forces emerge as an effective means to disrupt these criminal organizations on a broad scale. By establishing greater coordination between law enforcement agencies, local government, and retailers - and by deploying data analysis to identify the root causes of the issue, rather than the symptoms - these partnerships leverage the most advanced and targeted methods to detect and deter behavior related to ORC.

Across the country, states like Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Utah, and California are taking matters into their own hands by launching and expanding task forces dedicated to fighting ORC. These types of task forces are gaining popularity because they're a mutually beneficial way to stop organized crime.

Oftentimes, law enforcement cannot devote resources to cases that initially appear as low-level retail theft. Retailers, on the other hand, depend on law enforcement and prosecutors to root out criminal organizations and bring bad actors to justice.

Data Collection Technology

Recognizing broader patterns of organized crime is not easy, which is why ORC task forces have become the preferred tool of choice for so many states and cities. By working together under the umbrella of a task force, all involved parties can share data that helps them quickly identify where ORC is happening, how it's happening, and who's behind it.

At their core, the ORC task force is a refinement of existing law enforcement techniques, enhanced by surveillance and data collection technology that reduces crime by helping to catch repeat offenders earlier. Typically, a retailer's asset protection team would conduct an internal investigation by collecting video and transaction data about ORC, then deliver it to law enforcement and prosecutors for further action.

Law Enforcement Work - Retail Parking Lots - Law Enforcement Resources - Organized Retail Crime: securityinformed.com

Is Crime Fueling Store Closures?
Big city store closures spark a nationwide political dispute

US retail stores' closure sparks debate
The closure of retail stores in some major US cities has sparked a political dispute about the reasons, with organized shoplifting rings and employee safety often cited.

Recently, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, Ted Wheeler, said the largest US retailer Walmart is leaving the Northwest city because of crime.  "The retail industry is changing and retail theft is a national issue," Wheeler said.

Footwear giant Nike, headquartered in Oregon, had offered to pay off-duty Portland police officers to provide security at one of its stores. Nike has said that the problem is nationwide, and some of its warehouses and even trains carrying its merchandise have been hit.

In a March 8 hearing on a bill in the Oregon Senate, law enforcement officers, grocery store representatives and lobbyists for the retail industry backed increasing jail time for those involved in organized retail theft.

Retailers say the main problem is organized rings that involve multiple suspects rushing through stores and stealing large quantities of goods. In New York, there also have been problems with repeat individual offenders.

New York Mayor Eric Adams has endorsed Governor Kathy Hochul's plan to allow judges more leeway in determining bail amounts for criminal defendants.

Last year, legislators in California, Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina increased penalties for stealing from stores. Under an amended law in Louisiana, those caught stealing as part of a group could face up to seven years in prison.

Retail industry executives in San Francisco blame a 2014 ballot measure that reclassified nonviolent thefts as misdemeanors for goods worth less than $950. In November, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced efforts to curb rising retail crime. bloombergnewstoday.com


Is the Death of Data-Driven Policing Fueling NYC Crime?
Opinion: Why NYC crime policy-makers are now ignoring data
Last month, at the City University of New York, I lectured about how evolutions in data-led policing strategies helped New York City reduce annual murder numbers from 2,245 in 1990 to just 292 in 2017 - and from 93 annual fatal police shootings in 1971 to just six a half-century later.

In the 1990s, CompStat - which tracks crime and holds precinct commanders accountable for their numbers - pushed police to identify more nuanced patterns in this data, such as when shootings coincided with illegal dice games.

These insights enabled cops to disrupt lower-level offenses, while preventing more serious crimes.

But today, even relative progressives like Mayor Adams are having little luck with data. Last month Adams requested data-driven legislative changes that would help keep the 327 shoplifting recidivists responsible for 30% of the city's retail theft from causing more mayhem.

But his proposal was dismissed-a pattern that will likely persist unless our data-hostile climate changes. Data is also becoming more difficult to come by following a suppression in record-keeping as a result of the 2017 Raise the Age legislation.

This city used to care about intelligent, informed policymaking - because we cared about actual New Yorkers' outcomes. Now we only care about whose version of reality sounds (or feels) the least racist.

The city achieved truly meteoric declines in violence, imprisonment and use of police force by letting the data tell us nuanced - sometimes unintuitive - stories. If we keep muffling that data, we will never see those wins again. nypost.com


Biden's New Executive Order on Expanding Background Checks
Biden to sign new executive order on guns, expanding background checks

Two months after a deadly California shooting, the president will unveil a plan to expand background checks without Congress.

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order aimed at expanding background checks during his visit Tuesday to Monterey Park, Calif., where 11 people were gunned down in January. The White House said the move will get "the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible" without legislation, as Congress remains gridlocked on the issue. Gun safety advocates have pushed administration officials on this front for months.

The executive action will direct Attorney General Merrick Garland to address a background check loophole by clarifying the definition of "engaged in the business" of selling firearms, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters late Monday ahead of the announcement. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed last summer updated federal law, requiring anyone who sells guns for profit to be licensed and conduct background checks on buyers. By clarifying who qualifies as a gun dealer, the federal law will require a greater number of sellers to conduct background checks on prospective buyers.

The executive order also directs members of Biden's Cabinet to focus on raising public awareness of red flag laws and safe storage of guns and to address the loss and theft of firearms, the official said. The president will also take additional steps aimed at holding gun manufacturers accountable, including by encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to analyze and report how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors. politico.com


NYPD's 'Alarming' Police Exodus Continues
NYPD cops resigning in new year at record-breaking pace - with a 117% jump from 2021 numbers
New York City cops are resigning at a record-breaking pace this year as the NYPD's alarming exodus continues, according to new data obtained by The Post.

"The NYPD staffing emergency is approaching the point of no return," said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch.

The shocking stats show 239 officers tapped out in January and February, a 36% spike from the 176 who fled in the same period last year and a disturbing 117% jump from the 110 in 2021, NYPD pension data show.

That's the highest number of resignations for the first two months of a year since 250 members quit in 2007 during a contentious contract dispute,

"The NYPD needs to be rebuilt from the ground up - it's unfixable in its current state," a veteran Manhattan cop told The Post. nypost.com


Will 2023 Be a Record-Breaking Year for Mass Shootings?
Already a bad year for mass shootings in the US
It only took until March 5, or 64 days, for the US to reach 100 mass shooting incidents in 2023. That was the quickest timeframe since at least 2014, when it took 159 days, according to Gun Violence Archive.

A mass shooting is defined as an incident where four or more people were shot, excluding the attacker.

As of March 5, 149 people had been killed and 399 people injured in mass shootings, a rise of 75 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. ft.com


FBI releases revised hate crime stats showing 12% increase in 2021
More than three months after the FBI released incomplete data about documented hate crime incidents across the U.S., supplemental figures published Monday found that reports of bias-motivated attacks rose by nearly 12% in 2021.

'Rapist' was out on the streets thanks to NY's soft-on-crime attitude

Michigan lawmakers to roll out gun reform bills

Dollar General Hit with Another $1M in Fines for 'Unsafe Conditions'
$15 million in fines since 2017 - 180+ inspections nationwide

Low-cost, higher risk: Dollar General inspections in Florida, Georgia find employees exposed to blocked emergency exits, other dangers

National discount retailer faces an additional $1M in penalties, $15M since 2017

ATLANTA - While it portrays its store chain as "America's neighborhood general store," Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC - one of the nation's largest discount retailers - continues to expose workers to unsafe conditions, this time at four Florida and Georgia stores.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected stores in Ocala, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, and catalogued many of the same violations Dollar General has refused to correct at its stores throughout the nation.

Since 2017, OSHA has issued more than $15 million in fines and cited Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp in more than 180 inspections nationwide for numerous willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations related to unsafe conditions

In Ocala, federal workplace inspectors opened inspections at stores on 58th Avenue and Marion Oaks Manor in late August and September 2022. They found merchandise obstructing exit routes, exposing workers to fire and entrapment hazards. OSHA also discovered merchandise blocking fire extinguishers and an automatic sliding door disabled and locked. The agency cited the company for five repeat violations and proposed $710,974 in penalties for these inspections.

OSHA's investigation in Columbus found Dollar General's Victory Drive location also exposed workers to fire and entrapment hazards by locking an emergency exit door. The location had boxes and merchandise stored in an unsafe manner, exposing workers to struck-by hazards. OSHA issued citations for two repeat violations with $221,001 in proposed penalties.

At the retailer's 13th Avenue location, OSHA found boxes of merchandise, shopping carts and other items blocking walkways, exposing employees to trip hazards. OSHA cited Dollar General with one repeat violation and $98,219 in proposed penalties.

In Alabama, Florida and Georgia, OSHA has issued citations in 23 Dollar General store inspections from Feb. 1, 2022 through Jan 31, 2023, with a total of nearly $7.5 million in penalties. osha.gov


The Great Debate Over How Dollar Stores Impact Communities
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Dollar stores are an imaginary plague
Fast-growing retail chains are getting blamed for figuring out how to operate successfully in depressed rural communities and troubled inner-city locations, as well as more moneyed areas.

A study published this month from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance titled "The Dollar Store Invasion" claims dollar-store chains pose a danger to a community's well-being. A recent New York Times story strikes a similarly alarmist note, saying a growing number of cities are fighting back against expansion by Dollar Tree and Dollar General, the leading dollar-store companies.

Among the sins being alleged in the "Invasion" report: The chains "target disenfranchised areas, especially in hard-hit rural communities as well as Black and Latino neighborhoods in or near urban centers."

They "deliberately understaff their stores," leading to safety violations and violent crime, while paying low wages. They also use "predatory tactics" - such as keeping prices low and opening multiple locations - to drive local grocery stores and other retailers out of business.

The reality is that dollar stores number in the tens of thousands coast-to-coast for good reason. They provide tremendous value to their customers, especially during inflationary times.

And the dollar chains have stepped up recently to clean up their stores and increase wages.

Dollar Tree, for instance, had to respond to a disgusting scandal involving rats and other vermin at an Arkansas distribution center. Its chief executive departed, replaced by a dollar-store veteran with a strong operational record who has rebuilt the management team and pledged to maintain higher standards. The company is boosting hourly pay by about $2, and rising labor costs continue to put upward pressure on its wage rates.   chicagotribune.com


Target Becomes First Company to Earn A+ on Racial & Gender Scorecard
Other retailers were close behind, including Lowe's, Home Depot and Best Buy

13 Companies Earn an 'A' on 'Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard', While Women and People of Color Continue to Experience Large Pay Gaps

In the 6th annual pay scorecard, Target gets an A+, Lowe's and Best Buy rise from "F" to "B", and 25 companies earn an "F"

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS-MARCH 13, 2023-Arjuna Capital and Proxy Impact today released their 6th annual "Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard" to mark Equal Pay Day on March 14. Of the 68 companies examined, 13 - Target, Starbucks, Mastercard, Microsoft, Pfizer, Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, Adobe, American Express, Visa, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Home Depot - receive an "A," while 25 companies receive an "F." Target is the first company in the history of the scorecard to earn a perfect score - A+.

"Target's score of A+ is really something to celebrate this Equal Pay Day," said Natasha Lamb, managing partner of investment management firm Arjuna Capital. "Racial and gender pay gaps are structural and persistent, but the scorecard holds up those companies that are doing the real and honest work to create pay equity."

1st Perfect Score: Target receives the 1st perfect score of A+ on the Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard, with Starbucks close behind.

Rising stars: 15 companies improve their scores year-over-year. Lowe's and Best Buy saw the largest score increase from an F to a B, as they began disclosing comprehensive adjusted and unadjusted median racial and gender pay gaps.

Leading Sector: Consumer companies lead the way on pay gap disclosures, with the sector comprising 38% of companies awarded an "A" score.  businesswire.com


Kroger Ramps Up Lobbying Efforts to Albertsons Merger
Kroger Hires Former House Speaker John Boehner to Push Albertsons Merger

Grocer enlists help in lobbying effort aimed at combining the 2 largest supermarket chains in the country

Ohio-based The Kroger Co. has enlisted the help of former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) to win approval of its proposed merger with Albertsons Cos.

While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to review the proposed merger, reports emerged earlier this month that the two grocers are following through on a previously announced divestiture. The companies are planning to sell up to 300 stores in a move to dispel antitrust concerns. The value of the stores could exceed $1 billion. progressivegrocer.com


US inflation eases but stays high, putting Fed in tough spot
When measured against prices a year ago, inflation has been easing for eight months. In February, consumer prices climbed 6% from 12 months earlier, down from January's 6.4% year-over-year increase and well below a recent peak of 9.1% in June.

Nordstrom will cut about 2,500 jobs as layoffs creep into the retail world

Stitch Fix, Etsy, and Other Retailers Weigh in on the SVB Meltdown

Amazon Ring Hit with Ransomware Attack
Amazon-owned Ring reportedly suffers ransomware attack

Russia-linked ALPHV ransomware gang has threatened to leak the stolen data if the company refuses to pay the ransom.

Ring, a home security and smart home company owned by Amazon, has reportedly suffered a ransomware attack by Russia-linked ALPHV group, according to a tweet by VX-Underground.

The ALPHV ransomware group, also known as BlackCat, has posted the company's logo on its website along with a message that reads, "There's always an option to let us leak your data." The group has threatened to leak the stolen data if the company refuses to pay the ransom.

It is unclear what data has been stolen or what ransom has been demanded, but the potential implications for customers could be severe. As a provider of home security and smart home systems, Ring may have compromised customers' recorded footage or personal information, such as credit card numbers, mailing addresses, phone numbers, names, and passwords.

The tweet along with a screenshot of the ALPHV website was posted on Tuesday morning, but Ring or Amazon are yet to confirm the attack.

Security and privacy concerns with Ring

This is not the first time that Ring has faced a cyberattack or an attempted hack. In December 2019, hackers created a dedicated software that could be used to break into Ring security cameras.

At the time, Ring said that there was no breach or compromise of its security. The company, however, advised customers to enable two-factor authentication on their Ring account, add Shared Users (instead of sharing login credentials), use strong passwords, and regularly change their passwords as precautionary methods.

Ring also fell into a privacy controversy recently when a business owner in Ohio received a notice from the company stating that it had received a warrant, signed by a local judge. The notice informed him he was obligated to send footage from more than 20 cameras - whether or not he was willing to share it himself.  csoonline.com


Biden Calls for More Cybersecurity Funding in Latest Budget
Biden's budget seeks increase in cybersecurity spending

President Biden's budget proposes making technology investments across the federal government and to implement his cyber strategy.

President Biden's budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 calls for wide-ranging investments to boost the cybersecurity resilience of the U.S. government and to implement his recently released cyber strategy, which calls for a whole-of-government approach to boosting U.S. digital defenses.

Biden's budget proposes boosting cybersecurity-focused programs across a range of agencies.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would get a total of $3.1 billion, an increase of $145 million compared to last year. That includes $98 million to implement the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act and $425 million to improve internal cybersecurity and analytical capabilities.

The budget would aims to improve the Federal Bureau of Investigation's ability to carry out cyber-focused investigations via an additional $63 million for "more agents, enhanced response capabilities, and strengthened intelligence collection and analysis capabilities."

"These investments are in line with the National Cybersecurity Strategy that emphasizes a whole-of-nation approach to addressing the ongoing cyber threat," the budget notes. cyberscoop.com


Fake LinkedIn Recruiters Targeting Security Researchers
Hackers Lure Cybersecurity Researchers With Fake LinkedIn Recruiter Profiles
North Korean advanced persistent threat (APT) group Lazarus (aka UNC290) has been targeting security researchers with a phishing campaign via LinkedIn since last June.

Mandiant reported that the phishing attacks started against a US-based tech company, and noted the threat actors were using three new code families - Touchmove, Sideshow, and Touchshift - in their activities.

Posing as recruiters on LinkedIn, the group works to earn a victim's trust, and it then convinces them engage on WhatsApp or by email, where they can send a malware dropper, Mandiant explained.

"Following the identification of this campaign, Mandiant responded to multiple UNC2970 intrusions targeting US and European media organizations through spear-phishing that used a job recruitment theme and demonstrated advancements in the groups ability to operate in cloud environments and against endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools," Mandiant said about the emerging phishing campaign.  darkreading.com


Meta to lay off more than 10,000 employees, Mark Zuckerberg says

Synthetic identity fraud calls for a new approach to identity verification

Spartanburg, SC: Burglars steal $1.2 million in jewelry from South Carolina store after slew of burglaries
A little over a million dollars in inventory was stolen from a family jewelry store in about five minutes. Spartanburg Police are still investigating after a break-in at Queens Jewelers at WestGate Mall, the last in a string of burglaries there. Store owners say Monday, March 6, a group of four people broke open the store's gate, stealing Cartier and Rolex watches, 35 diamond necklaces, more than 50 diamond bracelets, and men's diamond rings. Around 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half after closing, Nikki Punjwani and her husband got security alerts through their phones. They watched their camera footage as three people broke into their family-owned jewelry store inside WestGate Mall while another stood guard. According to the police, this is not the first time this has happened. They said less than a month into the year, there have already been five break-ins and burglaries at WestGate Mall in Spartanburg, and 10 since 2020.  wyff4.com


Cartersville, GA: $26,000 in stolen baby formula found in suspects' car
Two men caught shoplifting at a grocery store in Georgia had an estimated $26,000 worth of baby formula in their car, according to police. Police in Cartersville caught the men walking out of a Publix store north of Atlanta with backpacks filled with cans of formula, news outlets reported. Officers searching their car found 662 more cans of formula inside, police Lt. Greg Sparacio said. "We believe right now that they have hit several locations, Publix, Kroger, Walmart and more in just over a course of a couple of days," Sparacio said. The men were jailed in Bartow County on charges of shoplifting, felony theft by receiving, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They had a 16-year-old girl with them when they were arrested Thursday. It was not immediately known if the men had attorneys representing them.  kwqc.com


Shoemakersville, PA: 8 theft suspects get nearly $700 in cosmetics from CVS store in northern Berks
State police are seeking the public's help in identifying eight people who stormed a CVS store in Shoemakersville last week and stole nearly $700 worth of mostly cosmetic merchandise from store shelves. The incident happened March 6 shortly after 1:30 p.m. at the store at 1054 Shoemaker Ave. The suspects arrived in three vehicles. After parking at the east end of the parking lot - far enough away from the store that the registration plates could not be observed - they entered the store and began collectively gathering items, troopers said. Store officials determined the items had a combined retail value of $676.  readingeagle.com


Joliet, IL: Kohl's Repeat Shoplifter Captured During Her 4th Theft
After committing three prior merchandise thefts, 29-year-old Kaitlyn Rigazio tried to steal more from the Joliet Kohl's store on Route 59 this past weekend, but the incident ended with her running through the parking lot, and Joliet officers taking her away with handcuffs, police reports show. Now, Rigazio is residing in Will County's Jail where she faces eight charges of retail theft, obstructing a peace officer, obstructing identification and multiple warrants for her arrest. Rigazio was apprehended around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, when Joliet police learned of another retail theft in progress at the Kohl's along Route 59 at Caton Farm Road.

Joliet police said Rigazio also faces the following warrants for her arrest:

• Will County failure to appear warrant for possession of stolen vehicle, theft of leased property and possession of controlled substance.
• DuPage County failure to appear warrant for retail theft.
• Grundy County failure to appear warrant for possession of controlled substance and for contempt of court.
• Illinois State of Police failure to appear warrant for unlawful possession of marijuana.  patch.com


Baton Rouge, LA: Woman accused of stealing $795 worth of perfume to support Oxy addiction