Top Senate Democrat Urges DOJ to Help Fight ORC
Sen. Schumer wants 'increased federal penalties' to 'cut the snake off at the head'

Schumer calls on DOJ to help address organized retail theft in Rochester area
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on the Department of Justice to help address a rise in organized retail theft in the Rochester area and across the nation.

Schumer spoke at a news conference on Tuesday in front of Victor Crossing Shopping Plaza. That's the area where an Ulta Beauty store has lost $100,000 to theft since 2023.

As News10NBC has reported, four major retailers in Monroe County lost $7 million to theft in 2023 alone. Schumer wants an investigation into how much organized crime rings have contributed to that theft.

Schumer called on the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which helped to bring down the mafia's organized crime sprees in the past.

"It was to help federal agents take down the mafia. It was extremely effective by giving the feds new tools to investigate and prosecute these crime rings and the same principles can be used here," Schumer said. "RICO is national and a lot of these crime rings are national."

Schumer said people involved in these crime rings often steal items, then sell them to national leaders who know how to re-sell the items on the black market. He said the RICO Act can help federal officials to investigate crime across state lines, allowing law enforcement to see patterns instead of just individual crimes. That will allow officials to go after the leaders.

"The DOJ can help by making sure that we have increased federal penalties for these crimes but, more importantly, that we go after the whole organized crime operation. We're going to cut the snake off at the head," Schumer said. whec.com


Businesses Call Out NY Lawmakers for Refusing to Crackdown on Violent Theft
Outraged NYC biz owners are fed up with Carl Heastie over refusal to crack down on violent shoplifters: 'It's open season'
Furious Big Apple business owners are tearing state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to shreds over his refusal to beef up penalties for violent shoplifters, with some raging, "It's open season on retail workers."

Heastie (D-Bronx) sparked widespread outrage last week when he shut down Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to toughen sentences for the criminals, bizarrely declaring, "I just don't believe raising penalties is ever a deterrent on crime."

Citywide retail thefts are up overall more than 6.5% - or to 14,910 - so far this year, compared to the same time frame in 2023, when 13,987 incidents were recorded, the latest NYPD crime stats show.

Hochul, in her budget, called for a crackdown on the explosion of retail thefts, which she estimated is costing Empire State retailers $4.4 billion a year. She also said she wants to jack up the penalties for those perps who go after store employees.

But Heastie, whose position as head of the assembly is especially powerful, refused to back the plan.

"If you just keep dealing with the penalties, what happens after people get arrested? You're still only worrying about what happens after something has already happened," Heastie said.

Even ex-Gov. David Paterson said he was shocked by the speaker's position. "It's like a revolving door - there's no opportunity for any type of rehabilitation, there's no opportunity for contrition with the parole board" without harsher penalties, Paterson said Sunday on 770 WABC's "The Cats Roundtable."

Heastie did say he is still open to parts of Hochul's plan, specifically cutting off organized theft rings.

Retailers and authorities have told The Post that such rings are creating a major underground economy as they work through online resale sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace to peddle their illicit wares.

"It's better off to commit a crime than get a job in New York," said Francisco Marte, president of New York's Bodega and Small Business Association, to The Post on Monday. nypost.com


Front-Line Retail Workers Facing Crime & Violence
After retail workers bore the brunt of COVID, they now face raging crime

Opinion: Don't betray NY workers who braved pandemic
While exact numbers are hard to reach, one study showed labor, retail and service workers suffered 68% of the COVID deaths in the pandemic's first year. In New York, it's safe to say that scores of these workers died doing their jobs.

And while we honored them in words, it's time to back that up in deeds. New York mom-and-pop workers now do not feel safe in their stores because too many have been robbed and too many have been attacked. In New York City, shoplifting is vastly underreported.

According to a National Supermarket Association survey of our members, 93% are victims of shoplifting. And 60% say they are shoplifted every single day. Think about that for a second. New York City supermarkets - every single day - are the targets of shoplifting. Merchants made around 63,000 complaints, but most went unresolved.

Those margins are even tighter because our survey found 70% have been forced to spend their money on security. It shouldn't be this way.

Real actions to take

Gov. Hochul's advocacy for more funds to guard against retail theft is very welcome. These funds would do important things like deploy State Police to build cases against retail-theft rings, fund district attorneys to prosecute property crimes, set up a State Police smash-and-grab unit and ensure funds for local law enforcement to fight retail theft.

We also back legislation that creates the offense of fostering the sale of stolen goods and legislation raising a subsequent offense to grand larceny in the fourth degree.  nypost.com


Theft Sentencing Enhancement Bill Passes in California
CAL Retailers Retail Theft Legislative Win #2

Sentencing enhancement legislation passes out of first policy committee

Another key piece of legislation supported by the California Retailers Association to continue the fight against Retail Theft passed out of its first policy committee this morning.

SB 1242 (Min), part of the Senate Package "Safer California Plan", adds enhancements if arson is used during a retail theft or ORC crime. CRA President and CEO Rachel Michelin testified in support at the request of Senate leadership and the bill's author. View the hearing HERE (click on 04/02/2024 Senate Public Safety Committee - video may not be posted yet so please check back). Read the support letter CRA submitted HERE.

The passage of SB 1242 today and SB 982 (Wahab - March) out of Senate Public Safety Committee is indicative of the clear shift in policy priorities surrounding Retail Theft this year and a testament to the CRA team's strategic and persistent work with state leadership including the Governor's office, Speaker's office, Senate Pro Tem, various members of the legislature and other key stakeholders to ensure CRA is in the best position possible as bills are debated.

The California Retailers Association is the only statewide trade association representing all segments of the retail industry including general merchandise, department stores, mass merchandisers, online markets, convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores, chain drug and specialty retail such as auto, vision, jewelry, hardware and home stores. CRA's mission is to promote, preserve and enhance the retail industry in California by taking significant leadership positions in development of public policy and regulatory measures that impact members and the business climate in California. For more information visit the CRA website at www.calretailers.com.


5 New Bills Focused on Fighting Retail Theft in California
Safer California Plan Gaining Major Momentum Ahead Of Special Senate
Committee Hearings
SACRAMENTO - The Senate's Safer California Plan - a bipartisan legislative effort to address the fentanyl crisis and combat retail theft and community-based crime - is gaining significant support as it continues to move forward, with hearings for the bills beginning tomorrow (Tuesday).

The package includes 14 bills - nine focused on evidence-based prevention and treatment solutions to address the fentanyl crisis and five directed at preventing, deterring and prosecuting retail theft and community based crimes. The vast majority of the bills focused on retail theft and community based crimes will be heard at a special hearing in the Senate Public Safety Committee Tuesday, April 2. A special hearing also has been scheduled at the Senate's Health Committee for the Senate's package focused on the fentanyl crisis on April 10. The bills will be heard together. Details on the bills and committee dates can be found below.

"The Safer California plan is gaining major momentum across the Golden State - folks know it will help tackle the fentanyl crisis through prevention and treatment, and help curb retail crime in our communities," said Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast). "Californians want to feel safe in the communities they call home, and this commonsense series of bills will deploy desperately needed resources into all corners of California to help combat the fentanyl crisis and give law enforcement additional tools to crack down on community-based crime."

The package, which was met with a raft of support from public safety and medical/addiction professionals following the package's unveiling during a press conference on February 26, is also continuing to garner support as it moves through the legislative process, most recently from the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association, Chief Probation Officers of California, and Long Beach Police Officers Association.  sd02.senate.ca.gov


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Grocery Stores Ditching 'Just Walk Out'
Amazon to drop 'just walk out' at some grocery stores

The e-commerce giant will replace the grab-and-go tech with its smart shopping carts in its Amazon Fresh grocery stores, a tech media outlet reported.

Amazon is pulling back on its "Just Walk Out" checkout system that expedites payments through a cashierless purchase process, according to a report from the tech news outlet The Information.

The company will be removing the grab-and-go automated technology from its Amazon Fresh grocery stores this year as part of a chain-wide revamp, according to a Tuesday interview by The Information with Tony Hoggett, Amazon's senior vice president of grocery stores.

Seattle-based Amazon will instead offer its smart shopping carts as a "frictionless" checkout experience in the stores, Hoggett said. The carts allow shoppers to scan items as they go, and then skip the checkout line with an automatic payment.

"Just Walk Out" technology has stumbled over the last few years. Amazon leaned heavily on the technology in its own stores, including grocery chain Whole Foods. But it has struggled to control costs and to build support for the technology with other retailers, according to a report by The Information. paymentsdive.com


Front-Line Retail Workers Want More Tech
Do Retail's Frontline Workers Have Enough Tech?
A global survey found that 40% of retail workers feel their employers don't adequately invest in their tech needs, with 20% actively feeling it's a non-priority.

The survey of 2,000 store associates across nine retail sub-sectors released by Scandit, a barcode scanning platform for mobile enterprise apps, found that over two-thirds of store associates rate their devices as important or very important for their jobs. The top capabilities in smartphones and scanning devices were seen as the ability to multitask (70%) and access to product information (67%).

As far as the impact of artificial intelligence, half of frontline workers are unconcerned about AI and automation in terms of losing their jobs, with 31% of these respondents believing it will positively impact their role. Staffers in the middle of their careers were more worried about tech's impact on their roles.

Zebra Technologies' 16th Annual Global Shopper Study that came out last year found 86% of retail associates surveyed agree customers have a better experience when associates use the latest technology to assist them. However, 77% - up from 67% in 2022 - feel shoppers are better connected to information than they are. retailwire.com


Giving Workers the 'Right to Disconnect'
California could be first state to give workers right to ignore boss's after-hours calls, texts, emails

Bill would give Californian workers "right to disconnect"

The smartphone, Silicon Valley's signature gift to modernity, has made it easier than ever for work to intrude into personal and family time, tilting work-life balance further toward the job. Now a California lawmaker says there must be guardrails to keep that in check.

"Smartphones have blurred the boundaries between work and home life," said Assemblyman Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat, who announced a bill Monday, AB 2751 that would give employees a "right-to-disconnect" from emails, texts and calls after work hours.

"Workers shouldn't be punished for not being available 24/7 if they're not being paid for 24 hours of work," Haney said. "People have to be able to spend time with their families without being constantly interrupted at the dinner table or their kids' birthday party, worried about their phones and responding to work." mercurynews.com


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New Lawsuit Accuses AT&T of Reckless Negligence Following Breach
(Update) AT&T hit with class action suit over massive data breach

The breach was a "direct result" of AT&T's failure to implement adequate cybersecurity procedures, the suit alleges.

AT&T is facing a class action lawsuit stemming from its recent disclosure of a massive data security breach impacting as many as 73 million current and former customers.

The telecommunications giant disregarded the rights of class members by "intentionally, willfully, recklessly, or negligently failing to take adequate and reasonable measures to ensure its data systems were protected against unauthorized intrusions," among other alleged missteps, according to the plaintiff, Ohio resident Alex Petroski. The suit, filed Saturday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, identifies Petroski as a former AT&T wireless customer.

"As a result of the data breach, plaintiff and class members have been exposed to a heightened and imminent risk of fraud and identity theft," the complaint says.

Data security breaches and related costs have skyrocketed in recent years, causing headaches for C-suite leaders.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received a record 880,418 cybercrime complaints from the American public in 2023, with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion, according to a report released last month. This is nearly a 10% increase in complaints and represents a 22% spike in losses compared to 2022, the report said.  cybersecuritydive.com


Protecting Intellectual Property in a Digital World
From gates, guns & guards to encryption, endpoints & erasure

Protecting intellectual property remains as important as ever in an increasingly digital world.

Protecting intellectual property remains a concern for all organizations, even as new threats continue to emerge. Whether it's a military unit establishing a base of operations in denied territory or a business undergoing a considerable liquidity event, the first order of protection is typically establishing "gates." These walls and physical barriers help protect individuals and their teammates/employees in locations where they lay their heads at night.

Most businesses open to the public have Wi-Fi available for their guests. Sometimes it's password protected, and sometimes users only need to be close enough to the router. It is shockingly easy to pick up a Wi-Fi signal from the road with a laptop and magnetized GPS puck, and then conduct a quick open-source search for the default admin username and password to a particular router. Despite how large the "gate" was, the internet signal provides individuals with a passive avenue into building, whereby access could be granted to browsing history, cloud storage, Apple ID or iTunes and more.

In the same manner that a private foundation can expose personally identifiable information (PII) via a Form-990 (vs embedded privacy features of a Donor Advised Fund), a lack of understanding of personal devices can leave people unintentionally exposed. This begs the question: what is the digital equivalent to "the gate"? securitymagazine.com


Cybersecurity Oversight & Compliance
Boards need to brush up on cybersecurity governance, survey finds

SEC cyber disclosure rules are calling attention to corporate boards' need to enhance their approach to cybersecurity oversight and compliance.

Board cybersecurity preparedness is taking on more importance thanks to the Securities and Exchange Commission's introduction of cyber disclosure rules. The risk of cyber threats targeting businesses are increasing, but the potential penalties for cyber incidents are growing, too.

But there's a knowledge gap businesses need to address. A joint Corporate Governance Institute and Board Intelligence survey found nearly 60% of respondents don't think they have received sufficient training on cyber resilience in the last 12 months.

In organizations with less cyber training, the board is less likely to challenge management on technology strategy and issues as robustly as on other topics, such as financial performance, the survey found. The Corporate Governance Institute surveyed 250 respondents for the report, including chairs, non-executive directors and executive directors of private companies, state funded organizations and charities. cybersecuritydive.com


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