Crime & Progressive DAs Blamed for Big City Store Closures
Chicago, New York, Portland and California have 'effectively legalized shoplifting'

All the big box shops - from Macy's to Target - that have closed due to theft losses

In 2021, companies lost a combined $94.5billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss

Major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country.

This week, Walmart announced it will shut down four of its stores in Chicago just weeks after America's biggest employer shuttered its only stores in Portland.

It comes as shoplifting reaches alarming levels and other large retailers, including Target, Macy's and Best Buy, are now making good on threats to shutter outlets if petty crime was not lowered.

In 2021 retailers lost a combined $94.5billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss. And organized retail crime incidents soared by 26.5 per cent in the same year, according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey.

Along with brazen daylight thefts, self-checkouts have also made it easier for people to walk out without paying for items.

Progressive district attorneys in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shoplifting with either not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist.

Here DailyMail.com lists all the big box stores which have been forced to close their doors after being savaged by rising theft: dailymail.co.uk


Portland's Crime Closures Continue to Pile Up
REI to close only Portland store, citing break-ins, theft
The outdoor retail giant REI Co-op announced Monday that it plans to close its store in Portland's Pearl District early next year, citing an increase in crime and theft.

In in email to its members Monday, REI said its store in Portland 'had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades, despite actions to provide extra security.”

The company added that it has 'outgrown” the Pearl District store. A spokesperson added that the building needed 'significant investment” to address unspecified 'issues.”

The outdoor and recreation retail giant opened its Pearl District store nearly 20 years ago. REI's first Oregon store opened in Jantzen Beach in 1976 and moved the store to the Pearl District in 2004.

It's unclear if REI plans to open a new Portland store in a different location. The company said it was 'evaluating opportunities.” oregonlive.com


Alabama's New ORC Bill in the News
New legislation in Alabama targets retail theft
A new bill championed by state prosecutors, mayors and law enforcement would elevate charges for retail theft to a Class B felony were at least two people involved, regardless of the value of the item stolen.

Sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, House Bill 288 would not only increase penalties for retail theft committed by individuals in some cases, but introduce a new criminal statute of organized retail theft.

The bill was promoted by the Alabama District Attorneys Association at the State House during a press conference Thursday, where Montgomery District Attorney Daryl Bailey called for lawmakers to support the piece of legislation.

The retail theft portion of the bill would increase penalties for those who shoplift items valued between $500 and $1,500.

Under the new bill, shoplifting items valued between $500 and $1,500 would instead constitute theft in the second degree, a Class C felony, which can carry a sentence between one and ten years in prison.

The bill also introduces new criminal charges for those shoplifting in groups, or with the intent to resell the stolen items.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth spoke in support of increasing penalties for retail theft: 'When the bill is signed into law, every time two or more people conspire to commit the crime of theft, they will fall under the retail theft bill and will be prosecuted as organized criminals."

The bill defines the term 'organized retail theft” as either 'obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over retail merchandise with the intent to deprive the owner or retail merchant of his or her property,” or shoplifting with the intent to resell the stolen items.  aldailynews.com


The Heated Debate Over NYC's Crime & Progressive DA
Lawmakers take fight to Bragg's backyard with hearing on NYC crime

The Manhattan district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump highlights new police data that shows murders and other violent crimes have fallen in the borough since last year.

Donald Trump's congressional allies took the fight to Manhattan Monday, hosting a field hearing to attack District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, as weak on crime - all part of the Republican strategy to undermine the historic prosecution of the former president.

Led by Chairman Jim Jordan, the powerful House Judiciary Committee heard from victims of violent crime, as Republicans argue that Bragg has dropped the ball on keeping the public safe in order to focus on prosecuting Trump. Bragg's office has defended the Trump probe and points to new data showing that crime has significantly fallen in Manhattan.

The high-profile hearing represented yet another escalation in the ongoing battle between Bragg and Trump and his top allies on Capitol Hill.

Bragg's office pushed back on Republicans, calling New York City 'the safest big city in America” and highlighting New York Police Department data that showed violent crime had dropped in the first quarter of 2023 compared with a year ago in Manhattan. Murders are down 14%, shootings dropped 17% and burglaries fell 21% in the borough, per the NYPD.

'In D.A. Bragg's first year in office, New York City had one of the lowest murder rates of major cities in the United States (5.2) nearly three times lower than Columbus, Ohio (15.4),” Bragg's office said.

Witnesses downplayed the statistics, saying a feeling of unsafeness in New York permeated the citizenry, with residents fearful of taking the city's expansive subway system or walk its streets.

Jim Kessler, co-founder and senior vice president for policy of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think thank, noted in his opening statement that the murder rate in New York City is lower than that of states such as Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. During questioning, Kessler noted that crime rates for a series of violent crimes were higher in Ohio, Jordan's home state, than in New York City. nbcnews.com


NYC's #1 Crime - Grand Larceny 

A must read for anyone tracking New York City
Fact Check: The Facts on Manhattan Crime
Looking at the seven major felonies tracked by the New York City Police Department, the number of crimes rose by nearly 26% in Manhattan compared with the year before. Nearly two-thirds of the increase was due to a 34% increase in grand larceny. But six out of seven of the major felony categories were up in 2022. The exception, as we said, was for murder, which saw a 15% drop, from 92 in 2021 to 78 in 2022. factcheck.org


Big City Police Departments Losing More Officers

NYPD down 8% - Philly down 9% - Chicago down 11% - LA down 8%
City council's pushing to fund alternatives - Mental health teams & unarmed responders

LAPD has lost nearly 1,000 officers. Mayor Karen Bass wants to rebuild the force

The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it.

Within a three-year span, the gains of a seven year campaign to reach 10,000 officers have been erased. The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it. Police Chief Michel Moore reported last week that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103, down nearly 1,000 from 2019, the year that preceded the outbreak of COVID-19.

Mayor Karen Bass is looking to confront the issue head on by ramping up hiring and lifting barriers to recruitment. Her proposed budget, which will be released Tuesday, will call for the city to restore the department to 9,500 officers - an extremely tall order, given the ongoing staff exodus.

If the city fails to fix its recruitment and retention problems, the LAPD could easily fall below 9,000 officers in the coming months, Bass said.

The call to rebuild the LAPD will almost certainly generate pushback from groups such as La Defensa, which advocates for alternatives to prisons and policing

On another level, however, getting to 9,500 would be an incredibly tall order. The department is expected to lose about 600 officers in the coming year due to retirements and resignations. To reach Bass' target, the LAPD would need to hire 1,000 officers over the next fiscal year, at a time when Police Academy classes are frequently half or two-thirds full.

The LAPD is not the only big-city law enforcement agency facing a shrinking workforce. According to FBI data, police department ranks in New York City and Philadelphia have decreased 8% and 9%, respectively, since 2019, while Chicago experienced an 11% drop.

That phenomenon can be traced, in part, to a shrinking labor pool and growing public scrutiny after a spate of high-profile police killings, said Niles R. Wilson, senior director of law enforcement initiatives for the Center for Policing Equity, which studies ways to reduce racism in policing. Many big-city agencies are losing officers to smaller, suburban departments that offer better pay and fewer risks get a hiring bonus of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars,'

Wilson said younger people are less likely to go into a profession with longer hours and a high risk of injury. At the same time, he said, cities have begun sending mental health teams or other unarmed responders to calls once fielded by police.

Union leaders said officers are experiencing low morale caused by rising anti-police sentiment, insufficient pay and difficult working conditions created by staffing shortages. latimes.com


Seattle Mayor Plans to Increase Policing - Crack Down on Dealers & Offer Drug Diversion Treatment
Harrell announces plan to revive downtown Seattle
As part of a larger plan to 'activate” Seattle's depleted downtown, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Monday he will sign an executive order to increase policing and treatment around drug use.

The first stages of Harrell's downtown activation plan will also focus on restoring business and foot traffic to the central business district.

In an executive order, Harrell will direct the Seattle Police Department to collaborate with local and federal law enforcement partners to crack down on the distribution of drugs like fentanyl, which has boomed in areas of the city's core since the start of the pandemic.

Harrell also says he will explore funding for a post-overdose diversion facility to stabilize and provide resources for people who experience non-lethal overdoses. The order also commits Harrell to forming a Public Health Work Group and Law Enforcement Task Force, and to increase the availability of overdose reversal drugs, especially in high-use areas.

'I don't know why we have so many drug dealers who can operate with impunity without any pushback,” District 7 Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis added. 'But I'm glad we have a mayor who's focused on rebuilding our downtown.”

According to the mayor's office, the activation plan will also aim to lure people back downtown by making it more attractive to businesses and consumers. Included in the plan is the reopening of City Hall Park in June, filling 20 vacant storefronts downtown by early summer, adding additional ambassadors in the Metropolitan Business Improvement District, and improving sidewalks and lighting downtown. seattletimes.com


Seattle Prosecutors Double ORC Cases in 2022
Seattle: King County prosecutors renewed focus on organized retail theft and wage theft crimes.
The two newest divisions at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office officially have their leaders.

Patrick Hinds has been put in charge of the economic crimes and wage theft division. Since 2019, Hinds has been the chair of the economic crimes unit, which will be folded into the new division.

In 2022, the prosecutor's office filed more than double the number of organized theft cases than it did the year before. Prosecuting those can take time, Hinds said, as smaller charges against one defendant are compiled into one felony charge. seattletimes.com


More Mass Shootings Than Days in 2023
Vast majority of Americans believe mass shootings preventable
More than three-quarters of Americans believe that the nation's scourge of mass shootings can be stopped if real effort is made to do so, according to a new CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday.

Why it matters: The first months of the new year have already been marred by dozens of mass shootings - including in Monterey Park, California, Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee.

State of play: About 76% of Americans surveyed said they believed mass shootings are something "we can prevent and stop if we really tried," and not something that must be accepted "as part of a free society." 62% of those surveyed said they support a nationwide ban on AR-15s.

Zoom out: So far, there have been more mass shootings than days in 2023. As of Monday, there have been at least 162 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive.

A recent survey revealed that one in five U.S. adults has been personally threatened with a gun, and one in six have witnessed someone being shot, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. axios.com

   RELATED: 2 More Mass Shootings Occur in America Over the Weekend


From Philadelphia to Baltimore: Malls, Cities & Regions Implement Youth Curfews

Center City Tries to Stop Teen Raids With Curfews
Philly: New age restrictions set to began at Fashion District on Monday

The management of the Fashion District said that it would implement age restrictions in response to problems caused by teens converging on the mall.

The Fashion District in Center City will require minors who want to enter the mall to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult after 2 p.m. starting Monday, management said.

The management of the Fashion District said on April 6 that it would implement age restrictions in response to problems caused by teens converging on the mall after school and during spring break.

The new rules will be enforced until further notice. inquirer.com


Five Malls & Baltimore City & Baltimore Region's Public & Commercial Spaces Implement Youth Curfews

Baltimore City leaders double down on youth curfew amid violence against teenagers. Will it work this time?

Under the policy, kids aged 13 and under are barred from staying outside after 9 p.m. Teens aged 14 to 16 can stay out until 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, except during the summer when the they can stay out until 11 p.m. every day. The curfew offers numerous exceptions such as when a minor is accompanied by a parent or going to and from work.

The use of youth curfews has been rising in some of the Baltimore region's public and commercial spaces. Although teens complain the policies limit where they can hang out unsupervised, adults say they are necessary to protect young people from violence - or to penalize them for unruly behavior.

Several of Maryland's malls have rolled out bans on unaccompanied teens following disturbances attributed to large groups of young people in recent years. The policies can be found at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore, Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall and The Avenue at White Marsh in Baltimore County and, most recently, at The Mall in Columbia in Howard County. baltimoresun.com


In Case You Missed It: NYC's 'Professional Shoplifters' Fueling Theft Surge

Protests after Kansas City teen shot for going to wrong address

Dollar General Hit with $2.5M in OSHA Fines So Far in 2023
$16M+ in Fines Since 2017 After Roughly 200 Inspections

Behind Dollar General's 1-Week $798K OSHA Bill

Dollar General is under fire for unsafe working conditions-again.

The Tennessee-based discount retailer has racked up more than $16 million in fines from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since 2017 after nearly 200 inspections, and now the serial violator is facing roughly $552,000 in fines for safety failures in stores near Houston and Green Bay, Texas. Federal workplace safety investigators found exit routes and walkways blocked, which are unsafe conditions that make safe and quick emergency evacuation difficult or impossible. But these are now 'common discoveries” at the retailer, OSHA said.

'Dollar General continues to put profits before the safety and well-being of store employees despite fines of more than $16 million since 2017 and violations at more than 180 locations,” OSHA area director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin, said in a statement. 'Despite reporting billions in profits in 2022, Dollar General has not used its vast resources to make the kinds of companywide changes needed to provide a safe workplace.”

Considering the vast number of infringements, OSHA added Dollar General to its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, concentrating resources on inspecting employers who have committed willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations and demonstrated indifference to their legal obligations to provide a safe workplace.

Last month, OSHA fined the discount retailer $254,478 for three repeat violations in Ohio and roughly $1 million for eight repeat violations across four stores in Florida and Georgia. In January, Dollar General was hit with a $205,117 citation for two stores in Florida and Alabama and five repeated safety violations with proposed penalties of $395,717 for a store in Ohio.

That brings the total dollar amount to just shy of $2.5 million for 21 violations in the first four months of 2023. sourcingjournal.com


The Trader Joe's Union Push Grows
Trader Joe's associates in California, New York set to vote on unionizing

If the workers decide to unionize, they would follow at stores the chain runs in Hadley, Massachusetts; Minneapolis; and Louisville, Kentucky

Workers at a duo of Trader Joe's stores in New York City and Oakland, California, are scheduled to cast ballots on April 19 and 20 to determine whether to unionize, according to a Thursday tweet from Trader Joe's United, the labor organization looking to represent the workers.

The announcement follows the union's disclosure late last month that the workers had filed plans with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold the elections and continues a drive by Trader Joe's United to add to its small but growing membership. The union has said Trader Joe's has mistreated workers by cutting retirement benefits, providing unacceptably low wages and not responding effectively to safety concerns.

If the workers in New York City and Oakland decide to unionize, they would follow Trader Joe's employees at stores in Hadley, Massachusetts; Minneapolis; and Louisville, Kentucky, in electing to formally organize. The grocery chain filed an objection to the Louisville vote with the NLRB, claiming that workers and an attorney for the union had tainted the vote. grocerydive.com


COVID's Lasting Retail Impact
The pandemic led to a resurgence of independent retail

While ecommerce got a boost during COVID, ultimately deliberate consumers are choosing community stores.

The changes over the past three years ushered in a new wave of deliberate consumers and created an inflection point for retail.

The pandemic was expected to weaken independent retail. Online commerce surged as lockdowns and social distancing became the norm. But independent retail did not weaken. It actually re-emphasized what makes these businesses so resilient: the power of human connection, the thrill of discovery, and the advantage of agility. Our beloved neighborhood shops are stronger than ever and have a bright future ahead.

Three years later, independent retail is growing and we've seen twice as many new retail businesses on Faire. Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 chain stores have closed, with UBS predicting we will see upwards of 50,000 more closures in 2023. fastcompany.com


Retailers React to Transition Away from Remote Work
Layoffs signal retailers are adjusting to more sharp turns
One big economic story that's come out of the pandemic is the resilience of the American consumer. Despite historic inflation and high interest rates, we've just kept buying stuff.

During the pandemic, retailers have had to adjust to a few sharp turns in consumer spending. Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail, said these layoffs reflect yet another shift.

With consumers apparently reducing discretionary spending, Liebmann said retailers are being cautious in turn. Many of the stores announcing staff cuts - like Walmart and Best Buy - have something in common, according to Shannon Seery, an economist with Wells Fargo.

'Those are definitely retailers that benefited from the work-from-home economy and the stay-at-home economy,” she said. 'I think we've seen a transition away from that.” marketplace.org


(Update) David's Bridal Will Close All Stores in Chapter 11 Unless Buyer Emerges

Bed Bath & Beyond admits it might not make it through wedding season

Target workers reveal the best perks and biggest frustrations of the job


Quarterly Results

Lululemon Q4 DTC store sales up 10%, ecommerce up 46%, net sales up 30%, FY DTC store sales up 33%, net sales up 30%

Levi Q1 DTC sales up 12%, ecommerce up 11%, wholesales up 2%, net sales up 6%

Sportsman's Warehouse Q4 comp's down 12.5%, net sales down 8.9%, FY comp's down 12.2%, net sales down 7.1%

Cyberattacks Continue to Target Retailers Globally
Coles alerts customers of Latitude Financial data breach

The Australian retailer is yet to be informed of the number of customers affected.

Australian retailer Coles has confirmed that its historical customer credit card information has been stolen by a cybercriminal group.

Coles was alerted about this matter by its former service provider Latitude Financial Services.

The latest incident is the result of a cyberattack on Latitude that has reportedly impacted several existing, former and applicant customers across Australia and New Zealand.

The supermarket giant has not been advised by Latitude of the exact number of customers impacted by this incident. Coles stated that Latitude has also not disclosed other related details of this data breach incident. However, the financial services company is directly contacting the involved customers.

In a report, ABC.net claimed that information such as names, addresses, drivers' licence numbers, dates of birth, and passport numbers have been compromised in the cyberattack incident.

Latitude said it is currently taking several measures to support the affected customers and alert them about the kind of information or personal detail that has been stolen. retail-insight-network.com


Data, analytics and AI becoming a board-level concern
CIOs, Meet Your New Colleagues: Chief Data, Analytics and AI Officers

Collaboration is key as more companies hive off duties held by IT officers and create positions to better use data and manage emerging tech like ChatGPT

Companies are increasingly creating new C-suite roles with a focus on data, analytics or artificial intelligence-to the confusion, and sometimes chagrin, of chief information officers and others who previously had oversight of data.

As the use of data, analytics and AI becomes a board-level concern, thanks in part to the viral popularity of ChatGPT, more companies are appointing chief data officers, chief data and analytics officers, and chief AI officers, who are often directly reporting to CEOs, said Ryan Bulkoski, global head of executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles' Data, Analytics & AI Practice.

Mr. Bulkoski estimates that about 70% of companies in the Fortune 500 have someone responsible for data at the C-suite level or just below, and the trend has been picking up in recent years.

Some tech leaders say that creating such new roles is vital to leveraging data in the business, especially where existing CIOs and chief technology officers are bogged down with other responsibilities and can spend only a fraction of their time on data. Further, such roles give boards a single point of contact with specialized expertise on topics they must consider as these new technologies draw regulatory and investor scrutiny. wsj.com


Disgruntled Employees & Professional Handlers = 'Lethal Combination'
In the Wake of Mass Layoffs, Insider Threats Multiply
Layoffs and terminations are often a trigger for negative actions-employees on the way out the door might feel entitled to keep their laptop, their work, or other materials for which they feel a sense of ownership. Even if they do not take tangible assets away from the company, they might be targeted by competitors or foreign firms to share some of their institutional knowledge about the inner workings of the company or a key product or process.

Chinese firms have been particularly focused on hyper-accelerating their growth by leveraging laid-off tech employees, he says, offering them well-compensated consulting gigs to share information on specific concepts. Many former employees are feeling the strain of unemployment and would not question the opportunity. The queries the company asks might seem benign, but a skilled interviewer will be able to pull out detailed, confidential information that could help the firm connect the dots or open a backdoor that they would not otherwise have access to, Randolph adds.

'The newsworthiness of these mass layoffs compounds the issue, ensuring that everyone-including ransomware gangs-are aware of what's happening,” says Val LeTellier, founder of 4thGen, where he focuses on insider risk vulnerability assessments and countermeasures. 'These gangs have been known to subtly publicize incentives to get the cooperation of existing employees.”

'Obviously, any employee who believes themselves unfairly laid-off may seek revenge, and that revenge could be taking funds, valuable data, or materials or harming the company's reputation,” LeTellier says.

'The growing availability of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and even ChatGPT empowers disgruntled employees in new ways,” LeTellier says. 'But the threat of departing and departed employees is greatly compounded when they're connected to ransomware gangs who seek their assistance in accessing protected networks, craft convincing phishing campaigns or attacking infrastructure. The combination of a willing 'agent' and professional 'handlers' is a lethal combination.

'But more generally, the sheer scale of mass layoffs is dangerous enough as normal employee offboarding processes are overwhelmed,” he continues. 'Employee credentials fail to be quickly deactivated, corporate devices aren't returned, and monitoring oversight drops off.” asisonline.com


NCR Reports Cybersecurity Incident
On April 13, NCR determined that a single data center outage that is impacting some functionality for a subset of its commerce customers was caused by a cyber ransomware incident. Upon such determination, NCR immediately started contacting customers, enacted its cybersecurity protocol and engaged outside experts to contain the incident and begin the recovery process. The investigation into the incident includes NCR experts, external forensic cybersecurity experts and federal law enforcement.

While in-restaurant purchases and transactions continue to operate, affected customers have reduced capabilities on specific Aloha cloud-based and Counterpoint functionality that has impacted their ability to manage restaurant administrative functions. NCR is conducting concurrent efforts to establish alternative functionality for customers, fully restore impacted data and applications, and to enhance its cyber security protections. businesswire.com


Russian SolarWinds Culprits Launch Fresh Barrage of Espionage Cyberattacks

Lower Southampton Township, PA: Update: Man charged with Armed Robberies of AT&T Store In Lower Southampton and Bensalem
A Philadelphia man has been charged with the gunpoint robbery of an AT&T store in Lower Southampton and the robbery of a Bensalem Township AT&T store, police said. During the November incident in Lower Southampton, Police determined that three men entered the store and one of them displayed a handgun and ordered the sales employee to turn over new, in-the-box cell phones and other devices. The three men fled the store in a black Chevrolet with about $49,000 worth of merchandise, police said.  patch.com


Fort Myers, FL: Wanted suspect grabs over $4K in items from Home Depot
The Fort Myers Police Department is asking for help identifying a man suspected of stealing from a Home Depot recently on Forum Boulevard in Fort Myers. According to FMPD, the suspect walked into Home Depot on Monday, April 3, shortly before 3 p.m., wearing a black hat, black shirt, black basketball shorts, and black shoes. The suspect is accused of grabbing a few construction tools and left the store with everything in his cart without attempting to pay for them. Home Depot's loss prevention team tracked the suspect down before he fled the scene leaving the alleged stolen merchandise behind. The item's the suspect had in his cart totaled $4,319.74.  winknews.com


East Brunswick, NJ: Ulta shoplifters arrested following traffic light crash
The latest shoplifting of an Ulta Beauty store ended with the SUV carrying the suspects crashing into a traffic signal Sunday afternoon. East Brunswick police Lt. Jason Fama said police were called to the store on the southbound side of Route 18 around 3:45 p.m. after the four suspects got into a black SUV and left the store. The SUV was located at the intersection of Main Street and Old Bridge Pike near Route 18 but three of the suspects fled on foot. One suspect tried to flee in the SUV but crashed into the traffic signal. All four were taken into custody. Fama did not disclose the identities of the suspects or the charges.  nj1015.com


Hamburg, PA: A 42-year-old Schuylkill County man has been charged with running a retail theft scam at Lowe's
The scam involved Christopher Croneberger of Auburn visiting Lowe's, picking out items and then, without paying for them, returning them with a receipt he had previously obtained from another Lowe's store. Croneberger is accused of pulling the scam on seven occasions, including at the same store twice in one day. Croneberger has been charged with seven counts of receiving stolen property, six counts of theft by deception and one count of retail theft.  readingeagle.com


Medina Township, OH: Woman poses as Walmart employee, steals merchandise
The woman who posed as a Walmart employee and pushed a cart full of stolen merchandise out of the store is wanted in Medina Township, police confirmed, and police need help identifying the suspect. Medina Township Police said she got her hands on a Walmart employee uniform vest and wore it inside the store on March 27. She then pushed a cart of stolen merchandise out of the store at 7:46 p.m. and was seen getting into a black SUV, according to police.  cleveland19.com


Oak Brook, IL: Suspects stole merchandise from Oak Brook T.J. Maxx, led police on chase with 5 kids in vehicle
Three people are accused of leading police on a high-speed chase after stealing merchandise from a T.J. Maxx in Oak Brook last week. Russell Miller, 24, Zhane Ball, 28, and Xavier Miller, 28, have been charged with one count of burglary, one count of retail theft, two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer and five counts of misdemeanor endangering the health or life of a child. During the pursuit, Russell Miller allegedly drove near York High School as students were being released for the day and sideswiped a school bus, lost control and crashed into another car. All three suspects were then taken into custody. There were five children in the Acadia, ranging in age from two months to 10 years old, prosecutors said. While investigating, police determined that Xavier Miller and Ball allegedly entered the T.J. Maxx store, grabbed shoes, socks and handbags totaling about $1,701.87 and left the store without paying for the items.  fox32chicago.com


Madisonville, KY: Man charged with shoplifting over $1,500 from Walmart and Rural King

Fresno, CA: Police searching for suspect involved in $1,100 theft at Dick's