viisights Announces Integration with Genetec Security Center Designed to Improve Early Detection of Security and Safety Events

New York, NY (April 19, 2023) - viisights, Inc., a global leader in behavioral recognition video analytics, today announced the integration of viisights Wise™ with Genetec™ Security Center, enabling customers to benefit by adding behavioral recognition video analytics to their existing or new systems.

viisights unique behavioral recognition video analytics leverage investments in video systems by autonomously detecting and issuing real-time alerts on unsafe conditions and security incidents so they can be addressed before they cause injuries or losses.

The integration with Genetec Security Center, along with the early notification of impending and real-time events of interest from viisights Wise, enables responders to take faster action, effectively reducing or eliminating negative outcomes from potentially threatening or harmful events.

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Businesses Worry That San Jose Is Becoming New San Francisco
San Jose businesses face violent encounters, repeated property crimes

"San Jose will not become San Francisco," Mayor Matt Mahan said

The repeated property crimes, theft and disturbing confrontations with individuals exhibiting erratic behavior have left San Jose business owners and employees frustrated - a precarious situation that mirrors what has already started to boil over in San Francisco.

Whole Foods recently announced it was shuttering its flagship store after just one year of operation because of theft and employee safety concerns. The store had previously reduced its business hours citing similar issues.

When it comes to property crime - which includes burglary, larceny theft and vehicle theft - the data shows the city fluctuating between 25,000 to 28,000 total incidents per year between 2012 and 2022, with no major recent spikes in any of the categories. As for burglaries, there's been a downward trend since 2012, with 5,206 incidents that year, the highest number in about a decade.

Certain violent crimes paint a different portrait. Though San Jose saw a considerable drop in the early 2000s in reported aggravated assaults, there's been a steady upward trend between 2012 and 2022, with 2,853 incidents last year, the highest since 2002.

Mayor Matt Mahan, in an interview about the problems facing businesses, said San Jose will not face the same uncertain fate as its northern neighbor, which faces similar problems with property crime, untreated mental illness and drug abuse in its Tenderloin neighborhood and beyond.

"I take these issues very seriously," he said. "I will say emphatically that San Jose will not become San Francisco. I think everyone deserves to live in a safe and clean environment."

San Jose Police Department Spokesperson Sgt. Jorge Garibay said a combination of mental health advocates and walking patrol officers are working to make sure businesses are safe. But police staffing is a consistent challenge, he said. The mayor is seeking to hire 30 extra police officers a year.

"We simply do not have the staffing to be everywhere that we would like to be," he wrote in a statement.  mercurynews.com


Supporting Law Enforcement's Battle Against ORC
California's New Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program
The State Budget Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 154, Chapter 43, Statutes of 2022) established the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program. Funding is available to California city police departments, sheriff departments, and probation departments to support local law enforcement agencies in preventing and responding to organized retail theft, motor vehicle or motor vehicle accessory theft, or cargo theft.

Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program proposals must be received by 5:00 P.M. (PST) on Friday, July 7, 2023.

Grant funds shall be used to support local law enforcement agencies in preventing and responding to organized retail theft, motor vehicle or motor vehicle accessory theft, or cargo theft. Permissible uses of grant funds include, but are not limited to, purchase of technology or other equipment to help deter strategies for preventing or responding to crime. These funds shall be used to supplement and not supplant existing funds for these activities. grants.ca.gov


Bail Reform Turning NYC Into the 'Epicenter' of America's Crime Surge?
Critics say bail reform has fueled retail theft and other crimes in the Big Apple

New York Passed 'Revolving Door' Bail Reform. Now, a Handful of Thieves Are Committing a Third of All City Retail Crime.
Just 327 people were responsible for a third of all retail crime arrests in New York City last year, the New York Times reported Saturday, a statistic that raises new questions about the repercussions of New York State's far-left bail reform law.

Those 327 thieves, some of whom use "shoplifting as a trade," were "arrested and rearrested more than 6,000 times," according to New York Police Department commissioner Keechant Sewell.

The thieves were likely able to keep stealing because of New York's 2019 bail reform law, which banned judges from setting bail for almost all misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. While the state in 2020 changed the law so that judges could set bail for some additional crimes, it still prohibits bail in most instances of retail crime.

Shoplifting complaints have nearly doubled since New York passed the bail law, making for "one of the main drivers of the city's overall crime rate."

The Times report comes as "organized shoplifting crews" target stores in primarily Democrat-run cities across America.

New York Republican representative Elise Stefanik, who has said that bail reform created a "revolving door of criminals," directly blamed the reform laws for the Big Apple's crime spike. Stefanik also pointed the finger at far-left Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg (D.), who has announced that his office will not prosecute many nonviolent crimes.

The Empire State is "the epicenter of the catastrophic crime crisis happening across our country," Stefanik told the New York Post.

Stefanik's fight against bail reform has garnered some bipartisan support from Democratic New York mayor Eric Adams. The mayor has called on the State Legislature to toughen the law and said that "we are not going to stand by and let criminals undermine our economy." freebeacon.com


New York - Only State Judges Can't Use 'Dangerous Standard' in Bail Decisions
Bail is solely to ensure someone returns to court

N.Y., Albany Dems, Hochul reach deal on bail reform: report
ALBANY - State lawmakers are reportedly set to give judges more discretion over bail as part of a bitterly fought compromise with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The Democratic supermajorities in the state Senate and Assembly have agreed to eliminate a controversial bail-reform measure that currently requires judges to impose the "least restrictive" standards to ensure people return to court, City & State reported Monday.

The move would clarify that for eligible offenses, judges are allowed to consider setting bail they deem necessary to ensure a defendant returns to court, after jurists complained about ambiguities in existing state law.

But Hochul lost out on a key proposed change that backers say is necessary to curb crime and thwart violent recidivists.

The tentative agreement would still not allow judges to use what is effectively a "dangerousness" standard to hold criminal defendants they believe endanger public safety by removing existing law stating bail is solely to ensure someone returns to court, the magazine said.

New York is the only state to not allow that standard to be considered when setting bail.

"There will be changes to [the] bail system to make clear judges have discretion and least restrictive standards will be removed for serious offenses," a source with knowledge of the negotiations told the outlet. "The governor should be happy."

Changes to the state's bail laws have faced fierce resistance from progressives, who championed limits on cash bail that were first implemented at the beginning of 2020 to reduce the number of people languishing in places such as Rikers Island as they await their day in court.

Republicans have thrown their support behind Hochul's proposed bail changes in hopes of securing some tweaks while continuing to push for a full repeal.

It remains to be seen whether any bail deal will hold, though, as Hochul, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins continue negotiations on other issues. nypost.com


Manhattan's Progressive DA Continues to Face Backlash Over Crime
But data suggests that NYC is safer than other overlooked places in the U.S.

The GOP is slamming NYC as a crime-ridden hellhole; here's why
The congressional anti-Alvin Bragg brigade released a bleak and dramatic video on Monday presenting New York as a crime-infested hellhole as Republican lawmakers launched into a lower Manhattan hearing intended to tar the Democratic district attorney.

The video, published by Republicans on Twitter about an hour before the start of the so-called field hearing, shows an ominous gray sky over Manhattan's towers followed by images of brutal violence, police tape and crime-related news clippings, interspersed with shots of Bragg during his swearing-in.

The chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, said that New York City has "lost its way when it comes to fighting crime and upholding the law," and that Bragg has "earned a reputation for caring more about the perpetrators of crime than the victims."

Crime rates rose in New York City last year, Bragg's first year in office, according to the NYPD. But crime has flatlined in Manhattan and citywide this year, according to police data, and some violent crime rates are falling sharply.

Bragg, a son of Harlem and the first Black Manhattan district attorney, was elected in 2021 and faced criticism early in his tenure over a staff memo in which he encouraged dialing back prosecution of minor crimes.

In Jordan's home state of Ohio, the murder rate is far higher than in New York City or Manhattan, according to Centers for Disease Control data. nydailynews.com


New Trend: Mail Carrier Robbery's Spiking Nationwide
Identity Theft - Account Takeovers - Fraudulent Credit Cards

Didn't get your mail in Oakland? Your letter carrier may have been robbed.
Oakland leads Bay Area cities in postal stick-ups

OAKLAND - Mail carriers are being targeted for robbery across the Bay Area, but especially in Oakland, where the city's intractable crime problem has left postal workers vulnerable to frequent muggings.

The trend, while rarely reported before the pandemic, has skyrocketed in the last couple years, with Oakland as a focal city along with Hayward, Stockton, Vallejo and Bakersfield, postal inspectors said.

"We used to have just a handful a year, and now going a week without a robbery in Oakland is refreshing," said Matthew Norfleet, a postal service inspector who investigates mail-related crimes in the East Bay.

On a weekly basis - sometimes more than once a day - a mail carrier in the city is held up at gunpoint or otherwise threatened by a robber who snatches their postal keys, typically with the intention of returning at night to test them on apartment mailboxes in the neighborhood. mercurynews.com

Editor's Note: We're starting to see this increase across the nation. However, not reporting it on the Daily. And being a federal crime we won't see this in local crime stats.


'Crucial flaw in self-checkout design makes shoppers vulnerable to theft'

There were seven mass shootings on Saturday - the most of any day this year

In Case You Missed It

Autonomous indoor drones get first pilot sale,
ADT Commercial announces

Luxury watchmaker Movado is field-testing Tando indoor drones,
an element of ADT Commercial's EvoGuard brand.

ADT Commercial, a leading security integrator and premier provider of commercial security, fire and life safety services in the U.S., announced at ISC West 2023 that it has completed its first pilot sale for its EvoGuard brand of autonomous intelligent guarding solutions. The company recently sold the Tando autonomous indoor drones to existing pilot partner, luxury Swiss watchmaker Movado to continue field-testing the solution in their distribution center.

"This is a huge milestone in the launch of our EvoGuard brand and moment for ADT Commercial as a trusted commercial integrator entering the guarding market," said Ed Bacco, Vice President, Emerging Technologies for ADT Commercial. "We've long seen the value in intelligent autonomous solutions and the impact they can have on the future of guarding. With a landscape that's vastly changed over the last several decades - with higher turnover, increasing labor costs and a diminishing talent pool - we knew we had to explore a way forward through technology. It's incredible to see customers getting the chance to witness that value for themselves."

Movado has been testing the indoor drones at the group's distribution center in Moonachie, New Jersey, since June 2022. It's been actively field-testing the technology in collaboration with ADT Commercial and Israel-based Indoor Robotics to serve as a supplemental physical security measure for overnight and weekend coverage. With the purchase of the autonomous indoor drone, Movado anticipates enhancing its guarding program and operational security strategy to better utilize technology and streamline labor costs.

"In planning for the future of our corporate security program at Movado, we feel that true innovation is a must. You have to be on the cutting edge and always looking forward," said John Holubowicz, Director of Loss Prevention for the Movado Group. "That's why it's been amazing to collaborate with ADT Commercial and Indoor Robotics in piloting a solution that we feel signals the next generation in guarding."

With anticipated commercialization targeted for later this year as part of the EvoGuard portfolio, the goal of the Tando autonomous indoor drone is to to function as an additional layer of 24/7 surveillance to patrol commercial facilities. Primary features in development, currently being piloted by Movado and others, include:

• Ability to program a destination or set an autonomous patrol route at routine intervals

• Option to program alerts to trigger investigatory flights and interact with security incidents in virtually real-time

• Always-on video feed to provide more comprehensive surveillance coverage - whether in flight or monitoring from a docking station

• People detection capabilities and object-avoidance analytics

• Future ability to carry a variety of sensors, such as infrared video or radio-wave detection that can be integrated into other security and facilities management systems to help alert and respond to potential hazards

• Intuitive user interface with indoor-only capabilities, so users do not need to be experienced drone pilots or certified by the FAA to manage a drone fleet or conduct patrols

"We view EvoGuard as a cost-effective means of enhancing our guarding coverage during critical after-hour periods, and limiting human exposure to potentially dangerous situations. We're proud to be an early adopter of the technology and to continue working with the teams on this," Holubowicz said.

ADT Commercial is currently seeking additional pilot partners for the EvoGuard suite of intelligent autonomous guarding solutions, which currently includes both the Tando autonomous indoor drones and humanoid robots by 1X Technologies (formerly Halodi Robotics).
 

Learn more by visiting adt.com/commercial/evoguard.

Retail & Hospitality ISAC and NACD Collaborate to Prepare the Next Generation of Aspiring Boardroom Leaders

The affiliation utilizes the NACD Accelerate™ program and seeks to increase the presence of cybersecurity leaders on corporate boards.

Vienna, VA (April 18, 2023) - The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the authority on boardroom practices representing more than 23,000 board members, have launched a new alliance to promote NACD Accelerate™ to cybersecurity professionals, an educational program for aspiring boardroom leaders and executives that delivers the critical foundation needed to become a prime candidate for directorship.

As the cybersecurity threat landscape continues to evolve, corporate boards are under increasing pressure to provide oversight of cybersecurity risk, but many boards lack directors with relevant experience. Forthcoming regulations from the SEC related to cybersecurity disclosures are expected to further increase the demand for corporate directors with cybersecurity expertise.

"Corporate directors play a critical leadership role in ensuring the security and resilience of their organizations," said Suzie Squier, president of RH-ISAC. "We are thrilled to partner with NACD to promote the NACD Accelerate™ program to CISOs at our member companies and help close the cybersecurity knowledge gap in boardrooms across industries."

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The Rise of Payment Credential Vaults
43% of Consumers Who Had Issues With Stored Credentials Are Highly Interested In Payment Credential Vaults
The subscription economy is a major driver in the rise of payment credentials vaults, as are recurring payments writ large, and more consumers are interested in this form of storage.

As we learned in the PYMNTS study "Consumer Interest in Credentials Vaults," based on a survey of over 2,300 U.S. consumers, roughly 60% of consumers currently store credentials to pay for subscriptions and online purchases.

It's even higher among millennials and high-income consumers, of whom 68% and 65%, respectively, use stored credentials when making recurring payments.

We found that 39% of consumers would use payments vaults to make most or all of their online transactions if they could. The share is even higher among consumers who are already used to paying via stored credentials. 51% of these consumers would use payments vaults for most or all of their online transactions if they could.

Why the rising demand for payment credential vaults? Per the study, "interest in using a credentials vault correlates with having experienced more issues with payments in the past, such as having a payment declined because the card information was outdated."

We found that consumers who have experienced issues with their payment credentials are almost twice as likely to be interested in payment vaults than those who did not. pymnts.com


Walmart is Catching Up to Amazon
Walmart closes in on Amazon's retail search lead as its ecommerce bets pay off
US consumers are increasingly turning to Walmart.com, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to start their online shopping searches, according to Jungle Scout. Amazon, search engines, and Facebook have lost share since Q1 2022.

Beyond the chart: After making various ecommerce improvements over the past year, Walmart recently revamped its website and app, implementing a homepage that encourages shoppers to scroll through products as they would on social media platforms. The redesign also provides a more curated experience to better showcase its product offerings. insiderintelligence.com