Fighting Retail Crime with Auror Intel Platform & Reveal Body Cams
BP Introduces Staff Body Camera to 'Combat' Retail Crime
BP has implemented staff body-worn cameras in a bid to "combat retail crime effectively" in stores facing high levels of abuse and crime.

Alongside the introduction of Reveal body cameras, the retail giant has also launched Auror retail crime intelligence platform across its 300 convenience stores in the coming months.

The intelligence platform is designed to help reduce verbal abuse incidents, tackle retail crime and enable incident reporting, identification of repeat offenders and both collaboration with law enforcement and real-time alerts on criminal activity.

BP vice president of mobility and convenience retail Sonya Adams said: "Safety comes first at BP; we are always looking at ways we can create a safer working environment for colleagues and a better retail experience for customers.

"We serve millions of customers every week with the vast majority of transactions being pleasant and positive. However, in line with the rest of the retail sector, we are seeing an increase in crime and abuse of our colleagues, and that's unacceptable.

"We will continue to collaborate with others in the sector, and invest in technology like Auror and the Reveal body cameras, to help us combat these issues."

BP's latest commitment in keeping colleagues and customers safe follows suit of other retailers in the UK.

Grocers including Lidl, Aldi, Co-op and Tesco have all rolled out body-worn to staff, while some retailers like Morrisons have implemented various other technologies to tackle crime.

In recent years, the supermarket giant has trialled police terminals 'RoboCop' style security cameras along its alcohol aisles, while last September Morrisons unveiled a fleet of CCTV vans to address rising levels of retail crime. grocerygazette.co.uk


Will California Voters Finally Roll Back Prop 47 This November?
There is 'strong support' for a ballot measure that seeks to crack down on retail crime

California's Crime Laws Face Overhaul With Rising Retail Theft

With backing from Republicans and some liberal-city mayors, coalition has support to put justice reform on November ballot

A coalition seeking to revamp California's landmark criminal justice law says it's collected enough signatures to qualify for November's ballot. The group said Thursday it had collected 900,000 signatures for the initiative, indicating strong support. A little more than 500,000 names are required for the measure to appear on the statewide ballot.

The proposed Homeless, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act seeks to roll back parts of Proposition 47, a law passed in 2014 that reduced punishments for some lower-level crimes, like petty theft and drug possession.

The initiative is backed by a coalition spanning Republican legislators, law enforcement, district attorneys, big-box retailers and even liberal-city mayors like San Francisco's London Breed, reflecting a broader shift toward more stringent crime policy.

Advocates for the campaign cite a spike in retail theft and the visibility of open-air drug markets as evidence that Prop 47 has failed to effectively address the state's crime issues. Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. are among the top funders of the initiative, with US retailers saying they're losing more stock to theft, in part due to organized crime.

The proposed measure would allow prosecutors to classify some thefts as felonies, mandate treatment for drug users or impose jail time, and enact stricter penalties for drug dealers, especially those selling fentanyl. In 2023, San Francisco recorded more than 800 deaths from drug overdoses, the deadliest year on record.

However, opponents of the ballot drive, such as Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, say the current law is working. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has suggested that the lack of prosecution is to blame for the rise in retail thefts, rather than the law itself. He emphasizes that there is a disparity between public perception and the reality of crime. bloomberg.com


But Some California Lawmakers Think ORC Legislation Goes Too Far
Commentary: Finding the Right Balance - Addressing Organized Retail Theft While Upholding Civil Liberties

By California Assemblymember Tina McKinnor

Organized retail theft is a significant issue that impacts both consumers and businesses. While it is crucial to address theft and protect businesses from losses, we should also be mindful of safeguarding individuals' constitutional rights, particularly the right to due process.

AB 1990 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, also known as the STOP Act, raises concerns about the balance between addressing theft effectively and ensuring civil liberties are upheld. This bill allows law enforcement officers to make warrantless arrests for shoplifting offenses not witnessed by the officer, as long as there is reasonable cause to believe the individual committed the crime. This bill has a dangerous potential for overreach and infringes on civil liberties, particularly the right to due process.

While the stated intention behind the STOP Act is to combat organized retail theft and protect businesses, there are valid concerns that this bill is an overreach and that existing law works, if properly enforced by our partners in law enforcement. A petty theft involving property stolen valued at $950 or less may be charged as a felony or misdemeanor (called a wobbler) if the offender has the following prior convictions:.

Granting officers the authority to arrest individuals based on reasonable cause, without witnessing the crime firsthand, can lead to negative consequences and possible violations of individual rights. The principle behind the probable cause standard is to limit the power of authorities to conduct unlawful search and seizure of a person or its property, and to promote formal, forensic procedures for gathering lawful evidence for the prosecution of the arrested criminal. 

California's current laws, including the use of witness statements and surveillance evidence are sufficient for addressing suspected shoplifting and organized retail theft. As we move forward, it is essential for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, businesses and communities to work together in finding solutions that effectively address organized retail theft without encroaching on individual rights.  postnewsgroup.com


New York's Retail Theft Crackdown Heading Toward a Vote
Retail theft, illegal pot shop crackdowns locked-in as lawmakers begin voting on state budget Thursday
Days after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a preliminary agreement on the state budget, Albany is finally coming to an actual agreement and beginning to vote on the budget Thursday.

Hochul's Monday announcement of an agreement on a spending plan was quickly derided by legislators who poked fun at her description of the deal as "parameters of a conceptual agreement," but the governor appears to be having the last laugh as pressure mounts on lawmakers to finalize the budget.

Lawmakers began debating other parts of the budget deal Thursday, including provisions to allow more crackdowns on illicit cannabis shops and retail theft.

The new retail theft package includes:

• Increased penalties for assaulting a retail worker
• A tax credit to assist bodegas and other small retail locations to upgrade security technology
• Allowing authorities to combine the value of goods stolen between different stores to make heftier charges
• $40 million in funding to help state police and local district attorneys target organized retail theft rings

Hochul is also scheduled to unveil parts of the retail theft package Thursday afternoon. nypost.com


Retail Shrink and ORC Report from Coresight (Registration Required)
Is Self-Checkout on the Way Out? US Retailers Scale Back To Fight Theft
Continuing our regular series on retail shrink and organized retail crime (ORC), we focus this month on developments from the US and the UK. We discuss recent legislative changes, retailer announcements and news about loss-prevention technologies.

References to shrink and associated keywords in the earnings transcripts of selected US and UK retailers for full-year 2023 were 1.5X the average level of the prior five years. References in 1Q24 remain elevated-nearly 38% higher than in the year-ago quarter-implying ongoing, heightened concern about shrink and retail crime among retailers.

Read this report to learn more about these findings as well as the scaling back of self-checkout by major US retailers.

Data in this research report include:

• Number of times "shrink," "theft," "shoplifting" and "retail crime" was mentioned by selected US and UK retailers in their quarterly earnings calls, 1Q18-1Q24

Companies mentioned in this report include: 99 Cents Only, Amazon, BJ's Wholesale, Boots UK, Co-op, Costco, Dicks Sporting Goods, Dollar General, Five Below, Primark, Walmart coresight.com


(Video) California law enforcement cracking down state's ongoing retail theft problem

Sweeping gun legislation approved by Maine lawmakers after mass shooting
 

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Fort Lauderdale, FL: Trio arrested after robbery valued at over $69K at Saks Fifth Avenue
Three Fort Lauderdale men face charges after authorities say they arrested them for a daytime robbery at Waterside Shops, in Naples, on Tuesday. According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Michael Lawrence Knight, 27; Harmon Brown, 32; and Keion Jamaal Payne, 31, face armed robbery, aggravated battery and fleeing and eluding charges. Deputies responded to a report of a robbery in progress at Saks Fifth Avenue at Waterside Shops, 5395 U.S. 41 N., when Knight, Brown and Payne had just stolen multiple Chanel purses and were attempting to flee the store, deputies said. Authorities said the trio pushed on the doors and pepper-sprayed store employees who attempted to stop them before getting into a white BMW SUV and heading east onto Pine Ridge Road. During the pursuit, authorities said, Brown struck another vehicle and then drove onto the sidewalk near a school and in the wrong lanes of traffic on Immokalee Road to avoid deputies before turning into a plaza where the Chick-fil-A and Aldi stores are. The trio then ran from the SUV before they were apprehended. Store employees estimated the trio stole 13 purses, valued at $69,200. Authorities said three bags were recovered, valued at $16,200. Authorities said they discovered Brown had a warrant out of Carroll County, in Georgia, for larceny.  naplesnews.com


San Jose, CA: Suspects arrested in organized theft spree of Apple products at Valley Fair mall Monday; over $13,000 of stolen goods retrieved
In a significant bust, San Jose authorities apprehended three individuals on Monday evening at Valley Fair Mall. These suspects, all residents of Chino and including two adults and one minor, were reportedly in possession of a substantial haul of retail goods valued at over $13,000. A large portion of the seized items comprised high-demand electronics, such as those produced by Apple. The incident unfolded when mall security flagged the trio to the San Jose Police Department officers, prompting immediate action. The responding officers found the suspects at approximately 8:08 p.m., with over a thousand dollars' worth of stolen merchandise on their person. Further investigation led to their parked car where an additional stash of goods worth around $12,000 was uncovered. Following the recovery of the items, two of the accomplices, aged 19 and 22, were incarcerated at the Santa Clara County Main Jail, while the youngest member of the group was placed in Juvenile Hall. All face serious charges for organized retail theft.  smartphonemagazine.nl


Oakland, CA: 8 arrested in connection to $10,000 Tobacco robberies
On Wednesday, the Oakland Police Department arrested eight suspects for a series of tobacco-related robberies. Police said the robbery happened around 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday in the 7900 block of Mountain Boulevard in Oakland. As a delivery truck driver was dropping off tobacco products, two cars with multiple armed individuals arrived and stole the products before leaving the area, police said. During the course of the investigation, police said officers in the Ceasefire Division connected the armed robbery to a series of tobacco-related robberies that previously occurred throughout the Bay Area. Investigators working in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force arrested eight suspects in a residence in Oakland on Wednesday.  kron4.com


Belleview, FL: Man steals $13K worth of vapes, adult toys from Marion County store
A chance encounter led to the arrest of a man accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a smoke shop and adult toy store in Belleview. Officers arrested Alex Morales, 19, on Thursday on charges of burglary, grand theft, and criminal mischief in connection to a break-in at Smoky Monkey Smoke Shop in Belleview on April 9. Belleview Police Department officers were investigating an unrelated trespassing incident when they spotted Morales, who fits the description of the burglary suspect.  wcjb.com


Mobile, AL: Mobile PD seeks public's help finding pair of Ulta Beauty theft suspects
The Mobile Police Department is asking for the public's help finding and identifying two people who they say were involved in theft at a beauty store earlier this month. According to MPD, a man and woman walked into Ulta Beauty at the Springdale Mall on Airport Boulevard on April 4, took some items, then walked out without paying for the merchandise.  fox10tv.com


DuPage County, IL: Man charged, again, with stealing $900 of liquor; out at the time on pretrial release after being charged with stealing 26 bottles of liquor