It's 'Auror Week' on the D&D Daily! Follow along in the 'Vendor Spotlight' column all week as Auror  showcases what it's up to at this year's RILA AP conference.

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Interface Shares Best Practices to Secure Mall-Based Retailers

Interface joins forces with Helzberg Diamonds, Signet Jewelers, and Brookfield Properties at RILA Retail Asset Protection Conference to articulate a proactive strategy for securing mall-based retail operations.

St. Louis, MO (April 25, 2023) - Interface Systems, a leading managed service provider of business security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses will join forces with Helzberg Diamonds, Signet Jewelers, and Brookfield Properties to conduct an educational session titled "Securing Mall-Based Retailers - Best Practices & Partnerships" at the upcoming RILA Retail Asset Protection Conference.

The panelists for the session include Tim Lapinski - Divisional Vice President, Helzberg Diamonds, Chris Hackler - Vice President, Global Asset Protection, Signet Jewelers, Dan Ryan - Senior Vice President, Brookfield Properties, and Matt Smitheman - Senior Security Consultant, Interface Systems. The discussion will focus on the importance of people, processes, and technology to ensure security and safety for employees and customers at malls.

The panel will cover various aspects of mall security such as employee training, emergency public address announcements for active threats, tenant emergency response plans, next-generation security technologies such as interactive remote video monitoring, and more. In addition, it will discuss the role of mall owners, their responsibilities for communal spaces, and how they can build on-site relationships without overstepping into retailers' programs.

"With the rise in mall crime such as grab-and-go, smash-and-grab, ORC (Organized Retail Crime), and mall shootings, retailers and mall property managers are looking for innovative solutions to help them bridge technology and communications silos between key stakeholders," says Smitheman.

Interface Systems recognizes the need for a holistic approach to mall security and safety and is putting in place initiatives and technologies to help bring together retailers, mall property owners, and security system integrators to cohesively discuss strategies and best practices.

The session is scheduled on May 1st, 2023 from 2:45 pm to 3:30 pm at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora CO. For more information about the event, please visit the RILA website at https://www.rila.org/conferences/retail-asset-protection-conference/program

Read more here
 

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

America's 'Shoplifting Plague'
The nationwide plague of shoplifting gangs

Retailers across the country say they're under an assault by robbery rings of unprecedented aggression and scale

How bad is the problem?

"It is just out of control," said Lisa LaBruno, an official at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. In a Business.org survey of 700 small businesses last year, 54 percent reported a rise in shoplifting and 23 percent said they were robbed daily. Both small and large retailers are sounding the alarm.

Why is this happening?

Retailers and experts say the problem spiked during the pandemic, when stores cut back on staff. Venues like Amazon and eBay give thieves a convenient way to resell stolen goods.

How do boosters operate?

Retailers and store employees say many thieves have become stunningly brazen, storming in and openly taking what they want. "These criminals feel like they own the store," said Tony Settles, a clerk at a Denver Safeway. Standard policy at chain retailers is for employees not to confront the thieves, fearing it will lead to violence and possible lawsuits.

How is it political?

Many conservatives argue that the problem has been worsened by liberal criminal justice policies such as ending cash bail and ending prosecution of low-level offenses. In cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago - where theft has driven numerous retailers to close stores on the Magnificent Mile retail strip - shoplifting arrests have dropped even as crimes have surged. Many states have raised dollar limits on what theft constitutes a felony; critics say charging shoplifters with misdemeanors essentially gives them a green light to come back for more.

What else is being done?

After lobbying by major retailers, Congress passed legislation in December requiring online sellers such as Amazon to collect tax ID numbers and other information from high-volume sellers to help identity thieves. Numerous cities and states, including California, Illinois, and Arizona, have created anti-shoplifting task forces, and other states, including Florida and North Carolina, have stiffened penalties for thieves who steal with the intent to resell.

How are retailers responding? - Online 'bargains' may be stolen: theweek.com


Target Store in San Francisco Goes Into Full Lockdown Mode
San Francisco Target puts entire inventory on lockdown amid shoplifting crisis
A San Francisco Target store has been putting all of its products on lockdown amid a shoplifting crisis that has crippled retailers in the Golden Gate City. Footage of the store's interior posted to TikTok Thursday showed aisle after aisle of toiletries and cosmetics under lock and key in the megachain.

While it's common for stores to lock up small valuable items like razors, heaps of inexpensive large items like mouthwash, shampoo and lotion were also being kept out of reach of the grubby hands of would-be shoplifters, the clip showed.

The Bay Area has been especially hard hit by a national organized retail crime epidemic that ballooned during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading chains such as Walgreens to close five San Francisco stores due to theft.

The National Retail Federation's 2022 retail security survey ranked San Francisco/Oakland as the second-most hard-hit metropolitan area by theft in 2020 and 2021, only behind Los Angeles.

New York City crept up to third on the list in 2021, outpacing Chicago.

While San Francisco's murder rate remains far below that of many other major cities, an increase in violent crime there was punctuated by two recent high-profile attacks - the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee earlier this month and the unprovoked crowbar attack on Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani a day later that left the top official fighting for his life.

Concerns about crime, safety and "high theft" had also led a Whole Foods Market in downtown San Francisco to close two weeks ago.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted last week to approve a new lucrative police contract to try to mitigate a staffing shortage, according to KRON-TV.

The city's department is understaffed by 25% after failing to replace some 562 officers who retired or resigned, Police Chief Bill Scott told the outlet. nypost.com


Nevada's 'Crime Reduction Act' Seeks to Cut Felony Theft Threshold in Half
The bill would give police more flexibility to crack down on rising crime across the state

Sheriffs rally around GOP crime bill allowing easier felony charges for retail theft, drug possession

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican and former sheriff, is championing the Crime Reduction Act

Law enforcement officials in Nevada are rallying around a bill championed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo that would give police more flexibility to crack down on rising crime across the state.

The Crime Reduction Act, or S.B. 412, was introduced in the state legislature last month, and has received unanimous support from every Nevada sheriff from all 17 counties in the state. If passed, it would revise the felony threshold for certain crimes, such a retail theft and drug possession, to make it easier for law enforcement to seek stricter punishments in hopes of lowering crime rates.

In a letter of support for the legislation shared with Fox News Digital, the sheriffs praised Lombardo, a former sheriff, and his efforts to roll back restrictions they said made it harder for them to keep the citizens of Nevada safe.

It also referenced A.B. 236, a bill passed and signed into law in 2019 that weakened penalties for certain crimes, including possession of the deadly drug fentanyl. The law made it only a misdemeanor to possess enough of the drug to kill hundreds of thousands of people, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The law also set the felony threshold for retail theft at $1,200, an amount the letter pointed out was higher than California's, another state plagued with crime. "This means someone can walk into a CVS, steal well over $1,000 in merchandise, and escape felony charges. We can't accept that as the new normal here in Nevada," the letter said.

The new bill would implement a zero tolerance policy for fentanyl, meaning possession of any amount would be an automatic felony. It would also nearly half the amount the felony threshold for retail theft. foxnews.com


Surge in 'Wrong-Place Shootings' Across the U.S.
Wrong-place shootings have plagued US communities for decades
Deadly overreactions to "wrong place" events have brought tragic consequences across the U.S. for decades. And many times when they happen, there are calls for stronger gun control, questions about racist motivations, and pleas for tougher laws to protect innocent people from gun-wielding homeowners.

Little has changed, however, and "wrong place" shootings are still dominating the news, with incidents in Missouri, New York and Texas in the past week.

"We currently live in a country that has normalized gun violence through any fears, through culture and laws that allow it," said Josh Horwitz, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "And what we're now seeing is a horrific result of those efforts."

Horwitz believes that while more Americans are presumably buying guns for self-defense, there surely will be an increase of reckless shooting incidents.

"The bottom line is we're seeing more of it, a huge proliferation of firearms, of people not trained or skilled in firearms, and itchy trigger fingers," Horwitz said. "With more firearms in people's hands, there are more chances for these types of incidents to occur."

Spate of 'wrong place' shootings this week cause debate, worry

The most recent spate of such shootings has rocked the nation in the last several days, with seemingly completely innocent people being fatally shot or seriously injured when they made simple mistakes.

Cheryl Dorsey, a retired sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department, said she doesn't think things will change. "Sadly, I don't think national politicians have an appetite to do anything," Dorsey said.  usatoday.com


Violent Crime Surge Impact: From 'Defund' to 'Refund' the Police
NC tourist town rocked by violence in wake of defund police movement rolls out plan to combat rise in crime
City leaders of a North Carolina tourist town that has been plagued with rising violent crime in recent years announced a 60-day initiative last week to improve conditions in its downtown district amid a crisis in police staffing.

The City of Asheville said they are taking "targeted steps" to address the rising number of incidents affecting public safety with the initiative slated to begin May 1, according to a news release from city government.

The announcement comes as violent crime in Asheville, a town of approximately 90,000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has surged in recent years. Aggravated assaults rose by 21.8%, and armed robberies increased by 20% from 2021 to 2022, according to APD statistics.

The city's new initiative will include increased law enforcement presence downtown, including foot, bike and vehicle patrols and enhanced security in parks. Authorities will also devote attention to keeping downtown clean by removing litter, needles and biological waste.

The city will also increasingly monitor areas in downtown where vagrancy, drug use and crimes are known to happen more frequently, such as parking garage stairwells and Pritchard Park. Authorities will also closely attend to enforcing laws against graffiti on public property and take measures to remove it quickly. foxnews.com


In Case You Missed It: New Progressive Mayor Says He Will Not Defund the Police

Pennsylvania lawmakers unveil anti-hate crime legislation

OSHA Continues to Crackdown on Dollar Stores
Dollar Tree Stores in RI Fined $770K by U.S. Dept. of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday it has fined Dollar Tree Stores $770,000 for failure to provide safe work conditions at two Rhode Island stores. Specifically for violations of the agency's Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards by exposing employees to serious risks and injuries.

The discount retail giant faces penalties for hazards related to obstructed exits, unsafe storage of materials, fire and other hazards at its East Providence and Pawtucket locations.

OSHA cited the East Providence store for three repeat violations, with $319,220 in proposed fines, and the Pawtucket location for four repeat violations, with $450,916 in proposed fines.

OSHA cited Dollar Tree previously for similar hazards at locations in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin.

"Providing employees with clearly recognized and legally required safeguards, such as unimpeded exit access, properly stored materials and readily available fire extinguishers, must be a priority for any employer and should not be ignored," explained OSHA Area Director Robert Sestito in Providence, Rhode Island.

Since 2017, federal and state OSHA programs identified more than 300 violations in more than 500 inspections at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores operated by Dollar Tree Inc., based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

One of the nation's largest retail discount chains, Dollar Tree Inc. operates more than 16,000 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar locations in 48 states and five Canadian provinces. The company also has a nationwide logistics network and has more than 193,000 employees. The publicly traded company reported a gross profit of $7.7 billion in 2021.

Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. golocalprov.com


AI Robots: Coming to a Store Near You
How A.I.-powered robots are changing retail
Eager to boost sales, relieve workers from mundane tasks and respond to the ongoing labor shortage, retailers and supermarkets are adding robots to their store aisles.

Outfitted with cameras and sensors, autonomous inventory robots that can verify price signs and look for out-of-stock items are being deployed at big box stores like BJ's Wholesale and Walmart-owned Sam's Club

Inventory is one of the biggest challenges retailers face. Missed sales from empty shelves and out-of-stock items cost U.S. retailers $82 billion in 2021, according to NielsenIQ.

"Retailers are spending a lot of money to know what's coming into their stores through their inventory systems and through their point of sale systems," said Jarad Cannon, chief technology officer at inventory robot maker Brain Corp. "But in their stores on a daily basis, they don't have a very good model of what's actually happening on their shelves."

Other companies in the space include Simbe Robotics and Bossa Nova Robotics.

So what impact will inventory robots have on U.S. retailers and the livelihood of its workers? CNBC got a behind-the-scenes look at Brain Corp. to find out.

Watch the video to learn more. cnbc.com


Major Remote Work Study Shows Down Side of Working From Home
What Young Workers Miss Without the 'Power of Proximity'

One of the first major studies on remote work shows a hidden penalty of flexibility: less supervision.

Since the start of the pandemic, sweeping workplace changes have arrived far faster than the research examining their effects. More than 50 million Americans, largely in white-collar jobs, began working from home at least part of the time. Many of them, especially working parents, became fiercely attached to the flexibility. In recent months, as large employers - including Amazon, Disney and Starbucks - have tried to call workers back to the office, thousands of employees have objected, pointing to a track record of productivity at home.

But remote workers may be paying a hidden professional penalty for that flexibility, according to a working paper from economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Iowa and Harvard.

The economists studied engineers at a large technology company. They found that remote work enhanced the productivity of senior engineers, but it also reduced the amount of feedback that junior engineers received, and some of the junior engineers were more likely to quit the firm.

The study's findings are preliminary and relatively narrow, directly measuring just one form of interaction among one set of workers at one technology firm. But the authors said their findings suggested something broader: that the office, at least for a certain type of white-collar knowledge worker, played an important role in early-career development. And the mentorship and training people get in person had so far proved hard to replicate on Slack and Zoom. nytimes.com


Apple Accused of Union Busting
Apple Store Workers Want to Unionize. Apple Is Union Busting.
Several workers at an Apple retail store in Kansas City, Missouri, say they were recently fired for attempting to organize a union. Now the Communication Workers of America (CWA) has filed unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against the company for wrongful termination and intimidation on the job.

The charges also allege that some of the terminated workers were forced to sign a "Release of All Claims" in exchange for severance, which was recently deemed unlawful by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). According to the CWA, Apple has also engaged in anti-union retaliation and intimidation at one of its stores in Houston, Texas.

Apple is now working with notorious anti-union firm Littler Mendelson - employed for similar purposes by Starbucks - and has been instructing management on how to curb union efforts.

Gemma Wyatt and D'Lite Xiong, who were both fired by Apple over the past six months for organizing at the Country Club Plaza store in Kansas City, sat down with Jacobin's Peter Lucas to discuss why they tried to organize their workplace rather than quit, and the retaliation they and their coworkers faced. jacobin.com


How concerned are shoppers about inflation?
Fears about inflation among surveyed U.S. shoppers is at its lowest level since October 2022, though still high at 65% concerned, according to the new "Inflation Special Report" from Kroger's 84.51° data analytics subsidiary.

Party City to close 9 more stores as it preps to go private

Who Wins From Bed Bath & Beyond's Bankruptcy?
 
Retailer Tuesday Morning Moves Toward Liquidation of Additional Stores

Another Trader Joe's Store Just Formed A Union

China, AI, and Cyber: Biggest Threats to America?
Homeland Security chief Mayorkas announces 90-day China sprint and AI task force

The secretary of homeland security warned that China, AI, and cyber pose some of the biggest threats to the United States.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Friday that his department will carry out a 90-day sprint to study and counter threats from Beijing and that the department will form a task force to examine how to integrate artificial intelligence into its work.

In a speech Friday that accompanied the release of the Third Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, a statutorily required strategic document that assess how threats to the United States have changed, Mayorkas said that the department's look at the threat posed by China will take a close look at how to defend U.S. critical infrastructure against Chinese cyberattacks.

"As threats of the past have changed in form complexity and magnitude, so to have new threats emerged. This is perhaps nowhere more acute than in cyberspace," Mayorkas said. "Today, malicious cyber actors are capable of disrupting gasoline supplies across an entire region of our country, preventing hospitals from delivering critical care and causing disruption in some school systems around our country."

Friday's announcements are the latest in a string of Washington initiatives to counter the influence of China, the most recent of which is a workshop to be held Friday that aims to prevent the United States from falling behind China in the deployment of 6G telecommunications infrastructure. cyberscoop.com


Researches Building Operating System With Built-In Cyber Defenses
MIT and Stanford researchers develop operating system with one major promise: Resisting ransomware

Computer science researchers at MIT and Stanford are developing an operating system with built-in cybersecurity defenses.

Some of the biggest names in modern computing are betting on a new type of operating system they say will be resilient against common cyberattacks and bounce back from ransomware infections within minutes.

Those are bold claims. But the people behind the project include Michael Stonebraker, a serial tech entrepreneur and computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology whose groundbreaking work on database systems earned him the Turing honor in 2015. He's teaming up with Matei Zaharia, an associate professor at Stanford University and creator of the Apache Spark project, and Jeremy Kepnew, head of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center.

"It's a total new paradigm," said Michael Coden, associate director of cybersecurity at MIT Sloan School of Management, who took a part-time position at Boston Consulting Group as senior adviser in order to help lead the database-oriented operating system, or "DBOS" for short.

"The revolution here is turning the operating system upside down," he said. "You get detection internally without external cybersecurity tools or analytics engines more quickly and you can roll back to the pre-attack state for business continuity within minutes or seconds without having to go and do restores. It's kind of like revolutionary."

Stonebraker and Coden plan on demonstrating the open-source operating systems during the RSA Conference, the annual cybersecurity gathering San Francisco, next week and show in real time how it will bounce back from a simulated ransomware attack. cyberscoop.com


'Early Warning Platform' to Share Cyber Threat Intelligence
Security vendors partner to share intel about critical infrastructure threats

The biggest companies working in industrial cybersecurity are building an early-warning platform called ETHOS to share threat intelligence.

The platform called Emerging THreat Open Sharing, or ETHOS, is designed to break down information gaps that occur because organizations don't have access to the same information about the latest hacks or vulnerabilities that could affect the entire energy sector, pipeline operators or other industrial sectors.

The overall lack of visibility into critical networks has been a longstanding concern in the U.S. Due to this issue, the Biden administration has led multiple "sprints" to increase visibility among various critical industries. The ETHOS effort that includes well-known cybersecurity firms that operate in critical infrastructure space such as 1898 & Co., Dragos, Claroty, Forescout, NetRise, Network Perception, Nozomi Networks, Schneider Electric, Tenable and Waterfall Security is one of the most significant industry initiatives to raise awareness across the entire sector. cyberscoop.com


How CISOs navigate security and compliance in a multi-cloud world

Rethinking Safer AI: Can There Really Be a 'TruthGPT'?

Washington, DC: Thieves steal 81 glasses worth over $140K from Georgetown Optician at the Wharf
Just after 3:00 p.m. Sunday, police believe four suspects entered the high-end eye wear store at 699 Water Street Southwest and took off with 81 Cartier glasses. A Georgetown Opticians employee told police that two suspects walked into the store and asked to see the pair of Cartier glasses they saw the night before. While the employee showed them the glasses, one of those masked suspects pulled out a hammer and started smashing the glass counter. The other individual started removing the glasses from the counter and throwing them into a bag she brought into the store. While she snatched the shades, another suspect allegedly grabbed an employee and told them not to move. An additional person, the police report states, stood in front of the main entrance door while the smash-and-grab robbery was taking place. Surveillance video shows all four suspects fleeing the store.  fox5dc.com


Pittsburg, CA: 14 arrested in massive Pittsburg PD retail theft bust
Fourteen people were arrested in a retail theft operation launched by the Pittsburg Police Department, the department announced on social media late Sunday. Additionally, five vehicles were towed and over $5,000 in stolen merchandise was recovered. Of the merchandise recovered, police said $3,200 of it was from local Pittsburg stores that included Winco, Walmart, Burlington and Target. Another $2,000 came from department stores in Antioch and San Francisco that included Old Navy, Children's Place, Forever 21 and Macy's. Of the suspects arrested, two admitted to being "boosters" - professional thieves that steal for others to profit - that normally target SF department stores. A vehicle used by the boosters was towed and another $2,000 in merchandise that was already separated and ready to be delivered to customers was also recovered, police said. The two suspected boosters were charged with felony shoplifting as well as being in possession of stolen merchandise. "All the businesses were very appreciative of our assistance in recovering their merchandise," police said. kron4.com


Nassau County, NY: Police seeking 2 suspects in $5,000 Walmart Robbery
The Third Squad reports the details of a robbery that occurred at 9:05 pm on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in East Meadow. According to Detectives, a 23-year-old male victim, while working as a loss prevention agent at Walmart, 2465 Hempstead Turnpike, did observe two males enter the electronics department and place assorted items into their shopping cart. They then proceeded to a store employee and asked for assistance with Apple watches. Once the display was opened, the subjects took nine Apple watches. After this they took three breast pumps and two PlayStation headphones, placing all items in their cart. The total value of the items taken was $4,927.95. Both subjects proceeded to the store exit, passing both points of purchase without making any attempt to pay for the items in their cart. At this point the victim approached the second subject, accompanied by another store employee and a physical struggle ensued as the victims attempted to secure the merchandise. During the struggle the second subject said "shoot him" to the first subject. The first subject then helped to free the second subject and they both fled the parking lot.  pdcn.org


Bloomfield, MI: 2 women who aren't allowed in Michigan steal $1,600 worth of candles from Bath & Body Works
Two women who have been banned from entering Michigan because of previous convictions went to a store in Oakland County and stole $1,600 worth of candles, police said. The theft happened April 17 at the Bath and Body Works in Bloomfield Township. Kiara Bannister, 24, and Canedra Barabino, 24, are accused of driving to the store from Toledo, stealing items, and fleeing in a silver Nissan. When officers pulled the Nissan over, they said they saw Bath and Body Works candles scattered throughout the car. More than $1,600 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered, police said. Bannister and Barabino were taken into custody on suspicion of retail fraud. Investigators said both women have a prior conviction out of 44th District Court in Royal Oak for felony organized retail fraud. A probation order out of Livingston County prohibited them from entering Michigan, according to authorities. Bannister is charged with first-degree retail fraud, and Barabino is charged with third-degree retail fraud and organized retail crime.  clickondetroit.com


Glen Rock, NJ: Shoplifters Steal $1.6K In Goods From Glen Rock Liquor Store
A local liquor store was hit yet again in a shoplifting last week, police officials said. Last Tuesday, Bottle King Liquors saw another "grab and run" theft of liquor, valued at nearly $70; this was the latest in a series of shoplifting cases that have occurred this year at the Glen Rock store, police chief Dean Ackermann said. At least eight such incidents have taken place at the store this year, and, consequently, more than $1,600 worth of goods has been swiped, Ackermann said. "At times we have been dealing with repeat offenders," he said. "Case in point: A Fair Lawn man arrested this month still had charges pending from December which had not even gone to court yet."   patch.com


Brownsville, TX: Man caught stealing $1,000 from Home Depot turned out to be sex offender
A man caught stealing $1,000 worth of supplies at the Home Depot. tallied up a heafty bond after an encounter with Brownsville police. Martin Rivas was seen stealing supplies, according to a loss prevention officer. When police arrived at the scene to confront Rivas he began to run away from the parking lot, according to a release from the Brownsville Police Department. He was detained and transported to the Brownsville City Jail where he provided a false name to officers. Upon further investigation, officers determined that Rivas had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to comply with a sex offender registry. He was taken to a hospital for medical clearance and on the way out attacked a police officer in an attempt to escape.  valleycentral.com


Secaucus, NJ: 2 Newark women charged with shoplifting $864.51 from Secaucus TJ Maxx

West Manchester Township, PA: Three Sought In Theft At West Manchester Kohl's