Vector Security Networks® Announces 2022 Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) Scholarship Recipients

More than $323,500 awarded to loss prevention professionals and hopefuls to date.

PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2022 - Vector SecurityNetworks®, a division of Vector Security, Inc.®, and the single-source integrator of physical security solutions and managed services for North American retailers and multi-site businesses, announces the recipients of its 2022 Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) scholarships, which provide financial support to loss prevention professionals and hopefuls seeking to obtain Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ) and Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) certifications.

The company began awarding the scholarships in 2009 in support of career development and continuing education in this rapidly-growing industry. Each year, loss prevention professionals, or those interested in a career in loss prevention, are invited to apply.

Read more here
 

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RILA AP Conference

RILA AP's In-Person Return: 'Homecoming' for the AP Industry

After two-plus years of Teams, Zooms, and emails, RILA AP has felt like a homecoming for this amazing, vital, vibrant, ESSENTIAL community.  It's great to be back together. RILA kicked off the start of a great few days at the welcome reception after a stellar day of committee meetings and workshops. linkedin.com

Follow along here for more updates & see pictures below.

Lisa LaBruno kicks off RILA AP	Workshop hosted by LPF	"Women in Retail AP" Breakfast Session
Prosegur's Booth at RILA (1807)	RILA AP Sponsors	RILA AP attendees networking

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

Prop 47 Encourages Serial Thieves & Must Be Fixed
Op-Ed: The Legislature must take action to address rampant retail theft

Organized retail theft rings appear to be on the rise especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite our progress toward reforming the criminal justice system, we cannot ignore the reality of rising crime that is making Californians feel less safe and secure. Ignoring this reality and failing to address the issue of crime in a meaningful way will only put California's criminal justice reforms at risk.

That is why I am working with retailers throughout the state to introduce Assembly Bill 2390, a common sense fix to Proposition 47 that will hold repeat retail theft offenders accountable while providing mental health and addiction treatment and other pretrial diversion programs to address the root causes of crime. For cases involving one or more acts of theft or shoplifting, this bill will allow for the value of the property or merchandise stolen to be aggregated to support a felony charge of grand theft. The court can then determine whether pretrial diversion would be appropriate to require mental health or addiction treatment or other support services.

The problem with the current law is that a vast majority of retail theft is committed by serial offenders. Many of these offenders know that, under Proposition 47, stealing less than $950 in a single theft is petty theft - a misdemeanor. They also know that they can commit multiple petty thefts and still only face misdemeanor charges - meaning they will be cited and released and most cases will go unresolved. Neighborhood stores are left to wonder why they should even bother reporting incidents of retail theft if nothing will be done.

Proposition 47 promised pretrial diversion programs for offenders, but misdemeanor offenders have no incentive to participate in the absence of any serious consequence not to. Offenders prefer to be convicted for a misdemeanor and do little to no time in jail rather than commit to a mental health or drug treatment program. AB 2390 will make diversion programs actually work by providing the incentive necessary to participate in the program, by allowing separate instances of retail theft to be counted in aggregate toward the $950 threshold for grand theft.

In this way, AB 2390 will hold serial offenders accountable, while at the same time providing them the opportunity and incentive to address the root causes of their crimes. AB 2390 is a necessary step toward addressing the rise in retail theft that will help keep our communities safe. Californians are paying attention. It's time for the Legislature to take action. dailybreeze.com

Perfect Storm: Theft, Counterfeits & Inflation
Grocery store owners worry about an increase in theft amid rising prices
As grocery prices rise, some stores worry people could be turning to theft to cover their food bill. One store manager said a recent run with fake bills has him wanting to act before it becomes a bigger problem.

"As grocery prices go up, we are going to have to watch thieving a whole lot," said Critchfield Meats and Family Market manager Jerry Cinnamon. He says most shoppers here are great lifelong customers. But a recent encounter with some convincing counterfeit bills has him and the store on high alert.

Cinnamon says that fake money initially passed the "pin test". But now they'll start taking things a step further and checking for a watermark before accepting suspicious cash.  But with food inflation climbing to five percent this month, Cinnamon says rising food prices means they will have to keep a close eye out for any more fake cash and other illegal activity in the store.

"We're watching the store a whole lot better. We are thinking about not letting backpacks in because that's just an easy way for someone to throw stuff in and just walk out the door." For now, he's asking cash payers to take a closer look at their money before handing over to the cashier.

We reached out to Lexington P.D. about anymore counterfeit bill sightings and we are still waiting to hear back. Officers say if stores want to report theft of any amount, they will come out to make a report. But it is the owner's choice if they want to prosecute. lex18.com

Law & Order vs. Police Reform
Showdown between reform and tough-on-crime policies in California attorney general's race
The most contentious and closely watched California election in 2022 is likely to be the race for attorney general, where voters will choose in June from the liberal incumbent who was appointed to the job last year, three unheralded challengers and an openly gay career prosecutor whose campaign could hinge on the public's new fears about crime.

For state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, the timing of his first statewide campaign could be challenging. The race coincides with increased scrutiny of recent criminal justice reform efforts, a juxtaposition that his opponents see as an opportunity to pin the blame for rising crime on Democrats. They believe that new leadership at the California Department of Justice will strengthen law and order and bring political balance back to Sacramento.

Already, Bonta's opponents have tried to characterize him as a far-left politician of the same ilk as two of the state's most embattled local prosecutors, Los Angeles Dist. Atty. George Gascón and San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin. Both men face recall efforts.

Bonta points to a program he launched last year to apprehend human traffickers and the recent felony charges his office filed against alleged members of a statewide organized retail theft ring. He said he's focused on defending California's strict gun laws and has ramped up efforts to remove firearms from prohibited persons. latimes.com

How to Stop Mass Shootings Before They Occur
DC shooting and NYC subway attack show signs of how to prevent mass shootings
Many mass shootings, like the one in the New York City subway in mid-April, are carried out by lone offenders who plan their attacks and engage in warning behaviors. Contrary to popular belief, perpetrators of these crimes don't just suddenly "snap" or come out of nowhere.

The accused subway shooter, for instance, posted disturbing videos online, drove to New York from far away, outfitted himself with gear and deployed smoke grenades as he opened fire. On Friday, evidence police found in an apartment in Washington, D.C., where a suicidal gunman had opened fire at a school across the street, wounding four people, indicated an attack planned well in advance.

Case research shows it's often possible for people around these offenders to notice escalating warning signs - especially with the school-shooting threats that spike this time of year - and reach out for help before it's too late. nbcnews.com

Monterey police, state theft task force investigating organized retail burglaries

 

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COVID Update

572.8M Vaccinations Given

US: 82.7M Cases - 1M Dead - 80.5M Recovered
Worldwide: 510.1M Cases - 6.2M Dead - 463.4M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 354   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 760
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID's Impact on Shopping Malls
Some struggling shopping malls in the U.S. are being converted into health clinics
Nationwide, 32 enclosed malls house health care services in at least part of their footprint, according to a database kept by Ellen Dunham-Jones, a Georgia Tech urban design professor. One of the first was Jackson Medical Mall in Mississippi, founded by Dr. Aaron Shirley in 1996. Nearly a third of those medical transformations have been announced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The more recent additions include the Capital Hill Mall in Helena, Montana, where Benefis Health System is building a 60,000-square-foot primary care and specialty clinic on part of the 13-acre site that was razed in 2019. In Alexandria, Virginia, Inova Health System is part of a billion-dollar mixed-use development on the Landmark Mall site, which includes plans for a full-service hospital and trauma center.

The lockdowns brought by COVID-both required and voluntary-pushed many bricks-and-mortar retailers already on the brink out of business. But medicine's reuse of retail space is more than pandemic opportunism, according to a November article in the Harvard Business Review. The three authors suggest the rise of telemedicine and continued push toward outpatient procedures will make malls increasingly attractive locations for health care.

The proposition makes sense for commercial real estate investors, too, especially as mall owners struggle. A few went bankrupt during the pandemic. Every mall owner is now looking for mixed-use opportunities, said Ginger Davis of Trademark Properties in Charleston, South Carolina. fortune.com

China Lockdown Fears Trigger Panic Buying
Panic buying in Beijing stores amid COVID lockdown fears
Panicked residents in Beijing stockpiled food and supplies, cleaning out grocery store shelves, as fears of a hard lockdown on the Chinese capital spread after authorities on Sunday announced mass testing to contain a small cluster of new coronavirus cases.

Local news reports and videos showed road closures and apartment buildings sealed off with metal fencing as authorities imposed "targeted lockdowns" in neighborhoods found to have positive cases. Long lines of residents waiting to be tested could be seen throughout Chaoyang.

Worried the restrictions and mass testing presage a sudden citywide lockdown similar to that of Shanghai, residents quickly began panic buying goods for an extended quarantine.

Internet users posted photos of empty grocery stores in Beijing as supplies of eggs, vegetables and meat ran low. Wumart supermarkets extended business hours, and food and grocery delivery platforms added delivery hours. Online shopping platforms such as Meituan reported a spike in orders of as much as 50 percent since Sunday, while Beijing's commerce bureau on Sunday called on platforms selling fresh produce to increase their inventory and delivery staffing. washingtonpost.com

China's Lockdown Impact on Retail
Shanghai's economy slows as COVID deals blow to industry, retail
Shanghai's first-quarter retail sales, a key gauge of consumption, fell 3.8% year-on-year, swinging from 3.7% growth in the first two months. In March alone, retail sales nosedived by 18.9%.

'Everything is halted': Shanghai shutdowns are worsening shortages
Thousands of air fryers are stuck in factories, warehouses and ports in central China, where shutdowns have stalled millions of dollars worth of inventory.

COVID pill to be widely available soon, White House says

 

6 of eBay's Former Global Security Team - Sr. Dir & Corp. Global Team - Plead Guilty in Fed Court
Former eBay Sr. Director of Safety & Security Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cyberstalking Campaign
James Baugh, 47, of San Jose, Calif., eBay's former Senior Director of Safety & Security, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and through facilities of interstate commerce, two counts of stalking through interstate travel, two counts of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce, two counts of witness tampering and two counts of destruction, alteration and falsification of records in a federal investigation. U.S. District Court Judge scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2022.

In June 2020, Baugh was arrested and charged along with David Harville, eBay's former Director of Global Resiliency. Co-conspirators and former eBay employees:

Philip Cooke -former supervisor of security operations for eBay's European and Asian offices, sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in prison. (Philip Cooke DOJ Sentencing)

Brian Gilbert - former Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay's Global Security Team, pled guilty Oct 8, 2020 - awaiting sentencing

Stephanie Popp - former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence, pled guilty Oct 8, 2020 - awaiting sentencing

Veronica Zea - former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in eBay's Global Intelligence Center (GIC), pled guilty and awaiting sentencing.

Stephanie Stockwell - former manager of eBay's GIC. Previously pleaded guilty on Oct, 27, 2020

David Harville has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

According to court documents, between approximately Aug. 5, 2019 and Aug. 23, 2020, Baugh and his co-conspirators at eBay agreed to engage in a harassment campaign targeting a husband and wife in Natick, Mass. for of their roles in publishing a newsletter that reported on issues of interest to eBay sellers. Senior executives at eBay were frustrated with the newsletter's tone and content, and with the tone and content of comments posted beneath the newsletter's articles. The harassment campaign arose from communications between those executives and Baugh, who was eBay's senior security employee.

Baugh and his co-conspirators allegedly executed a three-part harassment campaign intended to intimidate the victims and to change the content of the newsletter's reporting. The campaign included sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims' home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter's content and threatening to visit the victims in Natick; and traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and install a GPS tracking device on their car.  Continue Reading

Congress Authorizes All Law Enforcement Agencies to Police Criminal Drone Usage
Criminal usage of drones is increasing and evolving.

Justice Department Issues Statement on the Administration's Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS - Drones) National Action Plan and Legislative Proposal
Up to now it was only the DOJ's (FBI) responsibility.

The Department of Justice has responsibly used the authority Congress granted it in the Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018 to protect critical department missions and the public, such as high-profile sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World Series, from the threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as "drones."

But the threat posed by the criminal use of drones is increasing and evolving, and department components cannot protect everyone, everywhere, all the time.

On April 19 Congress reauthorized this and extended it in the 'Counter - UAS National Action Plan' and comprehensive legislative proposal. Extending relief from federal criminal laws to state, local, territorial and tribal (SLTT) law enforcement entities to use technology to detect, and in limited circumstances, mitigate UAS threats under appropriate controls and Federal oversight. A third critical component of the plan is endorsement of the department's legislative proposal that would fill a gap in federal criminal laws to prosecute the most malicious and dangerous uses of drones.

The Counter-UAS plan is a whole-of-government measured proposal that builds off existing authorities to address the threat that simultaneously protects privacy and civil liberties of the American people, the safety of the national airspace and the communications spectrum.

A fact sheet about the C-UAS National Action Plan and legislative proposal can be found at the White House webpage at the following link: Counter-UAS National Action Plan Fact Sheet.  justice.gov

Amazon Hired Private Security to 'Infiltrate Unions'?
From Amazon to Apple, tech giants turn to old-school union-busting

Tech companies are facing increasing momentum from workers trying to organize

At a Staten Island warehouse set to start its vote on unionizing Monday, Amazon has hired consultants to union-bust, mandated classes to discourage organizing and threatened to arrest union leaders for trespassing.

"THE ALU IS TRYING TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE," reads a flier handed out there, referring to the upstart Amazon Labor Union. In an attempt to scare workers, it alleges that the new union's officers "can put you on trial and fine or expel you." A message from Amazon, taped to one of the warehouse's snack machines, blares: "The ALU is Lying to you! The only thing they guarantee is ... you no longer have a voice."

The unionizing workers at Amazon join a larger movement across the country triggered in part by high inflation and the pandemic.

Faced with the threat of unionized workforces, tech companies - some of the most valuable and fastest-growing in the world - are increasingly turning to classic union-busting tactics to preserve their control over their workforces.

Tech companies have surveilled workers suspected of organizing, posted anti-union propaganda and hired anti-union consultants, according to interviews with workers and organizers. They've also forced workers to attend "captive audience" meetings to undermine union talking points, lobbied for laws that will prevent workers from getting the right to unionize and fired employees who drew attention to these tactics.

Amazon has been using anti-union consultants for nearly two decades, defeating efforts to unionize in Britain in 2004 and Virginia in 2016, and releasing an anti-union training video in 2018. It also hired Pinkerton, the private security agency used to infiltrate unions since the late 1800s, to stop Whole Foods workers in 2020, according to internal documents obtained by Vice.

Pinkerton did not respond to a request for comment.

Tech companies are facing some blowback for deploying these tactics, so they may get more secretive, said Bradley Tusk, an early Uber investor and adviser.

"They're going to have to do it unbelievably quietly," he said. "The criticism they will get will not be worth it." washingtonpost.com

Security Company Pay Lawsuit
Allied Universal Security Services faces lawsuit for non-payment of wages
Allied Universal Security Services and a slew of affiliates face a proposed class and collective action that claims they've failed to properly pay employees in the wake of a 2021 data breach that crippled the companies' timekeeping system.

The 23-page case says that after Kronos, the defendants' timekeeping and payroll system, became inoperable in December 2021 due to a cyberattack, Allied Universal failed to take the necessary steps to accurately track workers' hours and pay them due overtime wages.

Instead of paying workers for their actual hours, Allied Universal based their wages on prior pay periods or "reduced payroll estimates" that failed to account for some of the workers' time, the lawsuit claims.

The case alleges Allied Universal's apparent failure to pay employees the entirety of their wages, including overtime, violates the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and several California statutes. The lawsuit relays that Allied Universal, a security services company who employs over 800,000 workers, has used the Kronos timekeeping and payroll system since at least December 11, 2021, when the system was the target of a ransomware attack.

Per the suit, this practice has many times resulted in workers being paid less than they were owed, especially for overtime hours. The case contends that Allied Universal was well aware of its obligation to pay overtime at the proper rates given it had "routinely" done so prior to the Kronos hack. Per the suit, the defendants' failure to pay workers at the correct rates and for every hour worked was "willful." privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Amazon Go goes to the suburbs
Amazon Go: Inside the new cashierless store moving in to the suburbs
Amazon.co is opening one of its Amazon Go convenience stores in Mill Creek, WA, today. The store is designed for consumers living in suburban areas and includes a selection of grab-and-go items that can be paid for using the Amazon app.  usatoday.com

Report: Simon, Brookfield offer to buy Kohl's for $8.6 billion
Shopping center giants Simon Property and Brookfield Asset Management have made an offer to acquire Kohl's Corp. for $68 a share, which would value the department store chain at some $8.6 billion, reported The New York Post. The two mall owners teamed up in late 2020 to buy the retail and operating assets of Penney. chainstoreage.com

For furniture retail, supply chain chaos has become 'normalized'
As category players extend lead times and amass inventory to manage delays, they're also building sourcing relationships beyond China and Vietnam.

See inside one of the last 4 Kmart stores in the US days before it closed down forever

U.S. trucking downturn foreshadows possible economic gloom
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Mgr AP Solutions Supply Chain job posted for Walgreens in Williamston, SC
Manages safety and security programs, procedures, techniques, and equipment related to DC and Central Pharmacy facility employees. Proactively identifies, investigates and reports potential and actual exposure to loss of Company assets. Develops means to minimize risk, ensure compliance to Company policy and provide guidance to DC store/personnel on detecting and preventing loss. jobs.walgreens.com
 

Palo Alto, CA: Four charged with $5,800 Theft at Lululemon
Palo Alto Police arrested four suspects for organized retail theft last Friday afternoon after shoplifting from a downtown clothing store and were involved in a non-injury hit-and-run collision with another vehicle as they fled the scene. Police booked all four suspects into jail. On Friday, April 22, 2022, at about 2:07 p.m., the Palo Alto 24-hour dispatch center received a call from staff at lululemon reporting a theft of clothing that just occurred, where the suspects had fled in a BMW X5 sport utility vehicle. One minute later, before officers arrived in the area, the dispatch center received another call reporting a non-injury hit-and-run collision that had just occurred, where the description of the suspect vehicle was similar.

The investigation revealed that three suspects (two women and one man) had entered the store, grabbed several items of merchandise, and fled without paying to a waiting getaway vehicle with at least one other person inside. As the vehicle was driving southbound, it ran the stop sign at the intersection, striking a westbound pick-up truck, there were no injuries from the collision. Through investigative leads, officers located the suspect vehicle, a silver 2005 BMW X5. Officers stopped the vehicle in Hayward, and took the five occupants into custody without incident at about 2:43 p.m. Officers recovered all the stolen property (totaling 54 items, valued at approximately $5,800) inside the vehicle. svdaily.com

San Antonio, TX: $25,000 worth of merchandise stolen from card shop
Tonight, police are searching for sports memorabilia stolen from a local store. Two men were caught on camera breaking into the Boomtown Sports Cards & Collectibles store near the intersection of Bandera Road and Prue Road. The store's owner says he recently opened his business and now has a big setback. Nava says $25,000 of merchandise was stolen from the store shelves including basketball cards, football cards, autographed jerseys, and some of his son's favorite merchandise. kens5.com

Annapolis, MD: Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Macy's in Annapolis Mall
The Anne Arundel County Police are investigating an armed robbery at the Westfield Annapolis Mall on Friday evening and are seeking the public's help in identifying four suspects. On Friday, April 22, 2022, at approximately 7:30 pm, Officers responded to the Macy's at the Annapolis Mall in reference to an armed robbery. According to several store employees, two black males and two black females entered the store and began to select several boxes of perfume from the women's fragrance counter. They concealed the items in bags. One of the store employees approached the group and asked them what they were doing. At that point, one of the male suspects displayed a pistol in his waistband. The suspects then fled in a black Infiniti SUV. Approximately $2500 worth of merchandise was stolen. eyeonannapolis.net

Westlake Village, CA : Man who stole jewelry worth $8,000 from TJ Maxx in Westlake Village sought
Authorities are asking for the public's help to identify a man who allegedly stole jewelry worth thousands of dollars from a TJ Maxx in Westlake Village. Just after 11 a.m. April 20, a grand theft occurred at the store, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a special bulletin. A man caught on surveillance video entered the store and approached the jewelry department. He asked the associate to see a pair of earrings values at $7,999. When the associate removed the earrings from the glass case, the man grabbed them and ran to the exit without making any attempt to pay, officials said. ktla.com

Flathead County, MT: Alleged shoplifting spree lands three in county jail
A trio of women face multiple felony charges after they allegedly twice went on a shoplifting spree - one successful, the other less so - during a three day period earlier this month. Brie Darlene Baker-Gong, 25, faces one count of theft and another count of attempted theft. Kayla Janae James, 25, is charged with accountability theft. Prosecutors charged Deborah Lynn Renenger, 31, with theft, attempted theft and criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Authorities believe Baker-Gong and Reneger successfully made off with about $1,617 in merchandise from the big box retailer on April 16. According to court documents, two women with loaded shopping carts approached the checkout line together. Authorities returned to the same big box store on April 18 after learning that the women had attempted a similar heist. This time, employees confronted the women, who took off running. Store employees added up the goods in the abandoned shopping cart and put the value of the items at about $1,717. As they arrested the three, they took stock of the items visible in the vehicle. Those included, according to court documents, clothing, merchandise tags, video games and a pipe. dailyinterlake.com

Seattle, WA: Men steal up to $2000 in Pokemon cards from Seattle game store

Galesburg, IA: Man arrested for theft at Menards, police find large amount of stolen meat from Hy-Vee