NYC Costco Losing 'Alarming' Amount of Money to Theft
The Target next door has already shut down

Costco's only Manhattan store not immune from shoplifting epidemic
Manhattan's only Costco may have a shoplifting problem, it's been revealed, months after rampant theft allegedly drove the Target next door to close - and even after the company has bragged that their closed-door policy has helped them to steer around the recent retail crime epidemic.

The lone location of the big box retailer on the island - located inside the East River Shopping Plaza at E. 117th St. and the FDR Drive - is said to lose an alarming amount of money due to theft, as people supposedly walk out of the membership-only warehouse store with some surprising steals, a recent Reddit thread claimed.

A photo posted to the popular chat site - purported to have been taken in an employees-only area inside the store - showed a display on a bulletin board that seems to detail just how much the store has lost from its most stolen items during the previous financial year.

Commenters were baffled by the high rate of theft - noting that the wholesaler requires people to have membership to enter, and employs people for the sole purpose of checking receipts on the way out the door.

In perspective, the tens of thousands that the Uptown location reportedly got taken for represents the tiniest sliver when compared to the national theft-ademic.

Major U.S. retailers collectively lost $112 billion due to shrink in 2022 - more than double an already-climbing $50.6 billion in 2018 - according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), which counts both employee theft and shoplifting when crunching the numbers.

Experts say the issue has only worsened since. nypost.com


Rising Violence Against Retail Workers
One in three Asda staff attacked at work, GMB finds

The company claims GMB made no mention of this survey and has requested a full copy and a detailed summary of the results

One in three Asda staff have stated that they have been attacked at work, according to a new survey from the GMB union. The survey includes reports of workers being stabbed, punched and threatened with syringes. The poll of almost 1000 Asda workers found that staff had been spat at, suffered broken bones, hit with bottles and had death threats against them and their children.

Furthermore, 58% of respondents said they had suffered injury or illness on the job while delivery drivers said they have been chased by people in cars and been confronted by customers in the nude. Overall 339 Asda workers (35%) told GMB they had been a victim of verbal or physical violence while doing their job.

In response Asda has stated that it had regular meetings with GMB, including ones last week, where they discuss store security. The company claims GMB made no mention of this survey and has requested a full copy and a detailed summary of the results.

Asda stated: "Unfortunately, like all retailers we have seen an increase in violence and aggression towards our colleagues during the last few years. The safety of our colleagues is a primary concern, which is why we have invested over £30m during the last three years to upgrade the CCTV systems in stores. We have also provided colleagues with body-worn cameras, hired extra security guards in certain stores and amended store opening times when required.

"We work with all of our colleague representatives in the important area of colleague security and also back calls for violence or abuse against retail workers to be made a standalone criminal offence in all parts of the UK and hope this is a priority for any incoming Government."  retailsector.co.uk


Last Ditch Effort to Save Prop 47
CA Dems 'playing dirty tricks' to keep Prop 47 reform off ballot, GOP leader says

Prop 47 has been blamed by some for organized retail thefts and upticks in some categories of crime

California Democrats are playing "dirty tricks" in response to bipartisan efforts to place a measure to reform Proposition 47 on the November ballot in favor of other public safety bills, officials said.

Prop 47, a voter-approved initiative passed in 2014, loosened the penalties for drug and theft crimes in California and has been blamed for California's rampant theft problems. Californians for Safer Communities, a bipartisan group made up of law enforcement, elected officials and businesses, said it has collected more than 900,000 signatures in support of the proposed amendment to reform Prop 47 in order to increase penalties for criminals.

However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and some elected Democrats don't support the effort and are pushing some public safety bills circulating through the state Capitol that attempt to address organized retail theft, car break-ins and other crimes. They prefer those bills go before voters instead of the Prop 47 reform measure.

Some Democrats plan to introduce inoperability clauses into the set of proposed public safety bills to prevent them from going into effect if voters approve the Prop 47 reforms. They contend that it's a way to ensure there aren't any inconsistencies in the law.

"The Democrats are playing dirty tricks to try and stop it," California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital. "They think that Prop 47 is good policy. I think the majority of Californians disagree with them and want to change it."  foxnews.com


Years of Public Safety Efforts Going Down the Drain?
What's the difference between California's legislative public safety package and Prop 47 reform initiative?
Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly doubled down on their efforts Monday to add inoperability clauses to 14 public-safety-related bills, signaling the group is prepared to abandon efforts it has spent the year working on if voters pass the reforms to Proposition 47.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire claimed on Monday that the two proposals would conflict legally, but were short on specifics.

"We added inoperability clauses to help ensure that if these bills were put into law and the ballot initiative also goes into effect, we don't have a world-class mess of conflicting policies on our hands," McGuire said.

Proponents of the ballot initiative have said they do not conflict. The initiative enhances penalties for fentanyl dealers and manufacturers, while also requiring those convicted of stealing three times to spend added time in prison.

When pressed by KCRA 3 repeatedly about how exactly the ballot initiative and legislative package conflict, McGuire could not say.  kcra.com


Overall Crime Plummets 33% in Oakland
Burglaries Down 53% & Commercial Break-Ins Down 43%

Is Oakland Finally Turning the Corner on Crime?

Crime is down in Oakland: Officers have recovered stolen cars, seized guns linked to crimes, and arrested hundreds of suspects

In addition to local law enforcement efforts, with nearly all types of reported crime in Oakland down, state law enforcement officers have recovered stolen cars, seized guns linked to crimes, and arrested hundreds of suspects - all since February 2024.

Governor Gavin Newsom said, "These results are a clear and concrete example of the effective partnership with state, local, and federal law enforcement in Oakland and the surrounding East Bay. Ensuring the safety and security of Oakland residents, we will continue to make our communities safer by taking down crime and holding individuals accountable."

Public safety work in the entire Bay Area region - Oakland, San Francisco, and surrounding communities - reflects the work of state, local and federal law enforcement to keep communities safe. As these efforts continue to show positive results, the state will work with its local partners on whether to expand the partnership to focus on more regional enforcement.

"Our ongoing crime suppression efforts in the region are making a significant impact. Through increased patrols, community engagement, and targeted operations, there has been a notable decrease in criminal activity in Oakland and the East Bay," said CHP Deputy Commissioner Troy Lukkes. "We remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of communities throughout California and will continue to work tirelessly to bring down crime."  gov.ca.gov


The View from the Other Side: The Truth about Retail Theft
Does tough talk by retail giants and politicians distract from what really creates safety?

FBI behavioral analysts digging into the 'why' of the Allen mall shooter

Spokane businesses still feel safe after Northtown Mall shooting
 

Shifting Back to Employee Checkout to Fight Shrink
Five Below wants employees to handle 75% of checkouts
After fighting against high shrink for more than a year, Five Below has transitioned to 75% associate-led transactions at all stores and 100% associate-led transactions at high shrink stores, company executives said during an earnings call last week.

Five Below said in March it would scale back self-checkout to fight shrink. It also said it tested additional shrink reduction strategies in about 70 stores during Q1. They include receipt checks by associates, more video cameras, and adding guards. Stores with associate-led checkout and other mitigation measures saw lower shrink rates, CEO Joel Anderson said.

Five Below is joining a growing wave of retailers - Walmart, Target and Dollar General among them - that are limiting self-checkout services or removing it altogether to reduce customer-related shrink and theft.

"While we are implementing changes to address recent sales trends and offset shrink, we remain committed to our strategic pillars and continue to see a long runway of growth for Five Below," said Anderson. An element of the company's growth strategy includes significant opportunities to add store density in existing markets and opening in new markets.

Five Below plans to open 230 stores by end of year and Anderson said the company still sees "a long runway of growth" reiterating previous statements that it wants to operate 3,500 locations nationwide by the end of 2030.  retaildive.com


How Prepared Is Your State for a Disaster?
Best States for Disaster Preparedness
The U.S. experienced the most billion-dollar disasters in its recorded history during 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Despite the need for preparation, the latest data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency indicates that only 45% of adults believe they are prepared for a natural disaster, and 42% plan on preparing but have not taken action yet.

In order to highlight the states that understand the importance of disaster preparedness and the ones that need to improve, SmileHub compared the 50 states across 14 key metrics. The data set ranges from fire and police stations per capita to the presence of an enhanced disaster mitigation plan to the community resilience score. smilehub.org

Cybersecurity Compliance: A Growth Opportunity for Security Providers
Security providers view compliance as a high-growth opportunity
85% of managed service and security providers face significant challenges maintaining compliance for customers, with lack of resources, expertise, or technology cited as the most common roadblocks to offering managed compliance, according to Apptega.

That being said, the survey also found that 87% of respondents are open to delivering compliance services through a compliance automation platform, but only about half of these providers are currently doing so. When considering that 70% of managed service and security providers are targeting at least double-digit recurring revenue growth, it's clear they are leaving money on the table when it comes to leveraging their compliance offerings to help meet aggressive business growth goals.

Although using spreadsheets to manage cybersecurity compliance is an outdated approach, more than half of providers are still using spreadsheets to track, measure, and report on cybersecurity compliance for their clients.

Clearly, managed compliance represents a lucrative opportunity for the relative few services and security providers equipped to offer it," said Christopher Yula, VP of Sales & Strategy at CyberSecOp. "Unfortunately, most lack the technology, resources and know-how to deliver an impactful assessment and follow-on program."

Those with fewer than 100 employees offer compliance at a rate 8% higher than those with more than 100 employees. They outnumber the larger providers by 26% for managed compliance services.

Cybersecurity frameworks are a crucial tool for helping organizations evaluate their security postures and meet compliance standards, but nearly 40% of respondents said they don't offer framework-based services. Of the ones who do, 90% are providing consulting and analysis, 81% provide risk scoring and remediation, and 70% are providing framework mapping, consolidation, and crosswalking. helpnetsecurity.com


Fallout Continues After Clorox Cyberattack
Clorox to restart ERP upgrade as it looks past August cyberattack

With the company out of recovery mode, teams are looking to advance on digital transformation projects.

The Clorox Company will resume its ERP overhaul next year after strengthening its operating model and technology toolkit in the wake of a cyberattack last August, CEO Linda Rendle said during a conference Friday.

"We thought about all the contingencies and risk mitigation that you would expect us to do," Rendle said, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript. "We are going to implement [the ERP] in Canada first, which is a good-sized business and will help us get good insight, but also protects us as we learn through that part of the transition."

The ERP upgrade was part of Clorox's five-year, $500 million plan to accelerate digital transformation across the company, first unveiled in 2021. Teams used the project's pause to "cement the operating model and other parts of our transformation," Rendle said.

In the wake of a cyberattack that hurt sales and created outages, Clorox had to shift to recovery mode.

The attack interrupted operations and ultimately cost the company around $49 million in 2023. Rendle said nearly half of the company's distribution was lost during that time.  cybersecuritydive.com


CISO Role Continues to Expand
Cloud migration expands the CISO role yet again
The CISO role used to be focused primarily on information security - creating and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's data and IT infrastructure from cybersecurity threats. However, as organizations rapidly migrate to cloud environments, the responsibilities and challenges for CISOs have expanded significantly. The cloud both increases the overall attack surface and introduces new compliance challenges.

Persistent and increasing cyber threats, compounded by increased regulations, threaten organizations' ability to meet business goals. This requires the integration of security into governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) efforts. Many GRC frameworks already include security controls and best practices, making it imperative for CISOs to play a role in implementing such controls and ensuring compliance. helpnetsecurity.com


WHITE PAPER: Cyber Threats Take Aim at Mission-Critical Video Data

Hackers can find out if your video surveillance cameras are insecure within five minutes.

Do you know how to avert their cyberattacks?

Read on to discover how to overcome cyber exploitation, financial loss, regulatory fines, and more. You'll learn how to better protect your organization's mission, as well as its mission-critical intellectual property.

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Apple Finally Jumps Into the AI Race With OpenAI Deal

Apple makes a password manager play in a heavily targeted market