Retail Theft Up 33% in Philly
Police sending more officers to theft hot spots

Philadelphia deploys new strategies against retail theft

Law enforcement officials are deploying new methods to combat rising retail theft across Philadelphia.

Why it matters: Philadelphia retail thefts are up roughly 33% this year from the same period in 2023 - a trend police say is driven by previous lax enforcement and an increase in stores reporting thefts.

State of play: Police are sending more officers to parts of the city most plagued by retail thefts, dedicating more detectives to dismantling organized retail theft rings and cracking down on individuals with multiple offenses.

Earlier this year, the District Attorney's Office created a retail theft task force and changed a policy so that thefts under $500 are no longer prosecuted as lower-level offenses. In recent weeks, authorities arrested several people involved in organized theft rings in Philly and Cherry Hill.

The Philly group targeted high-end stores and allegedly enlisted young kids to steal the merchandise. Two dozen people were responsible for 69% of the more than 2,200 retail thefts in Center City in the fall of 2022, per police.

By the numbers: Philadelphia police's retail-theft arrests increased 67% this year compared with the same point in 2023, inspector Raymond Evers tells Axios.

Police say currently about 100-150 people repeatedly commit retail crimes in the city. axios.com


California's Battle Over Theft Legislation & Prop 47 Continues

Playing Politics With Retail Theft Legislation?
Opinion: Stop playing politics on retail theft crackdown
Democrats plan to pass a package of needed legislation to stem the splurge of retail thefts, from petty shoplifting to professional smash-and-grab robberies. The heists aren't plaguing just big-box complexes and mom-and-pop convenience stores.

But Democrats cynically intend to insert a "poison pill" that would automatically kill their own legislation if a rival tough-on-crime ballot measure is approved by voters in November. To normal people, that must seem bizarre.

The initiative, sponsored by the California District Attorneys Assn. and funded mainly by big-box retailers, qualified for the ballot last week after collecting around 900,000 voter signatures.

Democrats fear the ballot measure so much they're offering its backers an offer they can't refuse. At least, that's the Democrats' hope. The message: Take what you can get immediately from the legislation - or risk losing it if the ballot measure passes. And save the many millions of dollars that the ballot measure would cost to promote.

Why are Democrats so adamantly opposed to the initiative? Progressive ideologues believe it goes too far and will lead to restocking prisons with people who don't belong there.

OK, that's one reason Democrats hate the initiative. But hardly anyone believes it's the main reason. The party's dominant fear, it seems, is that the measure would help Republican candidates, especially in a handful of congressional races where control of the U.S. House is at stake.

Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio says the initiative would "move swing voters. People see crime on the rise. Democrats have a reputation for being soft on crime. Republicans see blood in the water. They want to talk about crime. Democrats don't."  latimes.com

Calif. Dems at Odds With Cops, Businesses Over Bid to Curb Retail Theft
There's a looting crisis in California. It's so bad that some people are refusing to shop in brick-and-mortar stores anymore. Stores are being redesigned to try and protect stock from the rapacious hands of organized gangs of looters.

The problem is Proposition 47. Passed in 2014, it was meant to reduce the jail population, which Democrats believe is far more important than actually putting criminals inside of jails. Criminals saw it as a license to steal.

Democrats are also saying something needs to be done - except change all the beautiful "criminal justice reforms" we made that keep people out of jail. This isn't sitting well with the cops or retail businesses that may be insured for the losses but are losing business as a result of the "smash and grab" robberies in the last few years.

Democrats, led by Governor Gavin Nerwsom, don't want the measure on the November ballot. Too many Californians are opposed to "tough on crime" initiatives, and although this one may pass, many Democratic constituencies oppose it.

Instead of the ballot initiative, Democrats are rushing through a package of 14 bills that would go after the organized theft rings that are running wild in the suburbs.

One of those 14 bills is a warrantless search measure that would allow police to "make warrantless arrests for misdemeanor shoplifting offenses (as in, items that total $950 or less) if officers have probable cause," according to CalMatters.

The bill may not pass if the ballot initiative vote is scheduled. But organizers are sticking to their plan that unless Newsom and the Democrats agree to several of their demands, the ballot initiative will be on the November ballot.  pjmedia.com

   More Coverage of California's Theft Bill Battle

   • Calif. legislators to fast-track retail theft crackdown bills as tradeoff for tough-on-crime initiative
   • California's Democratic leaders clash with businesses over curbing retail theft


LPRs in San Francisco Already Bringing Down Crime?
The project is funded by a $17.3M grant from the state's Organized Retail Theft Grant Program

San Francisco has first 100 automated license plate readers installed
San Francisco installed the first 100 cameras equipped with automated license plate readers as part of a plan to put 400 of the devices in the city. The other 300 automated license plate readers, called ALPRs, are expected to be installed by the end of July.

Mayor London Breed credited the devices with arrests in at least four instances since they became operational, but also touted declining crime numbers that were trending downward even before the cameras' installation beginning in late March, according to a statement from the mayor's office Wednesday.

The San Francisco cameras are being installed and maintained by contractor Flock Safety. The project is funded by a $17.3 million grant from the state's Organized Retail Theft Grant Program, which is a competitive grant program established in 2022.

Breed said the license plate readers had helped the San Francisco Police Department make arrests in cases involving organized retail theft, carjacking, robbery, and sexual assault.

"This shows the impact that technology can have in assisting our officers in doing their work and is sending an important message to those who think they can come to our city and commit crimes," Breed said.

The retail theft arrest took place on May 13 in the Mission District, when a woman who was wanted on a no-bail warrant for alleged retail theft was spotted by the license plate readers and arrested, along with another person.

In 2024, through May, compared to 2023, Breed said overall violent crime was down 13%, including a 38% reduction in homicides. She also cited a 33% decline in property crime and 51% decline in car break-ins.  cbsnews.com


Seattle Continues to Fight ORC
New initiative aims to combat ORC in Chinatown-International District
The city of Seattle is looking for ways to put a dent on organized retail crime. On Thursday, city council members heard an update of a plan in the Chinatown International District that aims to put a stop to the crime and the resale of stolen items that has plagued the street corners here.

For years KOMO News has reported on crime in the CID. The vandalism, shootings, drug use and the black market which the city has been in a constant battle with. Community member Gary Lee told us, "About 9 a.m. when people wake up, or they get their goods to sell, they arrive over here and start congregating, and the black market begins."

Lee is part of a neighborhood watch group and welcomes the ongoing initiative to stop organized retail crime and stolen products from entering this community. "Our streets are not safe," Quynh Pham with the 'Friends of Little Sài Gòn,' said to city council members.

In the meeting, the attempts to reduce crime were discussed as physically changing environments: adding more lights, fortifying businesses, and taking steps with infrastructure creation that would deter crime. They also want to use new technology that would give officers an immediate video recording of what is occurring.

They also highlighted that it should be a priority for police to interview (boosters) those who've been accused of stealing for a larger retail theft organization. The goal would be to get more information to better stop these criminal enterprises. komonews.com


Majority US gun owners store weapons unsafely - report

Supreme Court strikes down ban on rapid-fire gun 'bump stocks'
 

Workplace Safety Is Key To Employee Retention
Employees Are Concerned About Safety and Lack of Training
The idea that job retention is related to how safe an employee feels at work isn't new, but it it's coming up more often in general surveys.

Case in point is a recent survey from Vector, The State of Industrial Worker Safety and Well-Being report, which spoke to more than 600 full-time professionals across maintenance, production and operations, engineering, health and safety. The survey found that despite the value they place on safety, nearly half (46%) of workers believe their employer could be doing more to reduce safety incidents.

Almost double that amount, 83%, said that their company's safety protocols feel like checkboxes rather than genuine commitments to employee well-being.

The good news is that 58% of those surveyed believe additional training would improve their workplace safety.

"Safety plays a critical role in the well-being and productivity of our workforce," said Clare Epstein, general manager of Commercial at Vector Solutions, in a statement. "We conducted this study to better understand the current state of safety initiatives, training, and technology within the industrial sector. The findings revealed that employers have a lot of room for growth when it comes to prioritizing the safety of their workers, especially with regards to providing staff with accessible and comprehensive safety training." ehstoday.com


Protests & Boycotts Push Retailers to Tone Down Pride Month
A year after marketing turmoil, a more subdued Pride Month

Quietest of all is Target, which took the brunt of protests in 2023, though the retailer says it stands behind the LGBTQ+ community in other ways.

At the halfway mark, marketing around Pride Month is noticeably subdued compared to last year, when protests marred many celebrations, including the campaigns at brands and retailers.

This is especially true at Target, where the exuberant merchandising and signage of 2023 have been replaced by, in some stores, no mention of Pride at all. Pride-related items at the mass retailer are relegated to its website and only select stores. Target's online Pride page is fairly minimal compared to J.C. Penney's.

It isn't just Target scaling back. Barbara Kahn, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, has noticed a marked decrease in brand messaging around Pride this year. That doesn't necessarily mean a sea change in retailers' support, she said.

"I think retailers are doing what they did before," she said by phone. "They're supporting the community, but they're not blaring their horns about it. They're not really taking credit for it. They're not pushing it." retaildive.com


Female Employees Accuse Apple of Pay Discrimination
Apple Pays Women Less, According To A Proposed Class Action Lawsuit
A proposed class action lawsuit filed in California on Thursday accuses Apple of "intentionally, knowingly, and deliberately paying women less than men for substantially similar work." Plaintiffs Justina Jong and Amina Salgado, who have worked for the tech giant for over a decade, aim to represent more than 12,000 current and former female employees in engineering, marketing, and AppleCare in California.

Jong, a customer/technical training instructor on Apple's global developer relations/app review team, became aware of the alleged pay discrepancies at Apple when she found a coworker's W-2 form left on an office printer. "One day, I saw a W-2 left on the office printer. It belonged to my male colleague, who has the same job position. I noticed that he was being paid almost $10,000 more than me, even though we performed substantially similar work. This revelation made me feel terrible," Jong said in a press release.

According to the complaint, Salgado, a development manager for the AppleCare division, repeatedly raised concerns about being paid less than her male coworkers. While Apple initiated an investigation into one of her complaints, her salary was not adjusted. Finally, following a third-party investigation in late 2023, Apple increased Salgado's compensation but declined to provide back pay for the period she claims she was underpaid. forbes.com


Heat Wave Sweeping America
Millions face record-high temperatures as heat dome intensifies over US

Cities in midwest and north-east brace for heatwave with some to experience highs of 105F - 25 degrees above normal

Extreme heat has begun to hit the US, delivered by a high-pressure weather pattern that the federal weather prediction center says will be "potentially the longest experienced in decades for some locations".

According to meteorologists with WeatherBELL Analytics, about 265 million people in the US are forecast to see air temperatures reach or exceed 90F (32C), with many of them experiencing heat indices of about 105F by next Sunday.

Cities forecast to be hit by the heatwave include Chicago, St Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City and Albany, New York. theguardian.com


Building a Culture of Safety from the Ground up

COVID on the rise again in California, after record-low deaths this spring

New Cyber Challenges Facing Retailers
Retail Cyberattacks: Avoiding an Unexpected Single Point Of Failure

Learn how retailers can fortify against cyber threats.

Cybersecurity evolves: from data breaches to ransomware attacks, retailers face new challenges. Diversification and proactive defense are key, says Susan Jeffers, Co-Founder & CEO of XY Retail.

Retailers used to sweat about data breaches-names, addresses, credit cards-the whole treasure trove. Hackers loved stealing this information, creating a booming market for stolen identities and payment information. A breach meant lost money, and even worse, customers lost trust that took forever to rebuild.

But guess what? Data breaches are old news. Here's the new nightmare: attackers target retailer systems directly, messing with their supply chain and everyday operations. Customer data is still a target, but it's more like a side hustle these days. The main goal? To shut down retail operations completely with ransomware.

Think of ransomware as a digital padlock that slams shut on critical systems, holding everything hostage until a big ransom is paid. A 2023 Sophos survey found that 66% of companies got hit by ransomware in the past year, and 84% of those victims lost business because of it. Even if they didn't pay the ransom, restoring from backups costs a lot of money. Imagine a giant online store brought to its knees by ransomware. Orders freeze mid-transit, warehouses stop processing shipments, and frustrated customers enter the competition. Every minute offline means lost sales and a trashed reputation. This isn't some future threat - it picks up steam, especially during peak shopping seasons. Just this December, VF Corp. (the folks behind The North Face, Timberland, and Vans) got whacked by a ransomware attack that froze their entire operation.

These ransomware groups are getting smarter, too. They're not just attacking individual stores anymore. They're targeting entire logistics networks, shipping systems, and even manufacturers, squeezing the whole retail ecosystem until they get their ransom. This exposes a vulnerability many retailers might be missing: relying too heavily on just one company for something crucial.  spiceworks.com


165 Businesses Exposed by Cyberattacks
What we know about the Snowflake customer attacks

Analysts and threat hunters warn more companies are confronting significant exposure from the identity-based attacks, and damages are spreading.

A wave of cyberattacks targeting Snowflake customer environments during the last two months bears the markings of an unfolding disaster.

At least 100 Snowflake customers are confirmed impacted by the attacks, and approximately 165 businesses are potentially exposed, according to Mandiant, which has been assisting Snowflake with an ongoing investigation.

Pure Storage, a data storage vendor, became the first Snowflake customer in a public forum to confirm it was impacted by the attacks, according to a June 11 security bulletin.

Other companies that experts have linked to attacks involving the theft of corporate information stored on Snowflake haven't officially named the third-party vendor.

The cloud-based data warehouse vendor says the attacks were not caused by a vulnerability, misconfiguration or breach of its systems. Rather, stolen credentials obtained from multiple infostealer malware infections on non-Snowflake owned systems were the point of entry for the attacks, Mandiant said. Impacted customer accounts were not configured with multifactor authentication. cybersecuritydive.com


TellYouThePass ransomware widely targets vulnerable PHP instances
Researchers on Friday warned a critical vulnerability in the PHP programming language is under increased exploitation activity, as the TellYouThePass ransomware group is targeting vulnerable sites, according to a blog post from Censys.

The direct impact on the U.S. is currently limited, as the number of compromised hosts in the U.S. peaked at 39 on Tuesday, compared with a high of 962 compromised hosts in China as of Monday. cybersecuritydive.com


Solving the systemic problem of recurring vulnerabilities

LA County Dept. of Public Health Data Breach Impacts 200K