Grocery Stores Turning into Violent Hot Spots
Grocery stores are a hotbed of racism and hate crimes, data shows

Hate crimes at grocery stores have quadrupled since 2010, as the pandemic, politics and mask mandates collided in one of the few public gathering spaces still open in 2020.

The mass shooting in Buffalo is the latest in a wave of racism and hate that has swept over grocery stores across the country in the past decade, a trend that data shows has greatly accelerated since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

According to an NBC News analysis of FBI hate crime data from the last 10 years, more than 160 hate crimes were recorded at grocery stores in 2020, 65% more than in 2019 and four times as many as in 2010.

"With regard to 2020, we saw grocery stores were a more common target than they were a decade ago," said Brian Levin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Experts who follow hate crime trends gave several reasons for their rise in 2020, from the pandemic to the presidential election. But they also noted the special role that grocery stores played, serving as one of the few places that year where people could gather in public, as restaurants, schools and businesses were closed.

Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization that works to combat racism against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, cataloged more than 10,000 hate incidents from 2020 to 2021 and found that 1 in 10 hate incidents occurred in grocery stores.

Experts said that grocery store employees, like other essential workers, were often stuck enforcing city or state mask mandates on irate customers. And for some, a request to mask up was often the spark needed to launch into racist verbal assaults. nbcnews.com

Crime Closures Hit Chicago
Aldi closes store in crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood without notice after 13 years blaming 'repeated burglaries'

Company said the store closed over 'repeated burglaries' and 'declining sales'

Aldi has closed a store in a crime-ridden neighborhood of Chicago without notice after 13 years and blamed 'repeated burglaries'. The supermarket chain closed the store in South Side neighborhood Auburn Gresham on June 12 leaving only a sign that said the shop is 'permanently closed' and that the nearest store is three miles away.

Aldi said the store had closed for a number of reasons including 'repeated burglaries' and 'declining sales' but declined to say why residents were not notified of the decision. It is not the first time Aldi has abruptly shuttered a store in the city after closing an outlet in Chicago's West Garfield Park last year.

Chicago has become the latest city to be hit by rampant shoplifting and its Magnificent Mile, the once highly-populated retail destination, is now dotted with empty storefronts as businesses are being driven away by the brazen thieves.

Crime rates across the board in Chicago are already above what they were at this time last year, data from the Chicago Police Department's data up until June 19 shows.

Burglaries in the Windy City have risen 31 per cent year on year, rising from 2468 to 3235 up until June 19 while thefts have increased 65 per cent from 4712 to 7770 for the year to date.

Observers have pinned some of the blame on Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who backed calls to defund the police in the wake of BLM protests in 2020 before u-turning after a Chicago policewoman was shot dead.  Others have pinned blame on District Attorney Kim Foxx, after she stopped pursuing shoplifters who steal less than $1,000. dailymail.co.uk

Price Increases Causing Theft Surge
Skyrocketing gas prices have sparked fuel thefts using hidden tanks, power tools and stolen gas ads on social media

Thieves are finding creative ways to get around paying for record high gas prices.

This nationwide rise stirred panic and some have found illegal ways around the hefty price of a full tank. In Virginia Beach, two men were charged with grand larceny, conspiracy, and possession of burglary tool, accused of stealing thousands of dollars' in fuel this week from a closed local Citgo station, CNN reports.

According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, they used "devices" to take the gas from pumps - then sold it at a discounted price, advertising on social media.

Local news reported highly modified trucks "being used to steal tens of thousands of gallons" during the past few months from Las Vegas gas stations. Police grew suspicious of motorists spending over an hour at gas pumps - yet paying only $20 - and discovered they were filling hidden tanks.

In California, residents are being warned that their cars also are potential targets for fuel thieves. Gas theft could leave car owners with costly damage to their tanks as power tools replace rubber hoses to siphon out fuel, Fontana Police Department told KTLA.

In Utah this week, a man was captured on surveillance as he caught fire attempting to steal gas from a truck, Newsweek reports. Branch manager of Summit Fire and Protection, Travis Mills, told the local news station that the company's trucks have been targeted before. businessinsider.com

Lawmakers Unveil Gun Violence Legislation
Bipartisan Senate group releases bill text for gun safety deal

'The most significant gun safety legislation in decades'

A bipartisan group of senators released legislative text Tuesday for their gun bill, which includes enhanced background checks for those under 21, funding for mental health and school safety, incentives for states to implement "red flag" laws and limits on the "boyfriend loophole."

This bill, titled "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," falls well short of what Democrats and President Biden want. But, if passed, it will be the most significant gun safety legislation in decades.

Key provisions:

● Enhanced background checks: Requires the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to conduct an enhanced review of purchasers under the age of 21 to determine whether juvenile records disqualify that individual from purchasing a firearm. NICS is given 10 days to complete the investigation, and it unsets after 10 years.

● State incentives for "red flag" laws: Provides $750 million over five years that will go to states for "crisis intervention programs" including red flag laws, mental health courts, drug courts, veterans' courts and extreme risk protection orders.

● Appropriates hundreds of millions for mental health and school safety programs, including $120 million over four years for a community mental health block grant program to prepare and train communities and first responders on how to appropriately and safely respond to individuals with mental disorders.

● Illegal firearm trafficking: Prohibits the straw purchasing and trafficking of firearms by criminals and enhances penalties for possession of firearms by prohibited persons. axios.com

Progressive DAs Under Fire Over 'Soft on Crime' Policies
Virginia judge boots liberal DA off criminal case for 'misleading' public, GOP AG prepared to take over

The suspect is accused of 'a possible 12 burglary crime spree spanning four counties over 10 days'

A Loudoun County, Virginia, judge removed the county's Commonwealth's Attorney Office from a serial burglary case for "deliberately misleading the Court and the public." The state's Republican attorney general is now ready to step in after calling the move "unprecedented."

Plowman said prosecutor Michele Burton offered a six-month plea deal to Valle by downplaying Valle's previous criminal history and not including other burglary charges against him.

The judge said the plea agreement from the Commonwealth's Attorney Office stated the crimes occurred within a matter of hours last year, which he said is "entirely inaccurate" as Valle is accused of "a possible 12 burglary crime spree spanning four counties over 10 days."

The state's Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter to the chief judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit on Monday saying the court "has rightfully lost confidence" in Biberaj and her office. His office is now ready to assist and even prosecute the case "considering this unprecedented development," according to the letter which was provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. foxnews.com

Mastercard And Visa Won't Shut Down Payments For Ghost Guns
The credit card giants say they are following the law and don't have a responsibility to act despite pleas from lawmakers and gun safety advocates.

Safety concerns after three shot in north Austin shopping center

This bank wants to track suspect credit card sales of guns & ammo. Why can't it?

Antioch violent crime down overall, reports show

Retailers' Inconsistent Messaging on Unions?
How retailers' attitudes toward unionization clash with their ESG policies

Consumers and investors are concerned that the industry's stance on issues like collective bargaining at overseas suppliers isn't being applied to U.S. operations.

More consumers and investors are beginning to see some retailers' policies in the U.S. as at odds with much of their ESG-based rhetoric around issues like collective bargaining, especially when their workers try to form a union, experts say. As the labor movement revives in the U.S., this contradiction is likely to become more glaring, and more companies will struggle to rationalize it.

David Schilling, senior adviser at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, sees a lot of contradiction between what many retailers say in their ESG reports and how they treat their own workers.

"Freedom of association and collective bargaining - these are basic human rights," he said. "The good news is that there's a greater recognition of the responsibilities of companies and investors to really engage in a full range of human rights."

Pro-worker rights, but anti-union?

Might a retailer so dedicated to listening to its workers support their collective action? On paper, it appears so. Target in its ESG report endorses the International Labor Organization Core Conventions, which include the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. Yet, when Target store workers in Christiansburg, Virgina moved to unionize, a company spokesperson declined to say whether the retailer supported the effort.

Retailers including Amazon and REI have been more vocal than Target about opposing unionization at their locations, saying it interferes with their relationship with their employees. Like Target, Amazon says that the International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work informs its own approach on human rights.

The new labor activism

U.S. corporations will probably have to do more work to square their ESG goals with their internal reality, according to NYU's Taylor. "I'm pretty certain that the rise of the employee voice is not going away," she said. "Companies can choose to fight this tooth and nail, or they can accept it and try to work successfully in this new world. It is just the beginning of this story." retaildive.com

Are You Handing Out Receipts At Your Stores?
$100K Embezzlement Scheme: Why Paper Receipts are Money at the Drive-Thru
This particular Jimmy John's franchise - in Sunset Hills, Mo. - was among those that chose not to incentivize its customers to insist upon receiving receipts. Thanks to that oversight, Saladin was forced to close the store last week and fire the husband-and-wife managers for allegedly embezzling nearly $100,000 in cash payments from customers.

Saladin said he began to suspect something was amiss after he agreed to take over the Monday and Tuesday shifts for the couple so they could have two consecutive days off together. He said he noticed that cash receipts at the end of the nights on Mondays and Tuesdays were "substantially larger" than when he wasn't manning the till, and that this was consistent over several weeks.

Saladin said his attorneys and local law enforcement are now involved, and he estimates the former employees stole close to $100,000 in cash receipts. That was on top of the $115,000 in salaries he paid in total each year to the two employees. Saladin also has to figure out a way to pay his franchisor a fee for each of the stolen transactions.

Now Saladin sees the wisdom of adding the receipt sign, and says all of his stores will soon carry a sign offering $10 in cash to any customers who report not receiving a receipt with their food.

Many business owners are reluctant to involve the authorities when they discover that a current or former employee has stolen from them. Too often, organizations victimized by employee theft shy away from reporting it because they're worried that any resulting media coverage of the crime will do more harm than good. krebsonsecurity.com

Is the Union Push Fueling Starbucks Exodus?
Rossann Williams, head of Starbucks North America and face of anti-union push, exits company

Williams is leaving Starbucks at the end of the month after 17 years at the company, and is now the third executive to leave Starbucks in two months

Amid mounting labor tensions between Starbucks and its rapidly growing union, another executive is poised to leave the company: Rossann Williams, executive vice president of Starbucks, North America, will be exiting Starbucks this month after 17 years with the company. Williams played a key role in the push against unionization over the past year and is now the third executive in the company to leave in the past two months (following the retirement of former CEO Kevin Johnson and ousting of general counsel Rachel Gonzalez, both of which occurred in April).

According to a letter sent to employees, Williams' exit was "preceded by discussion about a next opportunity for Rossann within the company, which she declined," though there has been no mention of where Williams will work next. After she leaves, Williams will be replaced by Sara Trilling, who is currently senior vice president and president of Starbucks Asia Pacific, and has been with the company for 20 years.

As the number of unionized Starbucks stores edges toward 160, and legal battles between the union and its parent company continue, Starbucks' stance against unionization strengthens. From the beginning of the unionization movement last September, when three stores in the Buffalo, N.Y. area organized a grassroots movement to push for labor representation, Williams has been at the forefront of the anti-union response from the company. In October 2021, Williams wrote a letter to Starbucks employees asking them to vote no in union elections. nrn.com

Circle K and Couch-card to install self-checkouts in 10K stores
Touchless 'Smart' Checkout Technology Coming to Thousands of ACT C-Stores
Alimentation Couche-Tard said it will install more than 10,000 touchless self-checkout machines in over 7,000 stores over the next three years under its Circle K and Couche-Tard convenience banners. The machines from Mashgin boast a 99.9 percent accuracy rate. retail-insider.com

GNC's food delivery service goes national

Biden Says He Is Considering Seeking a Gas Tax Holiday
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Senior Director II, Security - Strategic Security job posted for Walmart in Bentonville, AR
The Senior Director II, Strategic Security position is a critical role charged with mitigating risk from sophisticated external threat actors and insider threats that may seek to steal sensitive corporate information and impact Walmart's brand, reputation, and operations. The Director of Strategic Security will design, develop, and enhance our Strategic Security program, and will work with a team of subject matter experts focused on preventing, detecting, and responding to these threats by establishing best practices and collaborating with cross functional teams. walmart.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
 

Infosec Professionals in Danger
Cybersecurity researchers face real-life threats

Investigations into both cybercriminal and nation-state actors can have consequences. Some researchers have upgraded their physical security.

Cybersecurity researchers work hard to keep the digital world safe, but every once in a while their own physical security is at risk. Anyone who has been in this field long enough has stumbled upon stories of infosec professionals receiving threats or has experienced incidents themselves.

A security expert who wanted to remain anonymous to protect his family says that "several people focusing on cybercrime have received death threats" in the past few years, and some of them even decided to fly under the radar or move to do other things. They don't want to put their loved ones at risk "because dad is a security researcher and attracts bad guys," he says.

On infosec Twitter and at conferences, researchers share incidents and talk about ways of protecting themselves in these situations. They say calling the police or the FBI hardly helps. "I want to tell you to go contact federal law enforcement, I want to tell you to go contact a local police department, but from what I've seen, it does nothing," says security expert Matt Smith of Citadel Lock Tools. "It can take months to get an arrest in for a single incident, let alone that person being at large for a rather long time."

While a few researchers wear these threats as a badge of honor, most of them do everything in their power to stay safe. They minimize their digital footprint, run background checks on every unknown person who approaches them through social media, use post office boxes instead of addresses, and refrain from posting anything online that might link them to their families.

With the recent rise in ransomware and the escalation of geopolitical tensions between Russia, China, North Korea and NATO, the job of at least some infosec professionals tends to become dangerous. "I don't know if it's gotten worse, but I can say it has not gotten better at all," says Ronnie Tokazowski, principal threat advisor at Cofense. csoonline.com

C-Suite Cybersecurity
Board members and the C-suite need secure communication tools
Board members and the C-suite are key targets for cyber-threat actors, due to their access to highly sensitive information. Yet too many of them are putting their organizations in harm's way with daily use of personal email to communicate sensitive topics. Senior executives aren't just taking the occasional risk; they are working in a permanent state of risk.

The reality is that today's boards are intrinsically linked to risk management of their organizations - including cyber risk, third-party risk, supply chain risk and a plethora of responsibilities like ESG, compliance, and diversity and inclusion. This means it's vital they have complete control of confidential communications and can securely share information and data for the most effective collaboration - particularly to elicit a fast response and recovery in the event of a security breach.

Considering the increase in attacks on nonprofits and the level of classified information such organizations handle, one would expect board members to be fully aware of and to embrace best practices for digital projects and transformation and to mitigate operational risk. The solution is modern governance, which empowers organizations with the tools they need to safeguard data, streamline collaboration, and ultimately, drive better decision-making.

Irrespective of industry or the makeup of an organization, it's widely known that security is one of the biggest threats facing any digital environment. The pandemic has physically distanced devices and networks and made it harder to lock-down perimeter digital defenses, exposing all companies to the increasing risk of costly ransomware attacks.

It is imperative to focus on building a culture of security which sees dedicated cybersecurity tools backed-up by human vigilance and understanding of threat levels. helpnetsecurity.com

The Great Resignation Fueled by Tech Skills Gap
The Great Resignation continues. There's an obvious fix, but many bosses aren't interested

Employers continue to complain about tech skills shortages - but if they don't take a longer-term view, they'll only have themselves to blame.

The struggle to close the widening skills gaps is a perpetual source of frustration for employers. The problem for many is that the traditional approach to filling skills gaps has become less and less effective.

Every company on the planet seems to be on a mission to build a superstar tech team, and that means developers, cloud specialists and cybersecurity professionals are being snapped up at a rate that means it's almost impossible for hiring managers to keep up.

There is another approach to filling organizational skills gaps: upskilling and retraining existing staff to take on more technical roles. There are two benefits to this approach: not only does it help employers patch shortages in their tech teams, but it also provides workers with the learning, development and progression opportunities that they often feel are missing when weighing up their career options.

According to Pluralsight's State of Upskilling 2022 Report, 40% of technologists cite a lack of room for career growth as a motivator for leaving their jobs, including opportunities to develop new skills. And yet, 87% of the 7,000 respondents surveyed said they wanted to improve their tech skills - highlighting a massive opportunity for both employers and employees. zdnet.com

'Cyber Risk Management of Vendors is Critical'
The Power of a 'True' Third-Party Risk Exchange

Dave Stapleton, CISO of CyberGRX, Discusses Vendor Risk Management Challenges

Effective cyber risk management of vendors is critical to the success of organizations that are increasingly relying on these third parties, says Dave Stapleton, CISO of CyberGRX, who describes the importance of using a "true" third-party risk exchange.

A "true" third-party risk exchange is based on a standardized set of data - the same information collected across a wide portfolio of third parties, he says. "It doesn't matter if you're evaluating 50 or 3,000 vendors. It will be a standardized set of data, and that empowers the ability to do a lot of proprietary analytics that can expose actionable insights," he says.

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group at RSA Conference 2022, Stapleton also discusses:

● Vendor risk management challenges;
● Developing a portfolio of third-party visibility;
● The road map to build a "true" third-party risk exchange.

Stapleton is a cybersecurity risk professional with over a decade of experience in both the public and private sectors. He began his career at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he developed and managed risk and compliance functions for the Food and Drug Administration and Indian Health Service.  govinfosecurity.com

Space-based assets aren't immune to cyberattacks

Open Source Software Security Begins to Mature

Nationwide Fraud Ring Busted
Orleans Parish Woman Gets 9 Yrs. Federal Prison for Credit Card Conspiracy & Identity Theft
LAKISHA WILLIAMS, age 41, of New Orleans, and her co-defendants engaged in a scheme to obtain merchandise and cash from stores through fraud. The defendants obtained stolen credit and debit card information, encoded it onto cards, and then used that information to purchase merchandise at stores. The defendants would then return the items at a different store of the same chain, but they would deceive store workers to have the chargeback credited to their own bank accounts.

WILLIAMS took flights with other co-conspirators to perform fraudulent transactions in various cities in the United States, including Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina. WILLIAMS had pleaded guilty and admitted to causing losses between $150,000.00 and $250,000.00 through her own conduct and that of her co-conspirators. justice.gov

Overland Park, KS: Overland Park Serial Shoplifter arrested again, charged with felony theft
An Overland Park, Kansas woman previously convicted in a shoplifting and resale scheme, and arrested numerous times for theft, has been arrested again and charged with felony theft. Court records show Kelli Jo Bauer, 53, was arrested Saturday and charged with felony theft after reportedly being caught shoplifting at Scheels in Overland Park. Police said Bauer was caught stealing golf clubs and gift cards from the sporting goods store.

Bauer previously admitted in court to stealing thousands of dollars in clothing and merchandise to sell out of her large Johnson County home. She was charged in 2015 after police found stolen merchandise in her home during a search prompted by her Facebook posting for the private sale of more than 1,000 pieces of "high-end" women's clothing. Bauer showed undercover officers clothes - many with tags still on them - hanging on a rack and folded on a bed in an upstairs bedroom, according to court records. Bauer told the officers that she was selling the items because she was a "compulsive shopper" and had lost weight, the court documents said. The officers bought several items, including what Bauer said was a fake Louis Vuitton bag for $50.

As part of the investigation, detectives also followed Bauer and said they saw her stealing items from several stores. During an earlier court appearance in the case, Bauer was ordered to follow mental health recommendations, including the taking of prescribed medication. She was sentenced to more than a year in prison in connection with this case. A judge ordered Bauer to spend 19 months in prison, and pay $22,000 in restitution in two theft cases.

At the time, police called it one of the largest theft cases they'd ever investigated. Court records show Bauer was charged in 2007 with stealing clothing and other merchandise from three stores within 72 hours and in 2013 with stealing clothing from a retailer. In the 2007 case, she pleaded guilty to two reduced charges of misdemeanor criminal deprivation of property and was placed on probation, court records show. As a condition of probation, she was required to serve seven days in jail and receive mental health treatment, records show. She was again placed on probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the 2013 case. Johnson County court records show Bauer was released from jail Tuesday after posting a $5,000 surety bond. kmbc.com

Hickory, NC: Ulta Beauty robbed, thousands of dollars in product stolen
A robbery suspect was caught on camera stealing thousands of dollars in high end merchandise out of an Ulta Beauty store on Catawba Valley Boulevard Hickory, NC. The robbery was on June 7, 2022. Video shows the masked suspect walk into the store with a mask on and walk directly to expensive colognes and perfumes. The man then took out a bag and began stuffing the expensive product into his stash. Once he gets his money's worth, the suspect flees the scene. Ulta beauty across the United States gets robbed in smash and grab robberies often, mainly because employees are prevented from physically intervening to stop the robberies. The suspects know this and consider Ulta Beauty an easy grab. The Hickory location has been robbed 12 times within a year. newsmaven.io

Bloomsburg, PA: Thieves use Rewards cards during $600 theft
Shoppers who stole more than $600 worth of groceries at the self-checkout lane were identified by rewards cards, which they used during a series of fraudulent purchases, police say. Willard Joseph Goss, 56, and his accomplice, 34-year-old Toni A. Crane, are accused of under-ringing purchases over a four-month period at Weis Markets in Bloomsburg, according to Officer Kenneth Auchter. Goss and Crane, both of Bloomsburg, were spotted by the store's loss prevention officer ringing up items at the self-checkout for less than the sale price, charges say. A check of the register receipt showed they had used a rewards card issued to Goss, as well as Sharon Goho. When Auchter watched the tape, he reportedly recognized Crane from previous interactions.  northcentralpa.com

Lancaster, PA: Man attempts to steal over $300 worth of Pokémon cards from Walmart

Circleville, SC: Man Arrested After Attempting To Steal Hundreds From Circleville Walmart


Canadian ORC Cases

Dartmouth, NS, CN: Man charged after $45K worth of sunglasses stolen from Dartmouth store
Police in Halifax have charged a man in relation to several thefts at a Dartmouth, N.S., sunglasses store valued at more than $45,000. Halifax Regional Police investigated multiple reports of thefts that happened at the Sunglass Hut, located at 21 Mic Mac Boulevard in Mic Mac Mall, between April 16 and June 18. In each case, police say a man entered the store and stole multiple pairs of sunglasses. The total value of the stolen sunglasses was in excess of $45,000. Police responded to another theft at the same store on Saturday. Police say a man was arrested nearby in relation to the thefts, as well as an outstanding warrant. Joshua David Boutilier, 37, has been charged with: nine counts of theft over $5,000, nine counts of possession of stolen goods over $5,000, nine counts of theft under $5,000, nine counts of possession of stolen goods under $5,000, 12 counts of breach of probation failing to attend court He is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth provincial court at a later date. atlantic.ctvnews.ca

Collingwood, Ontario, CN: Thousands of dollars in jewelry stolen from Thornbury business
Provincial police seek three individuals accused of stealing thousands of dollars in jewelry from a Thornbury business. OPP says the alleged theft happened on June 11. They say two suspects distracted the store clerk while the third gained access to a display case and stole over 50 pieces of jewelry. Police say the three suspects were seen driving away in a late-model white Dodge caravan. barrie.ctvnews.ca

More than 300 fuel thefts reported in Sask. this year
More than 300 fuel thefts have been reported to Saskatchewan RCMP in 2022 - an increase of nearly 65 per cent from last year. The 305 reported thefts between Jan. 1 and June 17 represent a 64.9 per cent increase from 185 during the same period in 2021, according to a release from RCMP. These incidents include thefts from gas stations, farm fuel tanks and thefts of jerry cans and drilling/siphoning of vehicle tanks. Theft from gas stations accounts for 222 of the reports - or 73 per cent, RCMP said. In a previous release, RCMP recommended taking precautions against fuel theft, including locking privately owned tanks, setting up video of photo surveillance, parking vehicles in a locked garage, outbuilding or well-lit area; parking with fuel doors facing a frequently travelled road, activating vehicle alarms and reporting suspicious activity to police. regina.ctvnews.ca

The D&D Daily's weekly 'Canadian Connections' column will resume next week