Retail Panic Button Legislation in New York
The Retail Worker Safety Act would require Walmart, Target and other major retailers with more than 500 employees nationwide to install panic buttons in their stores

New York retail crime 'panic button' plan faces pushback

Most opponents cite concerns that the costly security upgrades will be ineffective in stopping violence and theft.

Major retailers and law enforcement officials are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a plan that would require large New York stores to install "panic" buttons to alert police about retail crime.

The Retail Worker Safety Act, passed by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature earlier this month, would require Walmart, Target and other major retailers with more than 500 employees nationwide to install panic buttons in their stores or provide employees with mobile-phone-activated or wearable alert systems.

Lawmakers who approved the proposal said it comes in response to rising threats to store clerks and other retail workers from thefts and violence.

But retail industry lobbyists, including the National Retail Federation and the Food Industry Alliance of New York State, are pushing back against the proposed rule and calling on Hochul to veto the proposal. Most cite concerns that the costly security upgrades will be ineffective in stopping violence and theft.

"The costly mandates proposed in the bill - including the installation of panic buttons - will do little, if anything, to address recidivists entering stores with the intent to engage in illegal activity such as shoplifting and assault," the groups wrote in a recent letter to legislative leaders.

Dan Bartlett, Walmart's executive vice president of corporate affairs, told Reuters that the company opposes the panic button because it believes it would create too many false alarms.

The Retail Worker Safety Act is being pushed by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, representing more than 100,000 workers, which argues it will help protect retail workers from workplace violence. The group has poured money into a campaign to promote the changes and to urge state leaders to approve them.

The bill, if signed by Hochul, would go into effect 180 days after it becomes law, but the panic button requirement wouldn't go into effect until Jan. 1, 2027.  justthenews.com


Fighting Shoplifting & Retail Crime Across the Pond
UK: Threat of organised retail crime highlighted at pre-election seminar

A pre-general election Westminster Legal Policy Forum keynote seminar took place this month entitled 'Next steps for tackling shoplifting and retail crime in England and Wales'.

The online event saw speakers and panellists, representing police forces, retail bodies and independent retailers, discussing the key retail crime issues. South London store owner Benedict Selvaratnam spoke during the 'Implementation best practice' session about the "multifaceted challenges" he faces.

On the impact of the crime increase, he said: "Our staff frequently encounter abusive customers and theft. And this impacts our bottom line, but also it creates a hostile and unsafe work environment." "We're a small independent retailer, and we don't have a big head office to offset costs to. So, we confront shoplifters, and we try and retrieve stolen goods.

We are at the front line. And the concerning trend is the rise in organised crime.

"We are almost resigned to the fact that we may not get a police response, in most instances. And when we are in a live situation, when we're trying to confront shoplifters, and we're small teams, we can't lose half an hour on the phone trying to arrange a police response that may or may not come.

"So, we generally don't call the police. We try and deal with what we can in house. I think that's with all regions up and down the country.

"This under reporting is often due to lack of confidence in the justice system and the perceived fragility of reporting incidences. So, I think we definitely need a system that encourages and supports retailers to report crimes and ensuring that justice is served. talkingretail.com


In Four Years, We've Gone from Mask Mandates to Mask Criminalization
Crime concerns have turned the mask debate upside down in just four years

After years of fights over mask mandates, why do some states now want to ban face coverings?
mericans can't seem to stop fighting about masks. After years of intense debate over mask mandates, the argument has now flipped entirely to become about whether certain face coverings should be banned.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week that she is considering banning face masks on New York City subways over concerns that the coverings obscure the identities of people committing antisemitic acts. New York City Mayor Eric Adams supports the idea, arguing that "cowards cover their faces."

"We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior," Hochul said.

Hochul said there's no timeline on when a mask ban might go into effect in New York, but some other states have already taken action against face coverings. In North Carolina, where a law banning face coverings has been on the books since 1953, the state Legislature recently passed a bill that would increase penalties for anyone who commits a crime while wearing a mask. The Ohio attorney general warned protesters last month that they could face felony charges for obscuring their faces under a law that was passed in the state more than 70 years ago to deter the Ku Klux Klan. Texas and Florida have also relied on decades-old anti-masking statutes in their responses to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The emerging push against masks isn't solely targeted at protesters. Philadelphia banned ski masks within city limits late last year in hopes of reducing crime. A new law in Washington D.C., recently made it illegal for someone to cover their face with the intent of obscuring their identity while committing a crime. yahoo.com


PDs Invest in LPRs to Fight Crime
Police using Flock cameras to put the brakes on crime

Local police departments banking on technology to stop and solve crimes

A camera never blinks, and that's proving to be beneficial for some police departments in solving and stopping crime. "It's really like an extra set of eyes," said Captain Robert Valley with the Mentor Police Department.

More than 400 Ohio law enforcement agencies, including Mentor and Rocky River, have invested in the Flock Safety System. The cameras have license plate reading technology that can identify cars connected to missing people, stolen vehicles or those wanted in connection to criminal activity.

Across town in Rocky River, Police Chief George Lichman said the new technology has been helpful. He said it's changed the way the department deals with stolen vehicles. news5cleveland.com


Canadian Officers Recognized for Fighting ORC
Halton Officers Honoured for Combating Organized Retail Crime
Attention retail loss prevention professionals, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders: Halton Regional Police (HRP) continues to be an exceptional partner to the retail sector, actively engaged in initiatives related to Organized Retail Crime. Their collaboration has led to the arrest of major criminal enterprises and the recovery of millions in stolen goods. Recognizing these efforts, HRP officers on the RCC National Taskforce received the prestigious Law Enforcement Recognition Award, established by RCC's LP Advisory Committee and Board of Directors. retailcouncil.org


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72K Levi's Customers Impacted by Credential-Stuffing Attack
Cyberattack compromises 72,000 Levi's customer accounts
Levi Strauss & Co is requiring customers to reset their passwords after experiencing an intrusion into its systems from hackers.

According to a notice published by the Maine Attorney General 's office, on Thursday, June 13. 2024, the denim giant discovered a data breach which had occurred that same day. The cyberattack exposed names and other personal information of 72,231 customers, including 75 Maine residents (which necessitated the San Francisco-based company to contact the Maine attorney general).

In an electronic letter to affected customers, Levi's said it recently issued a forced password reset after detecting suspicious activity on its website.

"Bad actors have attempted to log into some accounts using email and password combinations obtained elsewhere," Levis said in the notice. "If you re-use your passwords across websites, it is possible they were able to log into your account."

Levi's said the hackers would have been able to view personal customer information such as order history, name, email, stored addresses, and partial information on any saved payment method including the last four digits of the card number, card type and expiration date.

"It does not appear that any fraudulent purchases were initiated using your information," the company said in the letter. "Our systems do not allow saved payment methods to be used for purchases without a secondary means of authentication."

Levi's believes the breach is the result of a "credential stuffing" attack where hackers obtain login information from another source and then use bots to test credentials on other sites, as people often share passwords across accounts. The company said it is not the source of the initial compromise of passwords. chainstoreage.com


AI: Cybersecurity's Biggest Challenge
Is the cybersecurity industry ready for AI?

As cybersecurity teams focus on how to thwart threat actors, they are missing the risks around the data they are sharing willingly.

AI isn't new to cybersecurity - most automated security tools rely on AI and ML in some capacity - but generative AI has everyone talking and worried. If cybersecurity professionals have yet to address the security implications around generative AI, they are already behind.

"The train has already left the station," said Patrick Harr, CEO of SlashNext, in a conversation at RSA Conference 2024 in San Francisco.

AI-generated threats have already impacted three-quarters of organizations, yet 60% admitted they aren't prepared to handle AI-based attacks, according to a study conducted by Darktrace.

AI-powered cyberattacks are revealing the gaps in the cybersecurity talent availability. Organizations are already concerned about the skills gap, especially in areas like cloud computing, zero trust implementation, and AI/ML capabilities.

With the growing threat AI poses, cybersecurity teams no longer have the luxury of waiting a few years to fill those talent gaps, Clar Rosso, CEO with ISC2 told an RSAC audience.

Right now, 41% of cybersecurity professionals have little to no experience in securing AI and 21% said they don't know enough about AI to mitigate concerns, according to ISC2 research.

It's no wonder, then, that these same professionals said that by 2025, AI will be the industry's biggest challenge.  cybersecuritydive.com


15K Dealerships Hit by Cyberattack
(Update) CDK cyberattack stalls industry as car dealers disclose widespread impacts

The car dealership software vendor discovered a cyberattack June 19 and has told customers it will restore systems within days.

The fallout from a cyberattack targeting CDK Global, a software provider for more than 15,000 car dealers across North America, is spreading as more customers disclose potential material impacts.

At least five publicly traded car dealerships filed disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission since Friday. Sonic Automotive and Penske Automotive Group warned investors of potential impacts on Friday. Autonation, Group 1 Automotive and Lithia Motors filed with the SEC Monday.

All five companies said CDK notified its customers of an outage in response to a cyberattack on June 19. CDK expects to restore its dealer management system within several days, not weeks, according to Group 1 Automotive. cybersecuritydive.com


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