The D&D Daily will continue to track this data throughout the summer to capture the weekend violence trend in our nation's big cities as warm weather typically brings about more crime and violence.

Click here to see the list of incidents per city and follow along each week as this spreadsheet will be updated every Monday. docs.google.com

Read more coverage about America's crime and gun violence epidemic in the section below
 

 
NYC's Shoplifting Crisis
Taking on the Shoplifting Scourge in New York City

DA Alvin Bragg announces a plan to break up fencing rings, crack down on resale of stolen goods and seek "pre-trial detention" for serial offenders

"Too many people in public service believe it is a victimless crime that is 'covered by insurance,' but in reality, it is a dangerous and debilitating situation, that tears at the very fabric of NYC," said Ken Giddon, whose grandfather founded Rothman's Mens Clothing on Bleecker Street in 1926.

Giddon made this comment as part of the announcement by the new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, of a plan to deter shoplifting.

"We cannot accept a system where individuals who shoplift again and again cycle in and out of jail, just to shoplift again," said Bragg. "Our society can't function that way - it doesn't help our shop owners, and it doesn't help those individuals. At the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, we follow the data, and the data shows a small number of individuals are driving the retail theft crisis facing our borough."

The prevalence of repeat offenders was illustrated by data showing that out of all those arrested, 18% committed half the offenses, Bragg reported. He said his office would work to break up fencing rings, crack down on the online resale of stolen goods and seek "pre-trial detention, where appropriate" for serial shoplifters.

Barbara Blair, President of the Garment District Alliance, one of the neighborhood business group that worked with Bragg, said, "We appreciate the response of D.A. Bragg and his office to our concerns. Repeat offenders are responsible for an outsized percentage of crimes and must be stopped. Likewise, bad, one-off decisions should have a different path."

From Chinatown to Washington Heights, merchant groups said that small businesses were the worst hit by the surge in organized retail crimes. Duane Reade and other chains can afford to increase security and install plexiglass and locks. But smaller merchants often have no recourse but to curtail their business to reduce losses and safeguard their employees. westsidespirit.com

The Role of Police & Bystanders in Active Shootings
New York Times Analysis: Who Stops a 'Bad Guy With a Gun'?

What role should the police and bystanders play in active shooter attacks, and what interventions would best stop the violence?

Researchers who study active shooter events say it can be difficult to draw broad policy conclusions from individual episodes, but a review of data from two decades of such attacks reveals patterns in how they unfold, and how hard they are to stop once they have begun.

There were at least 433 active shooter attacks - in which one or more shooters killed or attempted to kill multiple unrelated people in a populated place - in the United States from 2000 to 2021. The country experienced an average of more than one a week in 2021 alone.

Police officers shoot or physically subdue the shooter in less than a third of attacks. Most events end before the police arrive, but police officers are usually the ones to end an attack if they get to the scene while it is ongoing.

Bystanders stop some attackers, more often with physical force than with a gun. One in four attacks ends in a shooter suicide. One in four attackers leaves the scene (though most are later caught). nytimes.com

Buffalo Still Reeling from Tops Supermarket Shooting
How The Buffalo Shooting Brought 'Supermarket Redlining' To Light

The Tops supermarket shooting has made Buffalo a food desert again, which stems from a legacy of discrimination in housing and city planning.

The shooting happened at Tops, a grocery store that residents had fought for almost 20 years just to open. The neighborhood hadn't had a supermarket like it in decades, and as the store remains closed, many in the community no longer have easy access to good foods.

Before the grocery store opened, the area was known as a "food desert," which is an area with limited access to healthy and affordable food from grocery stores, supermarkets, or supercenters. The USDA considers someone to be in a food desert when they live more than a mile away from a food store in urban areas, or more than 10 miles away in rural areas. Currently, that's more than 18 million people in the U.S.

The shooting in Tops just brought this phenomenon of "supermarket redlining" into the spotlight. About 78% of residents in the zip code where the shooting took place are Black. The next major supermarket is about 40 minutes away on public transit, so it's easy to see how the store could become such an easy target for this hate crime.

This kind of physical, community-level segregation seeps into the culture, too, and the way we talk about our own cities and neighborhoods. It's not just a contributing factor of what left neighborhoods, like in Buffalo, with just one supermarket, but it denies communities other resources as well. newsy.com

Another Progressive DA Fights to Keep His Job
Los Angeles DA George Gascon defends record on crime: 'I know how to keep communities safe'

George Gascon acknowledged that he is 'frustrated' by crime & homelessness in LA

Progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon defended his record against critics who have accused him of being soft on crime as violence in the city continues to surge.

"Yeah, in some areas it is," Gascon told KTLA-TV on Saturday when asked if he believes Los Angeles is safer because of policies he has implemented. "I think it's important to start out by saying that I was a police officer for many years before I was the district attorney. I know how to keep communities safe."

When pressed by KTLA anchor Lynette Romero on critics who say that Gascon's policies have made crime in the city worse, Gascon pointed to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're coming out of the pandemic that has had a tremendous impact not only on L.A. County but throughout the nation," Gascon said. "The reality is that crime is up around the nation, in fact some of our neighboring counties per capita are having higher levels of violence than we are."

Gascon added there is "no question" the pandemic has impacted violent crime and homelessness. foxnews.com

NYC's Prosecutor Exodus
NYC prosecutors flee amid soft-on-crime policies, burdensome state reforms
Hundreds of prosecutors in New York City are quitting the district attorneys' offices amid controversial criminal justice reforms. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office this year has hemorrhaged 65 assistant district attorneys, which is about 12% of the staff.

Bragg released a memo on his third day in office, ordering prosecutors not to seek prison sentences for a number of crimes and to downgrade charges - including for robberies and commercial burglaries.

Manhattan's situation mirrors that of Brooklyn, where 67 prosecutors - approximately 13% - have resigned from DA Eric Gonzalez's office as of June 17, with three more leaving last Thursday alone, according to the New York Post. In 2020, 84 resigned, and 94 left office in 2021. Fifty-nine prosecutors have quit in the Bronx beginning this year through May.

The resignations come amid state criminal justice reforms that some have criticized for being too onerous. foxnews.com

WSJ Op-Ed More Legal Guns Reduced Crime in Brazil
Homicide fell 34% after Bolsonaro made firearms permits easier and cheaper.

SAPD Chief McManus talks uptick in violent gun crime, reasons and response

Dealing with Conflict in Retail
Former Secret Service Agent shares how to craft a resilient response

NRF PROTECT 2022: Former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras on verbal conflict resolution

Evy Poumpouras, a former Secret Service agent, has worked for former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

One thing that's going on, she noted, is that people are under a lot of stress - from the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a long list of other factors. That stress, she observed, is manifesting itself in people's behavior, including a general and growing inability to socialize. Some do well with it and some do not, which creates a need for the ability to deal with people in difficult situations.

The person doing the dealing - a store detective, say, or a customer service representative - needs to clearly understand their own role in finding a solution to whatever problem has arisen.

And when they're venting, she said, are you leading? Providing solutions? No, you're listening. A large component of what Poumpouras was presenting is the ability to understand what aspect of their personality the other person is exhibiting, and shift to an aspect of your own personality that either counteracts or harmonizes with the particular place they're coming from.

It's not an easy thing to do, she acknowledged. "Know your brand," she said in closing. "Focus on warmth and competence. Understand when a person - including you - is stuck on a thought and won't let go of it. Be OK with having their conversation before you have yours. Remember that what you're seeing isn't all of them: Respond to the behavior, not the person. And put ego aside." nrf.com

Retailers: Brace for Tough Second Half
As consumers spend more on gas and food, a shadow looms over retail

The second half of the year will be tough for retailers as shoppers hunt for lower prices, opt for experiences and shift their loyalties.

Retail sales held up pretty well in the first half of the year, even accounting for inflation's impact on the numbers. But with consumers spending more on food, gas and experiences instead of discretionary goods, it's not clear how retail will do in the second half.

It's been a head-spinning shift. Late in the pandemic, consumers were "flush with cash," thanks to the federal government's support and lighter spending on services like dining out, according to Wells Fargo analysts led by Edward Kelly.

"However, budgets are now being pinched as food prices ... fuel, and other everyday items remain elevated while stimulus/SNAP dollars dry up," Kelly said in a Thursday research note on grocery retail.

The deterioration was seen quite clearly last month, when the usual Memorial Day spending bump didn't materialize, according to research from The NPD Group. Due to inflation, consumers are spending more than they were pre-pandemic but getting less: Compared to May 2019, dollar sales were up 18%, but unit demand was down 1%. Furthermore, U.S. dollar sales of discretionary general merchandise ended 2% lower than last year's results, while unit sales were 8% lower, per NPD. retaildive.com
 
Paying Customers to Keep Unwanted Items
Just keep your returns: Stores weigh paying you not to bring back unwanted items
The chaotic mix of record fuel prices and an unending supply chain crisis have retailers considering the unthinkable: Instead of returning your unwanted items, just keep them.

In recent weeks, some of the biggest store chains, including Target, Walmart, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters and others have reported in their latest earnings calls that they have too much inventory of stuff ranging from workout clothes, spring-time jackets and hoodies to garden furniture and bulky kids' toys. It's costing them tons of money to store it.

Now add on to that glut another category of product that stores have to deal with: returns.

So instead of piling returned merchandise onto this growing inventory heap, stores are considering just handing customers their money back and letting them hang onto the stuff they don't want.

"It would be a smart strategic initiative," said Burt Flickinger, retail expert and managing director of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group. "Retailers are stuck with excess inventory of unprecedented levels. They can't afford to take back even more of it." cnn.com

Nike Store Closures
This Popular Clothing Company Is Permanently Closing Over 100 Stores
Nike has just announced that it will be exiting the Russian market completely by permanently closing all of its brick-and-mortar stores in the country, Reuters reported on June 23. This news comes just three months after the apparel company temporarily closed all of its stores in Russia and made merchandise purchases on its website and app unavailable for the country in early March.

According to CNN, Nike has posted a note on on its official Russian website telling consumers that its website and mobile app will "no longer be available in this region" and that its stores "will not reopen." This decision is expected to impact more than 100 stores for the company, as Nike was operating about 116 locations in Russia as of March 2022, per The Wall Street Journal. bestlifeonline.com

Apple ready to bargain with its first U.S. store to unionize
Apple Inc accepts the outcome of a vote by Maryland store workers to become its first U.S. employees to join a union and is ready to bargain with them.

Cardenas Markets to deploy cryptocurrency machines

About 400,000 outdoor umbrellas sold at Costco recalled for overheating, fire risk

McDonald's is revamping its system of recruiting franchisees
 
Kroger to expand Ohio dairy facility
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director Major Crimes Investigations job posted for Family Dollar in Chesapeake, VA
This position is responsible for identifying, quantifying, and assisting in the apprehension/prosecution of individuals responsible for committing major crimes against the company, including organized shoplifting groups. This position will be responsible for identifying tools/processes/ and best practices that will prevent this type of activity in stores. This position will manage special projects and other assignments at the discretion of the VP of Asset Protection. sjobs.brassring.com

Senior Manager of Investigations, LP and Safety job posted for Lovesac in Stamford, CT
Currently, we are seeking to hire a Senior Manager of Investigations, Loss Prevention and Safety. The Senior Manager of Investigations, Loss Prevention and Safety will report directly to the Director of Loss Prevention and Safety. This position will direct, develop and implement the company-wide Internal Investigations Program to protect company assets. paycomonline.net
 

Last week's #1 article --

Summer of Record-Breaking Violence Coming?
Five major US cities already on track to break their 2021 homicide totals
Five major US cities are already on track to break their steep 2021 homicide figures - suggesting a particularly violent summer ahead.

This year's homicide numbers for Los Angeles, Washington DC, Baltimore, Milwaukee and Atlanta have all surpassed the rates reached at the same time in 2021, according to the data, first reported by Fox News.

Milwaukee has been the city with the largest spike, recording 96 homicides as of June 17 - a 25% increase compared to its 77 figure recorded this time last year. In Washington DC, there have already been 93 homicides compared to the 82 in its first six months of 2021, or a 13% jump. nypost.com

The Cyber & Data Implications of Roe Being Overturned
Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade reversal sparks calls for strengthening privacy

Data collected by tech companies could be used to prosecute abortion seekers, lawmakers and advocates warn

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, ending nearly 50 years of the nation's highest court affirming the constitutional right to abortion and prompting privacy-focused lawmakers and advocates to say the ruling for federal privacy legislation even more urgent.

"Congress must pass legislation protecting people's data so their web searches, text messages and location tracking aren't weaponized against them," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement in response to the ruling. "Technology companies must take immediate steps to limit the collection and retention of customer data so that they don't become tools of persecution."

Wyden is one of several lawmakers who have in recent months urged tech companies to rein in the data they collect that could be subpoenaed or bought by law enforcement in abortion-related cases. Wyden - alongside Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. - introduced legislation earlier this month that would prevent data brokers from selling American's location and health data.

In May, Motherboard found at least one data broker that sold data related to abortion clinic visits. (The company stated it would stop the practice after the report was published.) Law enforcement has leveraged user data against abortion seekers well before the reversal.

States including Indiana and Mississippi have used data including search history and text messages to charge women accused of aborting their pregnancies. Other device data, such as location data showing an individual visited an abortion clinic, could be swept into a law enforcement dragnet. Geofence warrants, which allow law enforcement to request the data of all active mobile devices within a particular area, have skyrocketed in use.

Friday's ruling increases those risks, technology policy and advocacy groups said.

"In the digital age, this decision opens the door to law enforcement and private bounty hunters seeking vast amounts of private data from ordinary Americans," the Center for Digital Technology's president and CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens wrote in a statement. "In this new environment, tech companies must step up and play a crucial role in protecting women's digital privacy and access to online information." cyberscoop.com

Companies Are Still Behind the Cyber Curve
Cybersecurity is bad and it's only getting worse

It's hard to overstate how much cybersecurity has surged as a top concern

There are few analogues in history for how cybersecurity has surged in importance as a government policy issue during the past eight years. It's gone from a relatively back-burner issue embraced by a handful of government officials and lawmakers to a top national security concern - one that prompts partisan squabbles in Congress and heated confrontations between U.S. and Russian presidents.

With each passing year, cyber insecurity became a more fundamental and important aspect of U.S. policy, politics and daily life - similar to how connected technology itself had become increasingly pervasive a decade or two earlier.

By 2022, the prefix "cyber" has begun to seem anachronistic because digital conflict and crime is more the standard than the outlier.

Criminal ransomware gangs, for example, draw far more attention these days than conventional organized crime. And even the mafia is getting into hacking to support traditional criminal pursuits such as drug trafficking and extortion.

The cyber component of Russia's Ukraine invasion has been more limited than some experts predicted. But it still underscores that cyber operations are sure to be a component of every future military conflict.

U.S. cyber protections have, by and large, not remotely kept pace with the threat.

The vast majority of companies are still compromised by hackers because of simple and preventable lapses, such as using shoddy passwords, not updating commercial software and employees getting conned by phishing scams that they should be wise to.

Why? There are a lot of possible explanations, including corporate apathy and a structural advantage held by hackers.

One big explanation, though, is that government and other large institutions haven't done the necessary work to change companies' incentives to make cyberattacks less common. That's unlikely to change soon. washingtonpost.com

Selling Data to Foreign Enemies
Lawmakers want to restrict user data sales to nations like China, Russia
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday that would create export controls for sensitive U.S. user data. The legislation takes aims at growing concerns about data brokers selling data like health information and military member location data to foreign adversaries.

Specifically, the bill would direct the secretary of Commerce to identify which types of personal data could harm U.S. national security and designate which countries would require licenses to export to or be denied as a default. Risk status would be based on a country's privacy laws, the foreign government's ability to compel private entities to share data and if the nation has hostile intelligence operations against the U.S.

The bills' sponsors include Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Marco Rubio, R-Fla. and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.

"It is common sense to prevent our adversaries from obtaining the highly sensitive personal information of millions of Americans," co-sponsor Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a statement. "We cannot trust private companies to protect Americans' private data, especially given how many of them do business in China. Our bill would address this massive national security threat and protect Americans' privacy." cyberscoop.com

$100M Crypto Breach
Sunnyvale blockchain startup Harmony said $100M was stolen from its service
Some $100 million in cryptocurrency assets have been stolen from a Sunnyvale startup's service, it reported Thursday.

The assets were taken from the so-called bridge Harmony operates, the company said on Twitter. The startup, legally known as Simple Rules Co, has ceased all transactions on the bridge, dubbed Horizon, and notified other exchanges of the theft, it said in a Twitter thread. bizjournals.com

Only 3% of Open Source Software Bugs Are Actually Attackable, Researchers Say

APT Groups Swarming on VMware Servers with Log4Shell

Amazon Working Conditions Under the Microscope Globally
How Amazon Exported American Working Conditions To Europe

After Amazon workers in Germany began striking, the company expanded eastward, where looser labor laws brought record productivity.

As in America, in Poland Amazon benefits not just from looser workplace requirements, but lesser consequences for breaking labor laws. Judges in at least three cases in 2018 and 2019 ruled that the company used wrongful firing practices, though under Polish law local judgments can influence future lawsuits but not force a change in business practices.

From 2014 to 2018, according to a BuzzFeed News review of Polish court documents, the inspectorate observed 117 violations on 12 of its visits to Poland warehouses and issued fines totaling $4,609 - equivalent to less than six months of wages for its lowest-paid employees.

"In 30 years, I've never seen a company that has avoided regulations as effectively as Amazon," said Jarosław Łucka, a former corporate compliance director who was commissioned by a Polish court to inspect the Poznan facility in 2018. "They don't care about the law here. They're willing to just pay the fines."

In response to a list of questions for this story, Amazon spokesperson Stephan Eichenseher said that the company selects fulfillment center locations "based on multiple factors such as transport infrastructure, the local labor market, business needs and construction timelines." He disputed allegations that the company has mistreated employees in central Europe. "It's in our interest to create the best working conditions and retain the best talent," he said. "While we always strive to do our best for our employees and our customers, we know we always have more work to do. It is our priority to always be fully compliant with all applicable labor laws, and if something isn't, then we investigate and act immediately."

In the US in recent months, Amazon workers have begun breaking through the company's efforts to prevent unions: A facility in New York voted to unionize in April, and two other facilities are contesting close losses by filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the corporation of violating labor laws. buzzfeednews.com

The Battle for Warehouse Space
E-commerce will continue to drive space for warehouse
The pandemic pushed brick-and-mortar retailers to jump on the e-commerce bandwagon fast - but even as that slows, fears that retailers are pulling back on their warehouse space are premature, Prologis CEO Hamid Moghadam tells Axios.

Why it matters: Investors have been trying to read the tea leaves on whether Amazon could be a bellwether for the rest of the e-commerce space. The giant spooked the market in April with its decision to cut back on its warehouse space, and sublease 10 million square feet.

Moghadam, who runs one of the largest warehouse operators in the world, says leasing demand is still strong and points in the other direction. He says that Amazon expanded unusually fast in 2020 and 2021 and likely overshot its objectives. But Amazon has continued to grow, and "this is just a blip," he adds. axios.com

See how much engineers, managers, and other employees make at Amazon

Amazon demonstrates Alexa mimicking the voice of a deceased relative

Manhattan Beach, CA: 11 Suspects pull off a daytime Jewelry store Smash & Grab
Here's video of an armed robbery going down in broad daylight in an affluent Southern California beach town ... with thieves pulling off a smash-and-grab in front of shocked bystanders. As you can see, nearly a dozen people in ski masks are cleaning out a jewelry store ... then they dash across the street and speed off in three different cars, which were waiting in an alley. The Manhattan Beach Police Department says the suspects used hammers to smash display cases before stuffing merchandise in their bags ... and cops say at least 3 suspects were armed with what appeared to be handguns, though no shots were fired. tmz.com

Stamford, CT: Two Charged with Organized Retail Theft on Greenwich Ave
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 18, Greenwich Police responded to the area of Greenwich Avenue on a report of a shoplifting incident involving two people and a getaway driver who stole $27,915 worth of merchandise. Police say Sheila Lyfaye Draine-Johnson, 53, of Mount Vernon, NY was positively identified as having facilitated the larceny trough distraction methods, attempting to draw store staff away from her and her co-conspirator. Police say she also fled from the store, away from staff and security. Ms Draine-Johnson was located a short distance from the store and placed under arrest. Additionally, police say during a search of Ms Draine-Johnson's person after being arrested drug paraphernalia was discovered. Also, charged was Damon Smith, 49, of Mount Vernon. Police say Smith attempted to flee on foot but was caught after a brief pursuit. Stolen merchandise was located on his person. All of the stolen merchandise was recovered. greenwichfreepress.com

Berks County, PA: Police seeking suspect in $4000 theft from Caernarvon Township Walmart
A male entered the store broke into a glass case in the electronics department and stole items worth a total of more than $4,000. Among them were outdoor cameras, spotlight cameras and doorbell cameras. The suspect is described as a white male, 40 to 50 years old, with a stocky build and arm tattoos. readingeagle.com

Ocala, FL: Police seeking help identifying two Ulta theft suspects
The Ocala Police Department is turning to the public to help identify two women who are suspected of stealing multiple items from a local store. According to an OPD social media post, the two women (pictured below) allegedly stole $1,700 worth of merchandise from the Ulta located on SW College Road in Ocala. ocala-news.com

Sonora, CA: 1,800 in stolen merchandise recovered from thief

Oakville, Ontario, CN: Halton Police looking for unknown suspect in Home Depot theft