Harrisonburg City/Rockingham County, VA Monitored Alarm Users to Experience Faster, More Accurate Emergency Dispatch
Harrisonburg City/Rockingham County, Virginia is the latest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to implement Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), technology that automates communication from alarm monitoring central stations to PSAPs and 911 centers, resulting in faster, more accurate emergency response for users of monitored alarms. With ASAP, monitored alarm users served out of that PSAP will experience faster, more accurate emergency dispatch.

ASAP was developed in partnership between The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), with Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow co-chairing the committee. Vector Security was the first alarm company to debut ASAP in Richmond, VA in 2012. vectorsecurity.com
 

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The Response to Gun Violence Across America
Georgia Deploys National Guard, NYC Looks for Answers, More Protests 

Hundreds of July 4th Weekend Shootings Across the U.S. 233 Shootings, 70 Killed, 276 Injured in 30 Cities Studied In case you missed it, see the full list compiled by The Daily here.

Georgia Gov. Kemp declares emergency, calls up National Guard troops after
8-year-old fatally shot near Atlanta Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was killed
Georgia's governor on Monday declared a state of emergency and authorized the activation of up to 1,000 National Guard troops after a weekend of violence in Atlanta left five people dead, including an 8-year-old girl.

A statement from Gov. Brian Kemp's office says troops will provide support at certain locations including the Capitol and governor's mansion, freeing up state law enforcement resources to patrol other areas.

"Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead," the Republican governor said. "This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city." usatoday.com

At least 6 kids killed by gun violence over holiday weekend

'Very chilling': Philadelphia Police Commissioner addresses gun violence, calls for community-driven response


Mayor de Blasio, NYPD brass at odds over cause of July 4th weekend violence
Mayor de Blasio and top NYPD brass publicly clashed Monday over the reasons behind a horrifying surge of gun violence over the weekend - and things between Hizzoner and police leadership are even more tense behind the scenes, sources told the Daily News.

While top cops largely blamed recent police reforms for the citywide carnage that left nine dead and more than 50 people shot, the mayor sought to take a wider view.

"We need laws that make sense," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on NY1. He went on to call the City Council's recently passed bill banning chokeholds "insane," saying, "Police officers should not have to worry more about getting arrested than the person with the gun that they're rolling around on the street with."

Shea also blamed the city's recent policy of releasing hundreds of inmates from the Rikers Island jail complex - a move aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus - for the July Fourth weekend mayhem.

At a press conference later in the morning, de Blasio said, "There's not one cause for something like this. The court system is not working, the economy's not working, people have been pent up for months and months - so many issues underlying this challenge."

He promised the city would take a multi-pronged approach to stemming the violence, including by "doubling down" on neighborhood policing initiatives. nydailynews.com

As Gun Violence Spikes in New York City, Officials Blame 'Perfect Storm' of Factors


Phoenix Police Kill Man in Parked Car, Igniting New Protests

Bloomington, IN: A protester was struck by a car during a Black Lives Matter demonstration

Baltimore Hits Pause on Gun Violence Command Centers

Eugene, OR: One City's 30-Year Experiment With Reimagining Public Safety

Arrested Under New Law, Hong Kong Protesters Get Swabbed for DNA
 

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It's Been 'Such a Weird Year.' That's Also Reflected in Crime Statistics.

In large cities across America, murders are up sharply,
while other violent crimes have decreased
The national numbers for murder and other types of violent crime rarely move in opposite directions. But this is no ordinary year. Overall crime is down 5.3 percent in 25 large American cities relative to the same period in 2019, with violent crime down 2 percent.

But murder in these 25 cities is up 16.1 percent in relation to last year. It's not just a handful of cities driving this change, either. Property crime is down in 18 of the 25 sampled cities, and violent crime is down in 11 of them, but murder is up in 20 of the cities.

The F.B.I. doesn't supply recent crime statistics, so we collected Uniform Crime Report (U.C.R.) data for these cities (each with over 250,000 people), which reported data at least through the end of May. Crime in the report is divided into violent crime - murder, aggravated assault, rape and robbery - and property crime composed of theft, auto theft and burglary.

Homicides usually rise in the summer, which coincided this year with many people emerging from pandemic lockdown. In one recent weekend in Chicago, 14 people were killed and at least 106 people were shot, the most in eight years.

And as The New York Times reported recently: "It has been nearly a quarter century since New York City experienced as much gun violence in the month of June as it has seen this year." (On Sunday, there were at least nine killings in the city.)

An additional 11 cities provide year-to-date murder data. Murder is up 21.8 percent in all 36 cities with 2020 data through at least May, with 29 of those cities seeing an increase this year relative to last year.

How often do murder and other types of violent crime move in opposite directions? There have been only four years since 1960 (1993, 2000, 2002 and 2003) when murder increased but overall violent crime decreased nationally, and the increase in murder was small in each of those years. The average absolute difference between the national change in murder and violent crime since 1990 has been just 2.2 percent, so a big increase in murder nationally while violent crime falls is almost unheard-of.

But this year has been distinct in many ways, because of the pandemic and because of the protests and civil unrest after the death of George Floyd in police custody. nytimes.com

Gun background checks hit record high in June, a metric for gun sales, FBI reveals
Historic numbers of background checks to purchase or possess a firearm were done in June, a trend in a year marked by uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, a subsequent economic recession, protests over racial injustice and calls to reduce police funding.

FBI numbers released Wednesday show that 3.9 million background checks were conducted last month, the most since the system was created in November 1998 to ensure felons and other prohibited people could not buy or possess a firearm. The previous monthly record came in March, when 3.7 million checks were done. Each week in June is now in the top 10 weeks for background checks.

Halfway through 2020, just over 19 million checks have been done, more than all of 2012 and each of the years before that.

Background checks are the key barometer of gun sales, but the FBI's monthly figures also incorporate checks for permits that some states require to carry a firearm. Each background check also could be for the sale of more than one gun. apnews.com

All kinds of outbreaks, from COVID-19 to violence, share the same principles
 

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COVID Update

US: Over 3M Cases - 133K Dead - 1.3M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 11.8M Cases - 542K Dead - 6.7M Recovered

Fallen Officers From the COVID-19 Pandemic: 51 | NYPD Deaths: 45
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 150+

Retailers to governors: Please mandate face mask wearing

RILA sends letter to state governors asking for face mask requirement nationwide
in response to customer hostility to front-line workers

The Retail Industry Leaders Association, which represents Target, Home Depot and other major chains, says different rules around the country have made it confusing for shoppers and often lead to conflict between customers and workers trying to enforce store rules. Videos on social media have shown shoppers getting angry when employees ask them to wear a mask.

"Retailers are alarmed with the instances of hostility and violence front-line employees are experiencing by a vocal minority of customers," said RILA President Brian Dodge.

In a letter sent Monday to the National Governors Association, the RILA asks governors to require face mask wearing nationwide. Fewer than half of U.S. states require face mask wearing in public, according to the RILA.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people cover their mouth and nose when shopping to help reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. abcnews.com

Poll: 86% of Americans wore face masks last week

Gap Inc. Launches B2B Sales for Organizations to Purchase Reusable, Non-Medical Grade Cloth Face Masks


Trump administration releases list of companies that received most money
from small business bailout loans
The Trump administration, under pressure to reveal which companies received loans from a $660 billion program intended to keep small businesses afloat, on Monday released data. The detailed information from the Paycheck Protection Program was confined to companies that received loans of more than $150,000. The administration said 86.5 percent of the loans were for less than that amount, so the snapshot captured only one sliver of businesses that tapped funds.

Restaurants, medical offices and car dealerships were the top recipients of large loans from the program. More than 40,000 full- or limited-service restaurants received loans worth as much as $32 billion, according to the ranges provided by the government.

Nearly 5,000 businesses received individual loans between $5 million and $10 million. The administration included ranges for the amounts, not specific figures. And the figures did not include details on the roughly $30 billion in loans that were returned as companies realized that they were not eligible for the program, worried that they couldn't meet program requirements or reacted to a public outcry about big firms getting funds.

Washington lobbying shops, high-priced law firms and special-interest groups also received big loans, according to the administration, the latest indication of how the government's centerpiece effort to shore up mom-and-pop shops set off a race by organizations far afield from Main Street to secure federal money. The disclosure could further fuel outrage toward the program, which has been complicated by revelations that large, publicly traded companies were taking big loans and concerns that it might leave borrowers saddled with debt. nytimes.com

Here are some of the restaurant chains that received millions in government payroll loans


Coronavirus hospitalizations grow in 23 states as Texas admissions soar to new record

New York, Connecticut, New Jersey add 3 more states to mandatory quarantine restriction list

CDC says 9% of meatpacking plant workers have been diagnosed with Covid-19

Movie theater giants say requiring New Jersey theaters to remain closed is unconstitutional

Gyms Were One of the Few Bright Spots for Retail Owners Until Covid-19
Landlords feel pain of delayed openings, bankruptcies, drop in interest from fitness buffs; 'it's not worth risking my life'.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the average age of U.S. coronavirus patients has dropped by 15 years as Sun Belt states gets hit

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tests positive for coronavirus

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Blackout Day economic protest encourages shoppers to buy only
from Black-owned businesses Tuesday, boycott others
Americans have plans to send a message at the checkout counter on Tuesday amid renewed calls for racial equality across the country. Tuesday, July 7, has been designated Blackout Day, a call to action and "day of solidarity in America where not one Black person in America spends a dollar" outside of businesses owned by Black people," according to the movement's official website.

The initiative comes in the wake of protests against police brutality and renewed attention to the nation's decades-long racial wealth gap. As society has awakened to unfairness plaguing Black people in America, Black-owned businesses are getting showered with support in a loosely connected push for social and economic justice. usatoday.com

Sephora Is Driving Change To Combat Systemic Racism In Retail
Today, Sephora closed its stores for two hours, dedicating the time to training on racial profiling and education on Sephora's national study on racial bias in retail. Corporate employees will also participate in Conscious Leadership training. The retailer, which sells multi-branded beauty products in 490 stores across the Americas, has been recognized as an industry leader in terms of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The current national study on racial bias in retail has been in development since November 2019, well before it became popular to highlight such actions. Retailers need to move beyond diversity and towards racial equity. Sephora is leading a movement with its DEI culture and has promised to help other retailers better understand retail racism.

Sephora continually strives to combat racial bias

Sephora has been actively creating various initiatives to combat racial bias and to foster equality and inclusion in retail, as demonstrated by the recent commissioning of a first-of-its-kind national study on racial bias in retail settings. The company has hired external advisors to help with development and actions centered around DEI including April Reign, Sephora Equity Advisor, who is an internationally recognized speaker on issues related to diversity and inclusion, and Dr. Cassi Pittman Claytor, Sephora Equity Partner with a Harvard Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy.

Qualitative and quantitive data informs Sephora on the way forward
The shopper journey reveals friction points impacting negative experiences
Sephora was a leader in DEI initiatives before it was popular
Reaching outside its own leadership circle, Sephora hired experts in the field of social policy
forbes.com

Amazon plans to open more grocery stores across U.S.
Amazon is preparing to open its second automated-checkout grocery store on Seattle's Eastside and is hiring managers for a third store in the nation's capitol.

The commerce giant's grocery strategy is also advancing on another front, with new locations of its conventional checkout grocery stores coming to Seattle, California, and the Chicago and Washington, D.C., areas.

The company says on its website a Go Grocery store is "coming soon" to what was formerly a Sears automotive building in Redmond near its border with Bellevue, where it is also adding corporate offices. Amazon opened its first Go Grocery on Capitol Hill in Seattle this year after a lengthy development period, its latest move in an ongoing effort to capture more of consumers' grocery budget.

The Go Grocery concept is a larger version of the Go convenience stores it began testing publicly in late 2016 and which now number 26 locations in Seattle, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, though several are temporarily closed. The stores are equipped with cameras and other sensors that enable the company to bill shoppers through an app for items they pick off shelves, eliminating the need for a checkout line. seattletimes.com

Department stores miss out on Fourth of July consumer attention
Several specialty stores hold their own - thanks to aggressive promotions
The winners, based on the strongest year-over-year gains in search interest last week, were Bath & Body Works, Lululemon, HomeGoods, Aerie, Gap, Athleta and Marshalls, according to a report from Wedbush, which used Google Trends search analytics. Express, J.C. Penney, Banana Republic and Southern department store Dillard's suffered the biggest declines. retaildive.com

Shake Shack says it lost $3.2 million in sales due to protests and curfews

Uber acquires Postmates for $2.65B, expanding the food delivery business that has surged during pandemic

Woodstock, GA: Four Jimmy John's workers fired over dough noose video
 

FTC: Scammers Targeting Online Shoppers Purchasing COVID-19 Related Items and Supplies
When local stores ran out of the supplies we needed to manage COVID-19, many of us turned to online sources. According to a new Data Spotlight, scammers ran online sites and took orders for scarce items, but didn't deliver.

In April and May, more people reported problems with online shopping to the FTC than in any other months on record, and more than half of them said they never got what they ordered.

Reports show that early in the pandemic, shady sellers put up websites offering hard-to-find products. People ordered facemasks, sanitizer, toilet paper, thermometers, and gloves.

When customers asked about their orders, scammers said the pandemic was causing shipping delays, and then stopped responding. When people reported undelivered orders to the FTC in April and May, facemasks were the #1 missing item.

Reports about online shopping issues aren't new for the FTC. In fact, the number of those reports has grown every year since 2015. spacecoastdaily.com

Report: Amazon postpones Prime Day until October
Amazon is reportedly delaying its annual Prime Day online sales extravaganza an additional month, from September to October.

According to CNBC, leaked internal Amazon emails indicate the e-tail giant is targeting Monday, Oct. 5 as the starting date for the 2020 edition of Prime Day. Since initially launching the Prime Day promotion in 2015, Amazon has always held the event in mid-July. chainstoreage.com

Amazon delivery contractors were among recipients of government payroll loans
Dozens of small businesses that handle last-mile deliveries for Amazon received PPP loans, according to data released Monday. A handful of these businesses, known as delivery service providers, received at least $1 million in loans. Delivery service providers pick up packages from Amazon delivery stations and deliver them to shoppers' doorsteps. cnbc.com

Walmart's Amazon Prime competitor will launch in July

Pier 1 Imports Gets $20 Million Offer for Branding, Online Business