'Significant Drop' in Retail Crimes Drive Declining Prison Population in Illinois
Retail-Related Prisoners Cut in Half Since 2016
A complex blend of decisions is behind the overall drop - ranging from the highest reaches of power in the General Assembly down to individual police on the beat. But one significant drop is connected to retail theft. In 2016, nearly a thousand people were in prison for the crime. By the end of last year, that number was cut in half. In between, Cook County got a new prosecutor by the name of Kim Foxx.

"The number one charge in 2016 that we were prosecuting was not guns, was not shootings. It was retail theft," Foxx said in an interview she gave last year with Chicago public radio station WBEZ.

It's pretty easy for an Illinoisan to get retail theft up to a felony prosecution - all they have to do is steal more than $300 worth of stuff. That's a significantly lower threshold than a lot of states. But even though the law had not changed, Foxx directed her lawyers to act as though it had. From then on, retail theft would only be charged as a felony if more than a $1,000 worth of stuff was stolen.

"Some of the people that we were seeing repeatedly were not people in sophisticated retail theft rings," Foxx said. "We saw people who were stealing because they were either homeless, had addiction issues, had mental health issues, poverty-related issues, and (were) not threats." nprillinois.com

Stores Run out of Shopping Carts as New Orleans Hunkers Down for Potential Hurricane Barry
Coastal Louisiana felt the first blow from Tropical Storm Barry's winds early on Friday as the slow-moving tempest was forecast to become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019 threatening to bring rain and flooding to New Orleans. The storm was forecast to bring torrential rains of up to 25 inches (64 cm) in isolated places, which could cause life-threatening flooding along the Mississippi River, which has been running at flood stage for months, officials warned.

New Orleans residents who plan to ride out the storm flocked to supermarkets for bottled water, ice, snacks and beer, thronging grocery stores in such numbers that some ran out of shopping carts. Throughout the city, motorists left cars parked on the raised median strips of roadways hoping the extra elevation would protect them from flood damage. Armani McGriff, a 29-year-old retail worker, said she picked up nonperishable food and candles after the flooding earlier this week. kfgo.com

NACS has prepared resources for convenience and fuel retailers if disaster strikes
"NACS has prepared several resources for retailers in the affected areas facing recovery, as well as resources for all retailers to help address any supply/demand issues in the NACS Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Recovery Center," Lenard said.

There are more than 153,000 convenience stores in the United States, of which about 122,000 stores sell an estimated 80% of the fuel in the country. Convenience stores also operate one-third of all ATMs. In areas affected by disasters, convenience stores with generators may serve as the only source of electricity to recharge phones, as well as keep fueling dispensers operational for first responders to access. convenience.org

SensiGuard Issues Hurricane Recommendations as Barry Approaches New Orleans
The SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center (SCIC) recommends shippers continue to monitor developments throughout the weekend and confirm if destination facilities in the area will be impacted and have alternate plans for secure staging locations outside of the storm's path. The SCIC continues to strongly recommend that shippers and manufacturers utilize covert GPS tracking as part of a layered security program to mitigate the risk of theft. In the event cargo is stolen, the ability to provide real-time, accurate location coordinates to law enforcement is an essential component of a successful recovery. sensitech.com
 

Retailers Move Beyond Surveillance to Watch Shoppers
Video Analytics Provides Clues About Customer Behavior, Not Just Shoplifters
Most video footage captured by retailers is never analyzed, Chris Johnson, regional marketing manager for Bosch Security and Safety Systems, tells Security Sales & Integration. "They record it on the off chance that, if something happens, they can go back to the video and find it," he says. "They're spending a lot of money to only use video, say, 10 percent of the time."

Sephora Gains Insight from Video Surveillance
Cosmetics chain Sephora installed a system in its Malaysian stores to link the number of customers to its point-of-sale figures, according to a case study by retail intelligence firm AllGoVision. Using AXIS cameras, the stores were able to count customers and track how they moved within the space.

Video can also help clear up bottlenecks in checkout lines and in popular areas of the store; it can also measure dwell times in those popular areas to make sure they're always well stocked, according to the CDW report.

Respond in Real Time to Keep Customers Happy
Stores can use this data to deploy solutions as simple as sending an employee to help customers steer through a crowded section or give a shopper that last nudge needed to make a purchase decision, she writes: "Planning for predictable busy times and responding in real time keeps customers engaged and moving through their path to purchase." biztechmagazine.com

New Standard For Surveillance Products In The UK
Embraced by Axis, Hanwha & more
The new 'Secure by Default' standard aims to ensure security products are cyber- and network-secure by default and out of the box. The concept is that network video products will ship to installers in the most hardened, cyber-security-optimal form possible, with default settings that provide minimal vulnerabilities on first use.

Axis, Bosch, Hanwha, HikVision and Milestone Systems participated in developing the standard, which was officially unveiled at the IFSEC 2019 show.

Adoption Within The Industry
Hanwha Techwin has embraced Secure by Default as part of its comprehensive approach to cybersecurity. Hanwha Techwin's approach has been to make security a fundamental feature of cameras and recording devices.

Axis is aligned with the Secure by Default principles recommended by the U.K. National Cybersecurity Strategy Code of Practice. Furthermore, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) makes data protection and security by design and default a legal requirement.

Gary Harmer, UK and Ireland Sales Director for Hikvision, said the new Secure by Default scheme is a further positive step forward for the industry, one which Hikvision fully supports. securityinformed.com

Kairos launches biometric facial recognition solution for retail stores
Kairos has launched a plug and play data visualization and analytics solutions with biometric facial recognition for retail stores to gather demographic and tracking information on customers. The company says retailers can use Kairos Camera to examine data at each stage of the customer journey, from browsing through checkout, to help them optimize and plan product offerings. Facial recognition can potentially bridge the gap between the data online and offline stores have about what customers are buying, according to the announcement. biometricupdate.com
 

Walmart Employees Worried That Company Is Spying on Their Social Media
AP Associate Says He Was Fired for Online Postings
Some Walmart employees are fearful that the company is spying on their social-media activity after a worker was fired this week for anonymous Reddit postings.

The fired employee was a regular contributor to a highly active Walmart-focused forum on Reddit with more than 54,000 subscribers.

He was fired on Monday for sharing confidential information, including internal company documents about a new Walmart initiative called "great workplace" that is being tested in some stores.

The terminated employee worked as an asset protection associate (APA), a role which provides security and monitors for shoplifting.

"We support our associates' right to share their opinions and give feedback, but we take the sharing of confidential information in any form very seriously," Walmart said in a statement to Newsweek. "The associate was terminated earlier this week for sharing sensitive business information in violation of company policy."  newsweek.com  businesswire.com

Protesters Disrupt Amazon Event Over Its Ties With ICE
Protesters disrupted an Amazon.com Inc. event Thursday, voicing opposition to the company's ties to entities that enforce the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.

Groups of demonstrators rallied outside the Amazon Web Services Summit. Inside, dozens of protesters in the audience interrupted a keynote speech by Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels five times before they were guided out. Mr. Vogels declined to comment on the protests.

Other companies that have been the target of protests due to their links to immigration enforcement include Microsoft Corp. and Wayfair Inc. Last year, some Amazon employees called on corporate leaders to end partnerships with companies that work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. wsj.com

CBO Lays out the Pros and Cons of $15/Hour Minimum Wage
Boost Pay for 27M Americans - But Could Cost 1.3M Jobs
The Congressional Budget Office, that nonpartisan arbiter of the impacts of federal legislation, reports that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would increase the wages of 27 million Americans and lift 1.3 million out of poverty as of 2025.

The CBO also says that the change might cost jobs for 1.3 million workers, though that's the squishiest part of the agency's analysis. Overall, the CBO says, "For most low-wage workers, earnings and family income would increase, which would lift some families out of poverty." latimes.com

Car2Go theft in Chicago is a lesson
for car-sharing business
75 Cars Stolen After Company Changed Background Check Policy
Management of Daimler North America subsidiary Car2Go decided to stop conducting manual background checks on all of its users in April to attract new users. Instead, it attracted a ring of thieves in Chicago. Dozens of vehicles were stolen from the company's Chicago location on April 15, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, and the thieves claimed the vehicles as their own when workers went to a West Chicago neighborhood to retrieve them. Kelton said about 75 cars in total were compromised and eventually recovered, though some only after being stripped of doors, seats and other parts, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. autonews.com
 

Charming Charlie Bankruptcy Will Close All 261 Stores

Fred's closing 129 more stores

Kroger to build fourth Ocado warehouse near Atlanta

Colorado grows annual cannabis sales to $1 billion as other states struggle to gain a market foothold

Three Trends Transforming Stores Into Smart Shopping Hubs