Theft Arrests Triple in Philly
Retail theft arrests have nearly tripled this year as Philly police, DA Krasner overhaul approach to tackling the crime

District Attorney Larry Krasner quietly shelved a controversial policy in how his office handled some retail theft cases.

Philadelphia law enforcement has overhauled its approach to enforcing retail theft in recent months, shifting prosecutorial policies and eligibility for a diversion program amid a significant uptick in arrests for the crime.

More people have been arrested and charged with retail theft so far this year than at any other point since 2017, data show. Arrests in the first six months of this year are nearly triple the number reported during the same period in 2023 - and exceed the total in 2022 and 2021 combined, data show.

The more stringent enforcement approach comes as Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has tasked Philadelphia police with cracking down on quality-of-life crimes, including theft, the reports of which have risen starkly since 2021.

The shift began earlier this year, when District Attorney Larry Krasner quietly shelved the controversial policy on how his office handles many retail theft cases. The policy, instituted in 2018, mandated that, in cases where the stolen goods were valued at less than $500, the offender be issued a summary offense, akin to a traffic ticket.

On reflection, Krasner said, "I don't think it's the best approach." He added that each case is complex and should be reviewed individually.

Then, last month, the Philadelphia Police Department also quietly changed the policies around its signature diversion initiative, so that people arrested for retail theft are no longer eligible to go through the program.

In a statement, the police department said "there are far too many individuals who believe that they can walk into a store and take whatever they want without consequence," leading to financial losses and concerns over safety for business owners.

"It's time for a reset, and we need to move into an enforcement posture," the department said. inquirer.com

Theft-Prevention Market is Surging Amid Crime Spike
Retail theft prevention is a booming business
Retail theft crimes in Kings County remain well below peak highs recorded a decade ago, but the threat of destruction to property, loss of revenue and increasing insurance rates is leading to a booming business in theft-prevention devices.

According to data compiled by the Public Policy Institute of California, retail theft, which includes shoplifting and smash-and-grab robberies, has declined by an average of 47% since 2014 in California counties with a population between 100,000 and 200,000 residents.

While these types of property crimes have made headlines, the majority of increases in retail theft in the state are in highly-populated areas including the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Sacramento, all three of which rank in the top-10 nationally and have seen rising numbers of crimes reported.

A report by Yahoo Finance shows that the smart personal safety and security market is anticipated to grow by more than 8% over the next four years. The industry currently has a nationwide value of $41 billion. The segment includes everything from wearable technology to security cameras and similar smart technology. The reports states that the western U.S. is the dominant player in sales of smart security technology.

Locally, petty theft is surging according to Hanford Chief of Police Stephanie Huddleston. She said that a recent state law change that increased the dollar amount of stolen goods to warrant felony charges has led to an increase in petty theft.

Heightened attention to theft has led some business owners to invest in better security. This can include things like better cameras, alarm systems, and reinforced glass windows. In some cases it can lead to drastic measures, including products that produce smoke, fog, or even emit tear gas.

Huddleston recommended that businesses installing security cameras should find a high-quality system that produces clear images. Higher-resolution systems make it easier for law enforcement to identify suspects. Inexpensive, low-resolution cameras often result in images that are unusable for identifying suspects because key details such as facial features are unreadable.

Egel said he is seeing businesses layering security to include external cameras, internal cameras, reinforced access points, and also using the fogging system.   hanfordsentinel.com


Security Guards Are Still Key to Fighting Retail Crime
Retailers Implementing New Security Measures Because of Rising Theft

Retailers are implementing new security measures to combat rising theft that including retaining private security guards.

Retailers are implementing new security measures to combat rising theft that include retaining private security guards, says Access Patrol Services (APS), a security guard company serving California and Arizona.

While retailers including Target, Walmart, Burger King, In-N-Out, Nordstrom and Macy's have announced store closures due to increases in crime, others are hiring guards, locking up more of their merchandise and having employees take a more active role in theft prevention.

"Requiring employees to help in the fight against shoplifting is not the answer. Instead, strategically adding security guards deters thieves from stealing and eliminates the need to put store employees in harm's way," says Fahim Abid, security director for APS. "Security guards are specifically trained to address store theft-from individual shoplifters to retail crime rings. Store employees aren't."

Guards patrol store entrances, registers/checkout areas and around merchandise most targeted by thieves (jewelry, cosmetics, electronics and clothing). They monitor merchandise deliveries and storage areas.

According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. retailers are on track to lose $132 billion from theft in 2024. "Security guards should be part of most retailers' budget, especially retailers that have been repeatedly targeted," says Abid. kget.com


Backlash After City Attorney Tries to Punish Target for Reporting Theft
California Capital Targets Target - OpEd
California's 2014 "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act  (Prop 47)," so named by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, transformed a number of felonies into misdemeanors, including thefts of property valued at under $950. Sacramento's city attorney has warned Target that the retail chain could face public nuisance charges due to phone calls to police to report theft from one of its stores in the California capital.

A measure to reform Proposition 47, the Homeless, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, has qualified for the November ballot. Now-Gov. Newsom scrapped plans for a competing ballot measure and instead supports a raft of bills he thinks will do the job. Newsom, who is not a lawyer, has yet to speak out on Sacramento's threat to fine Target for reporting theft.

According to the California Globe, in organized retail theft Los Angeles ranks first, Oakland second and Sacramento seventh. The Sacramento city attorney's effort to criminalize Target for reporting theft could be a first, and for the Globe's Katy Grimes, "We have officially entered George Orwell's 1984."

So-called "property crime" affects the people who own the stolen property, and drives up prices for consumers, so "people crime" might be more accurate. There's no question that it's totally out of control in the Golden State.

California Proposition 36, the measure to fix Prop. 47, will be on the November ballot. eurasiareview.com


Retail & Law Enforcement Partnerships Continue to Bust Thieves
Sacramento: Sheriff's Office and Target Collaborate in Retail Theft Operation
The County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with Target Asset Protection Specialists, recently conducted an operation to enforce laws against theft and other retail crimes at a local Target store.

Plain-clothed Sheriff's Detectives and Target Asset Protection Agents monitored suspects inside and outside the store. The operation resulted in the arrest and citation of 50 individuals, nine of whom were minors.

Four individuals with outstanding warrants were booked into the Sacramento Main Jail. During the operation, Sheriff's Detectives engaged in two foot pursuits while apprehending suspects. This initiative highlights the ongoing efforts to combat retail theft and ensure public safety. crimevoice.com


Deschutes Co., Oregon Asks For State Grant To Combat Organized Retail Theft

CVS shoppers frustrated over policy forcing shoppers to push multiple buttons
 

Safety Culture Starts at the Top
Building a Safety-First Culture

Building a safety-first culture in the workplace is crucial for reducing incidents, improving productivity, and ensuring long-term business success.

In 2022, there were over 5,000 deaths in the workplace, and private industry employers reported 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses. On a financial level, employers in the United States are paying over $1 billion a week in direct worker's compensation.

When a safety incident happens in the workplace, it's almost always due to human behavior, and it's almost always preventable. Safety needs to be culture-driven. Everything that happens or doesn't happen on a job site is driven by culture, whether leaders think they have one or not.

Safety Culture Starts from the Top

Creating a safety-first culture can have massive benefits, including fewer at-risk behaviors, lower incident rates, lower employee turnover, lower absenteeism and higher employee productivity. Managers should understand that implementing, communicating, and understanding a deep safety culture is essential for future success.

The most important building block for a safety-first culture is the understanding that it must start at the top. This requires a mindset shift among leaders. Safety should be thought of as a revenue driver, not a cost-center.

Common Challenges: ohsonline.com


Retail Vacancy 'Crisis' Started Well Before COVID
COVID Isn't to Blame for the Retail Vacancy Crisis

A drop in demand for retail space began well before the seismic shifts of the pandemic.

In an article for Slate, Leah Brooks and Rachel Meltzer describe how the retail vacancy crisis began well before the COVID pandemic that accelerated it.

According to the authors, "Since 2012, almost a decade before we can attribute any decline to COVID, the amount of newly leased retail square feet flatlined and even declined in some cities. Also since 2012, retail rents have flattened or declined, and retail spaces sit empty longer between tenants."

The article asserts that most cities' zoning codes call for too much retail, leading to inevitable vacancies. This is in part "Perhaps because zoning for ground-floor retail is practically an act of faith among urban planners," who operate on the belief that mixed-use zoning with ground-floor retail leads to vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. "However, the benefits from this type of planning are nullified when those storefronts sit vacant. Streetscapes pockmarked with dark windows and sidewalks with less foot traffic and fewer eyes can invite illicit and unsafe activity and may even suppress demand for living near those corridors."

As online shopping and remote work continue to grow, there is no foreseeable resurgence in brick-and-mortar retail, the authors argue. Planners should focus on concentrating retail near transit hubs and mixed-use developments while allowing for residential conversions of spaces where it makes sense. planetizen.com


S&P downgrades Walgreens, citing struggles in both pharmacy and retail
S&P Global Ratings analysts have downgraded Walgreens Boot Alliance by two notches, to 'BB' from 'BBB-', which puts the drugstore company into speculative-grade territory.

The company is struggling in its retail business as well as its pharmacy operations, they said in a Friday client note. In the U.S., margins are taking a hit on the pharmacy side from reimbursement pressure and on the retail side from declining sales volume and higher shrink. They expect Walgreens' S&P Global Ratings-adjusted EBITDA margin to decline more than 100 basis points this fiscal year, dipping below 5%, from 6% last year, though the company's cost cuts will counter that somewhat.  retaildive.com


Ross Stores adds 24 new locations in 2 months

Cooler UK weather chills retail sales in June
 

Impact of Global IT Outage Will Be Felt 'For Years'
The reliance on too few vendors has created "fragile systems," where a "... single glitch results in a system-wide outage."

Fallout From Faulty Friday CrowdStrike Update Persists

Historic IT outage expected to spur regulatory scrutiny, soul-searching over "monoculture" of IT infrastructure - and cyberattack threats.

Echoes of the July 19 CrowdStrike glitch are likely to reverberate across the industry for years to come. For now, IT teams remain focused on slogging through a labor-intensive recovery.

But recovery is just the beginning. What's sure to follow is a barrage of regulatory oversight, hard feelings among the IT community, and a tough reminder that even a small slip-up in a software update can have catastrophic global consequences.

Cyber adversaries have also started to circle, eyeing an opportunity.

The faulty sensory configuration update to the Falcon Platform was released on July 19 at 4:09 UTC, according to CrowdStrike. Once the CrowdStrike update was pushed out, it triggered widespread Microsoft outages across CrowdStrike's 29,000 customers who rely on the company's software for cybersecurity endpoint detection and response (EDR). CrowdStrike's customers include retailers Target and Amazon, tech giants Alphabet and Intel, as well as many other household company names. When they tried to log on Friday morning, employees at some of the world's largest organizations were left staring at the dreaded blue screen of death. Airports, banks, hospitals, governments - there were few sectors spared the fallout - paralyzing the world's economy and causing panic.

As CrowdStrike claws out of this incident, the company is likely to face a whirlwind of scrutiny. The wisdom of rampant consolidation of software vendors is also likely to be examined, Andy Ellis, operating partner at YL Ventures, tells Dark Reading.

By Friday afternoon, Federal Trade Commission chair Linda Khan seemed to make reference to the CrowdStrike outage on social media and noted the reliance on too few vendors has created "fragile systems," where a "... single glitch results in a system-wide outage."

Beyond lost profits and hours of work needed in the aftermath of the CrowdStrike outage, adversaries are already trying to capitalize. Both CrowdStrike's CEO George Kurtz and CISA warned that scammers are looking to take advantage of the chaos. darkreading.com


Scrambling to Recover
Microsoft releases tool to speed up recovery of systems borked by CrowdStrike update
Microsoft is, understandably, doing everything it can to speed up worldwide recovery from the issue, has deployed hundreds of Microsoft engineers and experts to work with customers to restore services, and is collaborating with CrowdStrike.

"CrowdStrike has helped us develop a scalable solution that will help Microsoft's Azure infrastructure accelerate a fix for CrowdStrike's faulty update. We have also worked with both AWS and GCP to collaborate on the most effective approaches," Weston explained.

Microsoft has also released a recovery tool that can be downloaded and used by IT admins to make the repair process less time-consuming.

The tool provides two repair options.

The first one - Recover from WinPE (Preinstallation Environment) - does not require local admin privileges, but requires the person to manually enter the BitLocker recovery key (if BitLocker is used on the device).

The second one - Recover from safe mode - may allow recovery without entering the BitLocker recovery keys. helpnetsecurity.com


Developers Lack 'Essential Knowledge' for Secure Software
One-third of dev professionals unfamiliar with secure coding practices
Attackers consistently discover and exploit software vulnerabilities, highlighting the increasing importance of robust software security, according to OpenSSF and the Linux Foundation. Despite this, many developers lack the essential knowledge and skills to effectively implement secure software development.

Survey findings outlined in the report show nearly one-third of all professionals directly involved in development and deployment - system operations, software developers, committers, and maintainers - self-report feeling unfamiliar with secure software development practices. This is of particular concern as they are the ones at the forefront of creating and maintaining the code that runs a company's applications and systems.

"Time and again we've seen the exploitation of software vulnerabilities lead to catastrophic consequences, highlighting the critical need for developers at all levels to be armed with adequate knowledge and skills to write secure code," said David A. Wheeler, director of open source supply chain security for the Linux Foundation.

"Our research found that a key challenge is the lack of education in secure software development. Practitioners are unsure where to start and instead are learning as they go. It is clear that an industry-wide effort to bring secure development education to the forefront must be a priority," added Wheeler. helpnetsecurity.com


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