Shoplifting Surges 24% in 1st Half of 2024
Shoplifting is on the rise even as reports of other types of crime fall
All but one type of crime decreased in the first six months in 2024, according to a July report from the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ).

Shoplifting rose 24% in the first half of the year, while every other type of crime dropped, according to the study, which analyzed crime statistics in 23 cities. The data shows shoplifting is up across the country, reflecting what retailers have described as a growing problem.

As businesses invest in anti-theft technology to deter criminals, meanwhile, consumers express frustration at the many products, from toiletries to snacks, that they now find locked up on store shelves.

By comparison, reports of residential burglaries were 14% lower in the first half of 2024 compared with the first half of 2023, according to CCJ. Nonresidential burglaries were down 10%. Larcenies and drug offenses also decreased by 6% and 2%, respectively, in the first half of 2024.

Did shoplifting really skyrocket during pandemic?

Although the shoplifting rate across the U.S is up 24% compared with last year, it has risen only 10% compared with 2019. That figure contradicts the narrative, often pushed by retailers, that store thefts skyrocketed during the pandemic. Rather, data shows that rates of theft spiked in some cities, such as New York, while declining in other parts of the country.

The study's authors also note that shoplifting statistics tend to be less accurate than reports of other crimes, like homicides, for example.

According to Adam Gelb, president and CEO of CCJ, retailers sometimes neglect to report shoplifting incidents to the police because they don't think law enforcement will take appropriate action, or for other reasons "that relate to their lack of confidence that the criminal justice system will respond appropriately."

On the flip side, video footage of dramatic shoplifting incidents that goes viral on social media can suggest the issue is more pervasive than it is in reality.  cbsnews.com

   RELATED: Shoplifting is up 24% from 2023: Report


Clear Link Between Crime & CVS Store Closures
CVS finally admits crime sparked store closures across US city after eerie pics of shelves completely cleared by theft

CVS has said publically for the first time that theft has been a major reason it has had to shut down stores in a major US city.

After yet another creepy video of empty aisles and barren shelves went viral recently, CVS admitted the impact theft has had on closures.

The nationwide convenience store and pharmacy has shut down hundreds of locations in recent years, but they have cited other causes for the decisions - such as low profitability and strategic changes. Videos showing basic products locked behind security glass or simply unavailable have added to the rumors.

Now, the arrest of a serial shoplifter in Washington DC has pushed the retailer to reveal the true cause. The US Attorney's Office in DC recently sentenced a repeat offender to 18 months in jail for stealing from a single store, according to local Fox affiliate WTTG.

In a victim statement for the case, CVS cited the crime and similar acts of repeated theft as a direct reason for the closures in the District. It marks the first time that the retailer has publicly and directly drawn a causal link between growing crime and the shutdown of their stores.

CVS first shocked customers in 2021 when it announced that it would gradually close over 1,000 locations in the coming years. About 600 stores shuttered their doors for the last time by the end of 2023, with an additional 300 or so scheduled for closure in 2024. the-sun.com


Avery Dennison 'Theft Crisis' Report Makes More Headlines
Many Retailers in 'Theft Crisis' Mode, Survey Finds

Execs say resources for detecting and reducing shrink are in short supply.

New research has found that almost two-thirds (64%) of large retailers in the U.K. and U.S. believe the impact of theft has reached a crisis point. In addition, over four-in-ten (42%) believe that theft is more of a concern today than it was 12 months ago.

The survey and resulting analysis, commissioned by Avery Dennison, collated the views of 300 senior retail leaders in the two regions representing brands with 200-plus stores. Theft was found to be the leading business concern. When asked to list their top five business challenges, the most cited responses were addressing the impact of theft (36%), optimizing omnichannel (27%), increased operating costs (27%), improving staff efficiencies (26%), and retaining customers (24%).

Retailers have been deploying a myriad of high-tech and low-tech measures to tackle an increase in theft, in addition to security guards. From RFID tags to body-worn cameras to facial recognition technology, retailers are using a combination of solutions for a holistic approach. Respondents listed security guards (27%) as the most effective measure deployed to date followed by facial recognition technology (23%), and RFID tags (21%).

Retailers also shared their future plans, with 76% stating they are using RFID or plan to begin doing so within the next 24 months. Over a third (38%) plan to deploy AI enabled cameras, while 37% will introduce facial recognition technology within the same period. instoremag.com


Retail Crime 'Epidemic' Across the Pond
UK: Shop stops selling luxury items as thefts rise
Tying down products and stopping selling high-end items are among the measures one shop owner has taken amid a rise in shoplifting. Official figures show shoplifting in Wales has increased by 34% over the past year, with one trade union saying Wales faces an "epidemic" of retail crime.

Julie and her colleagues have put measures in place to protect items from being stolen, including tying certain items to the counter and not selling high-end products.

The largest increase in shoplifting was in south Wales, which nearly doubled with a 45% increase in the past year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS added that figures were now at a 20-year high across England and Wales.

Under the law, any goods stolen worth less than £200 is a "summary only offence", meaning these cases are unlikely to be tried in crown court. Ms Keeley said: "We absolutely need tough regulation. People shoplift thinking they can get away with it."

In the King's Speech, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled a new crime bill to target people who steal goods worth less than £200. Paddy Lillis of trade union Usdaw welcomed the bill. ca.news.yahoo.com


Police Departments Still Recovering from 'Defund' Push
Shortage of new officers, wave of retirements leave police departments vulnerable
Law enforcement agencies have struggled in recent years to fill positions that earlier would have seen a flood of candidates.

Nationally there is a shortage of new police officers, a problem that many attribute to fallout from the pandemic and the worsening public perception of law enforcement after the 2020 murder of George Floyd and other widely publicized incidents of police brutality.

"After the summer of 2020, when we had the protests and calls to defund the police, large cities across the country started to see this difficulty in hiring," said Brian Higgins, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan and a former chief of the Bergen County Police Department. "Now we're seeing that same trend in northern New Jersey."

This drop in candidates comes as many departments are also experiencing a wave of retirements of veteran officers. In law enforcement, it directly affects departments' ability to fight crime and results in overworked officers, fatigue and burnout, Guidetti said. northjersey.com


Retail Shrink and ORC: Theft and Fraud Remain Top Challenges for Food Retailers

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16 Companies Sign Onto AI Guidelines
Apple signs on to Biden's responsible AI guidelines

The tech giant joins 15 other companies in agreeing to the nonbinding safety protocols.

Tech giant Apple on Friday signed on to the Biden administration's voluntary artificial intelligence guidelines, which were first outlined in an executive order in October.

Apple now joins 15 other major tech companies, including Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI, in committing to responsible AI development and rollout.

The company's pledge to the nonbinding agreement follows the announcement of its "Apple Intelligence" platform earlier this month. The new tool will make some improvements to the already AI-powered Siri voice assistant and integrate ChatGPT into the next iPhone software update.

In joining the voluntary commitments, the company has now agreed to a wide set of White House provisions that encourage developers to follow safety protocols, test their models for biases and security risks, and let the government view the results of those tests.

The October order also directed federal agencies to deploy AI, guard against possible discrimination through its use and create industry and government standards to better identify AI-generated content. In a press statement today, the Biden administration said that federal agencies have completed all of the 270-day actions laid out in the order. politico.com


Changes in Cyber Risk Disclosure Regulation?
SolarWinds legal ruling expected to narrow, but maintain SEC oversight on cyber transparency

The dismissal of most charges in a closely watched civil fraud case will test the ability of federal authorities to regulate risk disclosure.

The ruling by a federal court judge to dismiss most of the civil fraud charges against SolarWinds could significantly impact how the Securities and Exchange Commission moves forward in regulating cyber risk disclosure.

SolarWinds and its CISO Timothy Brown were charged with misleading investors in the run up to the 2020 Sunburst supply chain attacks, which exposed thousands of companies to malware that had been injected into the company's Orion network monitoring platform.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer dismissed the vast majority of claims against SolarWinds, most importantly claims related to the company's internal accounting practices.

Despite the dismissal of most of the case, the judge upheld a central charge in the case related to the company's pre-IPO security statement. cybersecuritydive.com


Fallout Continues From Global IT Outage
CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors restored in IT outage recovery effort

Coinciding with George Kurtz's update, Microsoft outlined its efforts to enhance resiliency just months after launching a massive security overhaul.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said 97% of the company's Windows sensors on the Falcon security platform were back online as of Thursday, though recovery from the global IT outage remains ongoing.

Kurtz said the progress was enhanced due to the development of automated recovery techniques. CrowdStrike is taking steps to prevent such an incident from happening again, he said, following the release of a preliminary incident report earlier this week.

Kurtz personally apologized to everyone affected by the outage and thanked CrowdStrike customers, partners and team members for their role in helping the recovery. cybersecuritydive.com
 

The gap between business confidence and cyber resiliency

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King County, WA: Lululemon larceny: WA authorities bust major theft ring, 'fence' arrested
The crackdown continues on a theft ring accused of stealing $500,000 worth of clothing and other items from Lululemon and Ulta stores in Snohomish, King and Pierce County. Loss prevention investigators from those two companies partnered with Bellevue police to put a stop to the thieving. After conducting surveillance on the group of suspects, including 24-year-old Janeice Downs, detectives arrested their alleged fence. In court documents, police say they obtained video evidence showing 51-year-old Quoc Nguyen meeting with Downs in a parking lot in Burien, where he paid cash for armloads of stolen clothing from Lululemon.

King County Prosecutors have charged Nguyen with two counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property. He pleaded not guilty in court and was released pending trial. Detectives say he first drew their attention after learning he allegedly purchased thousands of dollars worth of fragrances and high-end sunglasses stolen from Nordstrom in Bellevue. Court documents say he paid $25 cents on the dollar. When questioned by detectives, he claimed he would resell the items to people in downtown Seattle. Investigators believe he was actually shipping it all overseas to be sold.

Downs was back in King County Superior Court this week, asking Judge David Keenan to release her from jail on electronic home monitoring. She was arrested last April and has remained in custody. Her attorney argued that she has a new felony crime to answer to in Pierce County.During arguments on whether to release her from custody, the prosecutor told Judge Keenan that more charges are pending in King County, and she is wanted across state lines. "A 16-count indictment charging her with theft and organized retail theft was filed in Oregon on April 22, 2024," said the prosecutor.  fox13seattle.com


Philadelphia, PA: Police dismantle 'Diaper Crew' accused of over 2 dozen retail thefts in Philadelphia
Authorities in Philadelphia arrested three people who they say were linked to more than two dozen retail thefts around the city. Inspector Ray Evers told reporters Friday that members of the "Diaper Crew" targeted Family Dollar, Dollar General and Rite Aid stores around the city. Investigators say the suspects are accused of sneaking large bags into the stores and using them to take diapers, batteries and coffee. "They were taking shelf-loads of diapers, hundreds at a time," said Evers at a press conference on Friday. Authorities credited an app that connects police with retail store owners around the city for helping authorities hone in on the suspects. Evers said police put information on the app about the pattern of robberies and heard from other stores that had been hit "within hours." fox29.com


Hillsborough County, FL: Pair of career criminals use U-haul truck to steal generator at Home Depot
A criminal duo who stole a generator and drove around in a U-haul were arrested Thursday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced. A Home Depot Loss Prevention Team on Bloomingdale Avenue told deputies that two men stole a generator and took off in a U-haul truck. Two hours later, the suspects- Vashon Lewis, 50, and Elton Gaffney, 51- were taken into custody. HCSO said the men both have violent criminal histories and are required to register as COAST (career offender application for statewide tracking), which is monitored by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE also classifies these criminals as the "worst-of-the-worst." Lewis previously served six stints in state prions, while Gaffney has been in state prison four times, the sheriff's office said. "The rapid apprehension of these career criminals underscores the dedication and efficiency of our team," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "We are committed to protecting our community and ensuring that repeat offenders are brought to justice. The cooperation of local businesses, like Home Depot, is invaluable in our efforts to maintain safety and security in Hillsborough County."  wfla.com


Pamelia, NY: Sheriff's office investigates gun store burglary; 5 suspects/ 12 guns stolen
Five people allegedly entered a gun store in the town of Pamelia early Saturday morning and stole several firearms and ammunition. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says Denver's Firearms had 12 handguns stolen along with miscellaneous ammo.  wwnytv.com


Chicago, IL: 2 smoke shops burglarized in Lincoln Park; Mr. Vape hit 2nd time in a month

Memphis, TN: Alleged shoplifter pepper sprays Target employee; $600 in merchandise stolen

University Heights, OH: Officer stops woman as she wheels $650 worth of stolen merchandise from Target

Ocala, FL: Florida man accused of stealing cheese, bug spray in $400 Walmart heist