The Tide is Turning on Facial Recognition
As Cities Face Violent Crime Surge, Tide Is Changing on Use of Facial Recognition

New Orleans Reverses Decision to Ban Facial Recognition as Law Enforcement Faces High Murder Rate

On Thursday, July 21, the city council of New Orleans, Louisiana, approved an ordinance that restores use of facial recognition technology tools to aid criminal investigations by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), though under new "guardrails" and subject to a comprehensive use policy approved by the state and federal government. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell expressed support for the measure, which reverses a ban in effect since 2020, and signed the ordinance on July 28.

New Orleans, which led the nation in murders halfway through the year, is only the latest jurisdiction where lawmakers are rethinking blanket bans and seeking to establish rules instead. Earlier this year, Virginia lawmakers replaced the state's ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology with comprehensive rules, key protections were added in Alabama and Kentucky moved to establish statewide standards. Additionally, city council members in West Lafayette, Indiana, rejected a proposed ban for city agencies.

Against a backdrop of rising crime, the real-world impact of sweeping bans on facial recognition technology was highlighted in the debates and testimony in New Orleans. At Thursday's hearing, NOPD's Sgt. David Barnes provided an example of a case he worked on during the ban, in which use of the technology could have led to faster identification and apprehension of a suspected serial rapist whose image had been obtained. Instead, the suspect was identified much later using DNA evidence - after another abduction and rape had occurred.

It's clear there is growing interest in policy approaches that address concerns about facial recognition technology while ensuring it is used in a bounded, accurate and nondiscriminatory way that benefits communities. The Security Industry Association (SIA) supports such policies around the country establishing guardrails consistent with our Principles for the Responsible and Effective Use of Facial Recognition Technology, published as a resource to assist stakeholders in these efforts. securityindustry.org

Crime Capitals of America
These cities have the highest murders per capita

Cities with the highest murders per capita so far in 2022 include New Orleans, Baltimore, Birmingham, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cleveland and others

There are certain U.S. cities that have consistently battled violent crime - particularly homicide - throughout the past three decades: Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, even New York City. Violent crime stories out of these beloved American cities frequently make news headlines due to local and national concern for their residents and the tourists who frequent these historic areas.

Perhaps more light needs to be shed on other cities in the South and Midwest that make national headlines less frequently than the aforementioned cities but have higher or comparable murder numbers per capita (or 100,000 residents), including New Orleans and Birmingham, Alabama; as well as Milwaukee; St. Louis; Cleveland; Rochester, New York; and Atlanta.

A compilation of June police data from cities with populations greater than 200,000 by AH Analytics co-founder Jeff Asher lists the top 31 U.S. cities with the highest murder rates, in order, so far in 2022.

On Asher's list, New Orleans has a murder rate of 36.8 per capita so far this year, followed by Baltimore at a rate of 29.1; Birmingham at a rate of 29.1, St. Louis at a rate of 27.8, Milwaukee at a rate of 19, Cleveland at a rate of 16.9, Rochester at a rate of 16.6, Philadelphia at a rate of 15.1, Atlanta at a rate of 14.9, and Kansas City, Missouri at a rate of 14.6.

"I think ... you can see a trend in increased violence across our country as a whole," Alabama Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Everett Johnson told Fox News Digital. "...Birmingham, just based off the per capita [murders], I think that falls in line with what's going on with the rest of our country ... for the past two or three years."

In 2021, more than a dozen cities reported record homicide numbers, following a trend of violence that began in 2020. Nearly all the top 10 cities on Asher's list suffer from some of the highest poverty and/or inequality rates in the country, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, led by Cleveland, Detroit, Rochester and other major U.S. cities with high crime rates. foxnews.com

'Hundreds & Thousands' of Disrupted Mass Shootings
Retiring Chicago FBI boss says people doing 'right thing' disrupts mass shootings

Emmerson Buie Jr. is set to retire this month as the leader of the FBI in Chicago after three years of COVID-19, social unrest and waves of public corruption prosecutions.

Emmerson Buie Jr. led the FBI in Chicago through the COVID-19 pandemic, when riots broke out in the heart of the city, as grand juries handed down some of the most significant public corruption indictments in years and when a mass shooter opened fire in Highland Park.

During a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with the Chicago Sun-Times, Buie discussed the unrest the city has seen since he took the helm in October 2019, corruption in Chicago and elsewhere, and the challenge of disrupting mass shooters' plans before they happen.

He said "there are hundreds and thousands" of similar disrupted events that people never hear about.

In 1992, Buie joined the FBI. He started in Colorado and moved up the ranks, through the Springfield division, and in 2017, he became special-agent-in-charge of the field office in El Paso, Texas. That's where he led the agency's investigation into another deadly mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart.

When Robert E. Crimo III allegedly opened fire on the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, killing seven and injuring several others, the FBI and other federal agencies played a supportive role in the investigation. Officially, Buie said his role as the local FBI leader gave him a "piece of the puzzle" in the effort to stop such events and bring the shooter to justice. But he said he also has another piece "as a human being" and member of a community.

That's "the core of everything we're talking about," Buie told the Sun-Times. "Being an active participant in your community to make your community safe." chicago.suntimes.com

Prosecuting Mass Shootings as Acts of Terrorism
New proposal would allow mass shootings to be prosecuted as acts of terrorism
A new measure is taking a different approach to tackling the problem, as it is aimed at giving prosecutors and law enforcement more tools to hold the shooters and their support systems accountable. The Mass Shooter Prosecution Act would allow mass shootings to be prosecuted as acts of terrorism.

"They are terrorists and they should be prosecuted as terrorists," said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), the bill's co-sponsor. "It also allows prosecutors to go after the material support networks. Networks that provide aid, perhaps its guidance, instructions maps. Whatever helps these attackers carry out these vicious assaults."

The language of the bill defines a mass shooting as involving a machine gun or certain semiautomatic weapon in a massacre in which three or more people were killed. This proposal comes as Congress has held several hearings and votes on gun laws and the role of gun manufacturers because of the recent mass shootings.

Republicans have argued that more gun control laws won't effectively stop mass shootings but instead punish law-abiding gun owners. "Years of gun control laws in cities like New York and Chicago have failed," said Rep. James Comer (R-KY), during a House committee hearing last week.

Last week, the House passed a bill banning assault weapons - a measure that is not expected to pass in the Senate. Moulton, meantime, is hoping to get bipartisan support for the Mass Shooter Prosecution Act.

"This really should be something that's bipartisan because everyone in America wants to prosecute these mass shooters," said Moulton. "Everyone wants to prevent these attacks from happening." news.yahoo.com

Bolstering Police Presence in Crime-Ridden LA
LAPD Sending 200 More Cops to Hollywood as Violent Crimes Surge

L.A. has tried to be on the most progressive cutting edge of crime deterrence, but crime is rampant and people are sick of it

If you've read one too many stories during the post-pandemic demanding your gratitude that crime in Los Angeles isn't quite so bad as it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, you are in the majority of concerned Angelenos who are pretty sick and tired of hearing it. And the Los Angeles Police Department agrees, announcing Wednesday that it is attempting to mitigate the soaring crime rate by adding 200 cops to the Hollywood area in coming weeks.

On Wednesday, KTLA reports, L.A. City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell and the LAPD revealed the plan to increase law enforcement's presence in the neighborhood, which has recently seen horrific violence such as the brutal beating of a woman in a parking garage and a man shot in the chest during an iPhone robbery.

O'Farrell sought to set the record straight on L.A.'s reputation for letting violent criminals walk-which some would argue has been the signature feature of possibly-outgoing crusader District Attorney George Gascon.

"If you come here to commit crime, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, you will be jailed or imprisoned," O'Farrell said. "There is no permissiveness in Hollywood. We're not going to permit or tolerate that." lamag.com

There's a New Sheriff in Tenderloin Town - Let's Hope ORC is Handled the Same
New San Fran. DA Revokes Over 30 Drug Related Plea Deals Deemed too Lenient in her 1st Month
Marking the most concrete rebuke to date of her office's previous administration under Chesa Boudin. sfchronicle.com

Downtown Seattle Amazon Go store temporarily closes over safety concerns
The move comes less than five months after Amazon said it would temporarily pull workers out of its nearby offices at the former Macy's building.

Democrats vying for Manhattan congressional seat agree on one thing: fix NY's bail laws

New Yorkers want more cops, not less on city streets, Mayor Eric Adams says

Rogues' gallery: The Post recaps some of NYC's worst repeat offenders

Uber X-Chief Info Security Officer Still Faces Federal Charges in Breach Cover-Up & Secret Payment
1st CISO Charged With Federal Crime

Fraud charges in hacking case against Uber ex-security chief are dismissed
A U.S. judge on Tuesday granted a request by prosecutors to dismiss fraud counts against a former Uber Technologies security chief also charged with covering up a 2016 data hack affecting 57 million passengers and drivers.

U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco dismissed the three wire fraud charges against Joseph Sullivan.

Prosecutors had requested the dismissal in a court filing last Wednesday, without explaining why, after a different judge ruled on June 28 they could pursue the charges.

Sullivan still faces two charges: obstructing a U.S. Federal Trade Commission proceeding, and failing to report a felony.

Sullivan is believed to be the first corporate information security officer criminally charged with concealing a hacking.

Prosecutors said he tried to conceal the hacking from passengers, drivers and the FTC by arranging to pay the hackers $100,000 in bitcoin, and having them sign nondisclosure agreements that falsely stated they had not stolen data.

Sullivan was also accused of withholding information from Uber officials who could have disclosed the breach to the FTC, which had been evaluating the San Francisco-based company's data security following a 2014 breach.

While letting the fraud charges proceed, U.S. District Judge William Orrick nevertheless said prosecutors could not contend that Sullivan owed a duty to Uber drivers to reveal the hacking.

Uber fired Sullivan after learning the extent of the breach. In September 2018, the company paid $148 million to settle claims by the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. that it was too slow to reveal the hacking.  reuters.com

Here's the Daily's previous coverage on the Uber case:

July 26, 2022: Uber admits massive 2016 data breach coverup, cooperates with feds

April 28, 2022: Former Uber Chief Security Officer To Face Wire Fraud Charges

August 24, 2020: Watch: Former Uber CSO Charged With Covering Up 2016 Data Breach

August 21, 2020: Former Chief Security Officer For Uber Charged With Obstruction Of Justice

September 27, 2018: Uber Fined $148 Million for Breach Cover-Up

February 7, 2018: Uber Paid Hackers $100K to Destroy Stolen Data on 57M people, Keep Quiet

December 1, 2017: Three Uber security managers resign after CEO criticizes practices


Security Guard Companies Under Fire for Firearm Violations
Some Denver security guard company licenses examined after employees fired guns on job, records show

Allied Universal, one of the largest security guard companies in Denver, could lose its license because, police say, an unlicensed guard shot at a moving car.

There's been a lot of attention lately on shootings involving police officers in the metro area, but Denver records show a few security guard companies also got in trouble with the city this year after employees fired guns on the job.

Allied Universal could lose its license because, police say, an unlicensed guard shot a bullet at a moving car.

According to Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses, an armed security guard was working at a Bellco Credit Union when a woman entered and showed a stolen ID. Records say the security guard chased the woman off the property, and then saw her get into a car. When the driver tried to hit the guard, he fired his gun.

The city says the security guard didn't have a license to be an armed security guard. Now the company has to appear at a hearing on Aug. 31 to explain to the city why its security guard employer license in Denver shouldn't be suspended or revoked.

In July, the city signed a settlement agreement with Advanced Professional Security which required the company to provide a list of all the businesses they offer security for. It was one of the terms the security guard company agreed to after a shooting involving one of their employees in April. According to city records, two security guards chased a wanted fugitive near a Walgreens east of Glendale. One guard fired her weapon while chasing the man because he grabbed his waistband.

The city did take away the license of a company called CFW Enterprises in June after they hired security guards with active criminal warrants. So far this year, the city has accused these three companies, along with three other individuals, of violating security guard licensing rules. 9news.com

$13M Fine for 'Knowingly Selling Dangerous Products'
TJX fined $13 million for selling recalled, potentially dangerous products
TJX Companies Inc., the Massachusetts-based parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, has agreed to pay a $13 million fine to settle allegations that it knowingly sold recalled products, including some that were recalled because they posed danger to infants.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, TJX stores and websites sold or offered for sale approximately 1,200 items involved in recalls between March 2014 and October 2019. Products involved in a total of 21 recalls were sold or offered for sale by TJX brands, including three that were discovered after a statement originally issued in 2019.

In addition to the infant sleeper products, other recalled items included swivel barstools with joints that could break, bistro chairs with seats that could break, drawer knobs that could shatter when pulled, coffee presses that could shatter during use and hoverboards with battery packs that could overheat and catch fire.

In addition to paying the $13 million penalty, TJX will also be required to create an internal compliance system to ensure future compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act and must file annual reports regarding that system over the next five years.

"We will be watching and will act again if TJX fails to comply with its commitments or engages in unlawful activities," CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said in a statement about the settlement. cvb.com

Walmart Lays Off Around 200 Corporate Workers

Retailer is restructuring headquarters operations

The retailer began notifying employees in its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters and other corporate offices of the restructuring, which affects various departments including merchandising, global technology and real-estate teams, the people said. Around 200 jobs in total are being cut, said one of these people.

A Walmart spokeswoman confirmed that there were roles being eliminated as the company updated its structure, but said that the company was also investing in other areas and creating some new roles.

Walmart is the largest private employer in the U.S. and while much of its workers are hourly staff, it has thousands of people in corporate roles. Walmart employed 2.3 million worldwide, including 1.7 million in the U.S., as of Jan. 31. wsj.com

What Position Does Your Retailer Take?
75%+ Of Employees Want To Work For Companies That Support Abortion Access
Upward of 75% of workers under 40, regardless of gender or political affiliation, want to work for a company that supports access to abortion, a new survey found. One-third of 3,000 surveyed employees are considering switching jobs to a company that publicly supports access to abortion or one that offers more reproductive healthcare benefits.. forbes.com

Dollar-Store Dinners and Vats of Shampoo Help Families Cope With Inflation

After prompt action on inventory, Target is poised for a comeback, analysts say


Quarterly Results

Hugo Boss Q2 Europe sales up 41%, Americas sales up 45%, digital sales up 128%, Stores up 38%, group sales up 34%

EZCorp Q3 PLO (Pawn Loans Outstanding) increased 30%, pawn service charge (PSC) up 33%, total revenues up 24%
   U.S. PLO up 36%, PSC up 35%, total revenue up 22%
   Latin America PLO up 11%, PSC up 28%, total revenue up 31%

Weis Markets Q2 comp's up 8.4%, net sales up 8.4%

The Container Store Q1 comp's up 5.1%, online sales down 0.9%, consolidated sales up 7.1%

Camping World Q2 comp's up 0.1%, same unit sales down 8.5%, unit sales down 3.8%, sales up 5.2%

ODP (Office Depot) Q2 Business Solutions Division (BSD) sales up 6%, Retail Division sales down 11% (closed 71 stores), sales down 2%

Under Armour Wholesale sales up 3%, eCommerce down 7%, store revenue down 8%, North America sales flat, Intern. down 3%, total sales flat

Rent-A-Center Q2 Acima down 16.5%, Rent-A-Center Business down 3.1%, Franchising down 9.1%, Mexico up 9.4%, consolidated sales down 10.3%

Adidas Q2 online sales up 93%, sales down 35% (as around 70% of its stores remain closed)

More Amazon Warehouses Investigated for Safety Hazards
Amazon warehouses face expanded probes into safety hazards as investigators visit three more sites

OSHA inspectors on Monday visited Amazon sites in New York, Colorado and Idaho with the widening of a probe into potential workplace hazards

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is part of the Labor Department, visited Amazon sites near Albany, New York, Denver and Boise, Idaho, on Monday, according to a document viewed by CNBC.

The inspections are part of an ongoing probe launched last month by OSHA and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. OSHA officials in mid-July visited three other Amazon warehouses in New York, Chicago and Orlando in response to referrals from SDNY prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said last month that the civil division is investigating potential workplace safety hazards at Amazon warehouses nationwide, as well as possible fraudulent conduct designed to hide injuries from OSHA and other regulators.

OSHA inspectors have so far zeroed in on Amazon's injury and illness recordkeeping, ergonomics program and Power Industrial Truck (known as PIT) operations, according to the latest document. PIT roles require employees to drive forklifts or other machinery to reach products on high shelves or move heavy items around the warehouse.

Federal prosecutors asked current and former Amazon employees to report information about working conditions via an online form. One question on the survey reads: "Have you seen workers working in unsafe ways to try to meet their productivity/rate requirements?" Another says: "Do you believe that Amazon discourages workers from reporting injuries?"

A Department of Labor spokesperson confirmed OSHA has opened investigations at Amazon warehouses in Colorado, Idaho and New York. The spokesperson said the probes are based on allegations of safety and health violations at "several Amazon facilities," but declined to comment further, as they are "active investigations."

SDNY chief spokesperson Nicholas Biase confirmed OSHA inspected the three facilities Monday morning in response to referrals from the SDNY concerning possible workplace hazards related to "Amazon's required pace of work for its warehouse employees," among other things. cnbc.com

2022 Ecommerce Platforms Report
41% of Retailers Plan to Make Ecommerce Top Budget Priority

Analyzing the top ecommerce platforms and the retailers that use them

41% of retailers plan to make their ecommerce platform a top technology budget priority in the next year.

Platform providers are expanding to social commerce, moving global to find growth in overseas markets and expanding into all-new industry segments too. B2B providers specializing in business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce are looking for business in the business-to-consumer (B2C) arena, while B2C platforms are adding features that appeal to B2B merchants.

The result is a mix of confusion and opportunity.

Our 2022 Ecommerce Platforms Report looks at what's new in this fast-changing industry, examines the leading players and discusses the difficulties in switching platform providers. You'll be able to review profiles of the leading platform providers and which platforms are used by the Top 500 Retailers.

View the table of contents for full details on what's included in the report.

Amazon pauses 18 warehouses in 12 states, bringing total site changes to over 40

10 Year Scheme Sold Over $41M of Chinese Fakes Over Amazon and eBay
Five from Idaho convicted in $41M international counterfeit cell phone scheme
BOISE - Five people, including four members of the Babichenko family, have been convicted by a federal jury for their role in a multimillion-dollar international cell phone counterfeiting scheme.

After a multi-year investigation involving the FBI, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Postal Inspection Service and local law enforcement agencies, authorities outlined a scheme involving importing counterfeit cell phones, chargers and accessories from China, repackaging them at warehouses in the Treasure Valley, and then reselling them as genuine iPhones or Samsung products via Amazon and eBay.

"This scheme went on for more than a decade, and the convicted defendants sold more than $41 million in counterfeit products during that time," Hurwit said. "The evidence showed that some of the products the convicted defendants sold were not just counterfeit, they were actually dangerous and capable of causing burns, fires or electrocution."

"Each of these defendants faces up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine," Hurwit said. idahopress.com

Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's & Kohl's Targeted in ORC Spree
New Mexico AG Balderas Secures Conviction In Multi-Jurisdictional ORC Spree
ALBUQUERQUE - Today, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the conviction of Davina Quintana on eleven different counts of shoplifting, crimes Quintana committed in both Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.

As a result of yesterday's guilty pleas, Quintana faces up to 12 years in prison. Sentencing will be set after Quintana completes a sentencing evaluation.

"Organized retail criminals endanger innocent lives and increase costs to consumers, and we must put a stop to these repeat offenders that have been swept under the rug for years," Attorney General Balderas said.

In a spree of crimes from 2020 to 2022, in both Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties, Quintana stole thousands of dollars of merchandise from stores including Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kohl's. In one incident in Albuquerque, Quintana threatened a store employee with scissors when they attempted to stop Quintana.

These cases were investigated in a collaborative operation by the Rio Rancho Police Department, the Albuquerque Police Department, and the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. These cases were specifically investigated by Agent Christopher Kohler and prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Jesse Pecoraro and Zach Jones. This case is part of an initiative to prosecute high-level property and organized retail theft crimes in New Mexico. ladailypost.com

Newport, VT: Police Say $4,000 Store Robbery Was An Inside Job

Employee Angela Birk Charged With $4,000 Theft From The Jimmy Kwik Store

Newport Police say the robbery of a Newport convenience store last year was an inside job. Angela Birk, 40, of Newport, who was an employee of the Jimmy Kwik store on Coventry Street, pleaded not guilty in Orleans Superior Court on Monday to felony charges of embezzlement, aiding in the commission of grand larceny and a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to a police officer. caledonianrecord.com

Carson City, NV: Deputies makes arrest after alleged theft of $2,600 in Walmart merchandise