Retail Violence & Crisis Response Preparedness
Retailers address employee mental health in response to mass shootings

Mass violence incidents have prompted retailers to reassess not only their crisis response preparedness plans but also take a closer look at how they address their employees' mental health and emotional stress related to these events.

The Tops Friendly Market shooting was one of more than 350 mass shootings thus far this year in the US, according to the Gun Violence Archive, and more than 150 people were killed or injured in workplace shootings from 2015 to 2021, a Statista study found - realities which have prompted retailers to reassess not only their crisis response preparedness plans but also take a closer look at how they address their employees' mental health and emotional stress related to these events.

"The tragedy at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo sparked an almost universal review of crisis management protocols among food retailers," said David Fikes, executive director of FMI - The Food Industry Association Foundation.

Engaging employees, assisting the community

To better address those responses, food industry human resources departments have been actively engaged and making sure that company employees - and in some cases members of community - are aware of professional services available to them to deal with workplace stress, emotional upheaval or even just the higher level of anxiety everyone is experiencing, FMI's Fikes said.

Assisting the community has been paramount for grocery retailers, in particular, Fikes explained, since, oftentimes, the retail locations are seen as community gathering places and an integral part of community life.

Structuring crisis response plans with mental health in mind

In regard to the physical protection of employees and customers, some retail chains have opted to hire off-duty police officers or professional guards, Fikes said, while others requested local police to more frequently patrol the neighborhoods where their stores are and provide a more visible presence in the community. Following the Tops shooting, FMI partnered with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to offer an active assailant briefing for the grocery industry that included motivations, tactics, techniques and procedures that shooters take and helped inform strategies employees could take to reduce casualties in future attacks.

Even those precautions, though, need to take into account the potential impact on mental emotional health.  corp.smartbrief.com

Bail Reform Not Just Fueling City Crime
Upstate NY residents say bail reform fuels crime there, too
It isn't just the Big Apple that's being hammered by violent crime thanks to bail reform - increased gunfire is riddling upstate cities, state figures show, with residents grieving the loss of slain loved ones and fearful to venture out on the streets after dark.

Official statistics show that fatal shootings in Rochester were up 26.1% this year through June 30, compared to the same period in 2021. Shootings were up nearly 23% in Syracuse and smaller cities like Troy and Binghamton saw even greater surges of 100% and 80%, respectively.

Allie Forest, 42, of Rochester recently buried her 16-year-old daughter, Zahira Smith, who was fatally shot while attending a friend's Sweet 16 birthday party. "Bail reform is terrible and it has made the criminals too confident - they are laughing at the police," Forest said.

Troy, located northeast of Albany with a population of 51,401, has seen shootings double from eight to 16 this year, and killings go from one to three.

"Bail reform gives dangerous criminals carte blanche to do whatever they want, knowing that if they get arrested they'll be turned around and released straight away."

Hochul's hometown is among the cities that saw declines in both shootings and homicides, which were down 32% and 22.3%, respectively, as of June 30. But those improvements followed last year's dismal increases of 34.3% and 49% as compared to the average number of shootings and killings between 2016 and 2020, respectively.

Last month, Hochul rejected calls by Mayor Eric Adams and Republican state lawmakers to convene a special session of the Legislature to address rising crime by rolling back bail reform. During a news conference last week, Adams unveiled statistics that show more than 80 percent of people busted for gun possession were released from custody this year. nypost.com

390 Mass Shootings So Far in 2022 - 13 Per Week
Most Days in the US This Year, There Has Been a Mass Shooting. These Graphics Reveal a Lot About Them
Every week, there are more tragedies. Over 200 days into 2022, there has been an average of 13 mass shootings a week, according to an NBC analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive. The GVA defines a mass shooting as an event where a minimum of four victims are shot, either injured or killed, not including the shooter.

There Have Been Over 390 Mass Shootings in the US in 2022 So Far

Mass shootings are defined as events where at least four people are shot, either injured or killed, not including the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The United States is an outlier when it comes to gun violence among high-income countries. No other has nearly as many violent firearm deaths. Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are wounded, averaging over 40,000 deaths per year.

While mass shootings make up a small fraction of gun-related deaths, they are becoming more frequent. In 2017, there were around 350 mass shootings; that number jumped to close to 700 in 2021.

Mass Shootings Are Increasing

Mass shootings may also be more severe than in the past. During the average mass shooting, around 5 people are shot. The deadliest mass shooting to date was in 2017, when a gunman fired over 1,000 rifle rounds into a crowd at music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 and injuring hundreds. Looking at the most violent mass shootings, events with 10 or more victims, this year is already on pace with last year's high. nbcphiladelphia.com

New SF DA Seeking to Reverse Reforms of Chesa Boudin
S.F. D.A. Brooke Jenkins is officially running to keep her job in November
A giddy crowd greeted San Francisco District Attorney Brook Jenkins as she strode into the Department of Elections Monday morning, filing paperwork to seek office in November.

The appointed top prosecutor, who drew attention after she quit working for then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin last year and became a key spokesperson for the campaign to oust him, has signaled she may reverse some of the reforms instituted by the previous administration. Her entrance into the race comes a week after Boudin announced he did not plan to run this year, and two months after his historic recall.

"On June 7 the voters of San Francisco spoke very loudly that they wanted something different - that they wanted to take this city back in the right direction, and that is what I have been doing for the past 30 days," Jenkins told dozens of supporters Monday.

Mayor London Breed named Jenkins to succeed Boudin shortly after the recall results were certified, a decision that delighted many of Boudin's detractors but also stirred controversy in a city deeply polarized over crime and criminal justice. People who favored Boudin's progressive ideology, his promise to reduce mass incarceration and his aggressive prosecutions of police use-of-force, feared those efforts would unravel under the new district attorney.

Jenkins listed her top priorities as cracking down on open air drug markets, particularly in the Tenderloin neighborhood; holding violent offenders accountable; staving off gun violence and preventing attacks against Asian Americans. sfchronicle.com

George Soros Pledges to Keep Funding Pro-Criminal, Anti-Police Prosecutors
"Bond-villain" George Soros is not sorry, or even having second thoughts, about funding ultra-leftist prosecutors like Alvin Bragg (New York City), Kim Foxx (Chicago), Larry Krasner (Philadelphia), and George Gascon (Los Angeles) for all the devastation they've inflicted on American communities. Instead, according to the New York Post, Soros "vows he won't stop backing woke DAs despite urban crime spikes."

The 91-year-old native Hungarian recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. In it he argued the "soft-on-crime district attorneys" he's backed to the tune of millions of dollars are making the criminal justice system "more effective and just...." Soros said he has no intentions of pulling his support from them. nationalpolice.org

Lollapalooza Security Guard Busted After Allegedly Faking A Mass Shooting Threat

For Buffalo lawyer, investigation of one mass shooting leads him back to another

Expanding AI & Facial Recognition Tech to Retail Outlets & More
Rank One Computing aims to expand AI, facial recognition software throughout United States
Hoping to expand the United States' use of domestic artificial intelligence technology, Rank One Computing (ROC) has set up its East Coast headquarters in West Virginia, where officials hope to find more customers for the company's facial recognition software, as well.

Stationed primarily in Colorado, Rank One Computing has its East Coast headquarters at Vantage Ventures in Morgantown. CEO Scott Swann described Rank One Computing as a "computer vision" company, and said the group's facial, object and text recognition software is able to help in a wide array of industries and scenarios.

The government isn't the only sector that can find benefit in what ROC is offering. Swann explained that he and his team have been talking to a number of organizations and groups across the North Central West Virginia region to apply their product to new "verticals."

This same technology could be applied to retail outlets, casinos, government buildings and more, Swann said, adding that a combination of AI and humans may be the best defense against unwanted intruders.

"People are always great to have in the process, but you have to reduce that overall cognitive load," Swann said. "There's no way that (a person) can look at that many cameras or be able to do the type of monitoring that you would want. It's a function of computer resources. They never get tired. They're always going to be consistent. They're always going to look for those kinds of threats. ... This is an easy way to add a new tool that can prevent some of the common things." wvnews.com

Retail's Union Push Slowing?
Apple's fledgling union effort already improved benefits for its retail employees
This June, an Apple retail store in Towson, Maryland, became the tech giant's first US shop to successfully unionize. More stores looked set to follow-but the broader organizing push at Apple has instead slowed in recent months.

Apple's response exemplifies the carrot-and-stick approach that employers often roll out in response to union drives. But it also shows how union efforts among even a relatively small portion of employees can wind up improving standards for everyone.

How Apple responded to retail workers' union push

At the same time, the company unveiled a new suite of benefits that included doubling the number of paid sick days for retail employees from six to 12, and making paid vacation days and paid parental leave available to part-time employees for the first time. In May, Apple also announced that retail employees would earn a minimum of $22 per hour (up from $20 an hour). And in early June, the company said that it would introduce more flexible work schedules for employees, too.

It was, however, noteworthy that the company announced these changes in the context of its retail union drives, during which workers had spoken out about their frustration with wages that lagged behind inflation, inflexible schedules, and desire for better benefits.

Why the Apple union drive isn't dead

"Despite being happy with some of the new perks, employees also believe Apple took too long to add them," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writes. "The improved benefits are a sign that the unionization pressure worked, so it makes sense to keep fighting, they say." qz.com

NOAA says a busy peak is ahead - Next 4 months
First Tropical Storm Threat In Weeks Emerges Amid Predictions Of Hurricane Outbreak
Forecasters are monitoring a tropical wave forming off the coast of Africa as meteorologists predict a hurricane outbreak that will make 2022 one of the most active seasons in history. Chances of a potentially devastating major hurricane hitting the U.S. are pegged at 68%, significantly higher than the 52% annual average over the past century.

Activity typically ramps up in August as hurricane season approaches its historical September 10 peak, with threats often continuing throughout October before tapering off in November ahead of hurricane season's official November 30 end date. forbes.com

How Major Retailers Prepare for Natural Disasters - Part 1: Walmart
Walmart Disaster Preparedness & Response

We aim to effectively prepare for and respond to disasters, with a focus on associate safety and recovery of business operations to serve the needs of our communities.

Walmart's disaster preparedness and management efforts are part of the company's Global Security Program, a risk-based approach to protecting our people, facilities, information, supply chain and inventory. We intend to enable and empower associates with the resources to effectively prepare for and manage disasters and disruptions.

Walmart's Global Emergency Management department - a team of emergency management experts from across our business - oversees disaster preparation and recovery efforts. The department is responsible for identifying, assessing and responding to events such as natural disasters, COVID and other disease outbreaks, and other crises. The department includes:

● Emergency Operation Center (EOC): The EOC serves as the central command center for preparation and response activity. The EOC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

● Enterprise Resilience Planning Team: This team is responsible for the company's business resiliency efforts, working with critical business functions and partnering with IT Disaster Recovery teams to put plans and strategies in place to prepare the company for significant business disruptions and enable it to resume operations quickly.

Senior executives oversee our disaster preparation and response efforts, including through the following groups:

● Executive Council: Senior executives that make up the Council oversee our disaster efforts.

● Corporate Crisis Management Team (CCMT): CCMT was created in FY2021 as an advisory body comprising corporate functional officers for enterprise-wide emergency planning and response policy efforts.

● Emergency Support Functions (ESF): Adapted from FEMA's National Response Framework, Walmart groups decision makers, responders and resources into Emergency Support Functions.

● The Resilience Governance Council: This cross functional team of corporate officers is tasked with providing thought leadership, guidance and support on matters related to the Enterprise Business Continuity and IT Resilience programs. corporate.walmart.com

1,600 Store Openings
Spirit Halloween, Party City To Open 1,600 Halloween Pop-Ups This Year
The two major players in that particular retail space, Spirit Halloween and Party City, are both increasing the number of temporary Halloween stores they are opening this year, despite the ghoulish specter of inflation, for a total of roughly 1,600 stores.  costar.com

US Retail Cargo Seen Cooling in Second Half as Inflation, Rates Bite
US ports will see less retail cargo entering the country in the second half of the year as economic growth slows amid back-to-back interest-rate increases and persistent inflation.

Warby Parker lays off 63 workers, 15% of its corporate workforce

Placer.ai: July was 'far more positive' than expected for malls

Union accuses Verizon of interfering with organizing efforts at 2 Portland stores


Quarterly Results

Natural Grocers Q3 comp's up 2.5%, net sales up 3%

Qurate Retail Q2 eCommerce down 17%, revenue down 16%
   QxH revenue down 12%
   QVC revenue down 19%
   Zully revenue down 45%
   Cornerstone revenue down 4%
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director of Risk Management job posted for Belle Tire in Allen Park, MI
The Director of Risk Management will serve as a strategic business partner to the Belle Tire Stores. The Safety and Risk Manager will be primarily responsible for continuous process improvement in all aspects and programs of Safety and Risk Management of the company. linkedin.com
 

Illegal Websites Cashing in on Roe vs. Wade Decision
More Illegal Sites Running Online Abortion Pill Scams
Many women seeking abortion pills online have unknowingly been ordering the pills from one of many fake clinics making false claims, pharmacy experts report.

While some online sites are licensed and legitimately connect consumers with the pills, the illegal sites may sell either counterfeit or expired pills or deliver no pills and just steal payment information. Al Carter, PharmD, executive director of the nonprofit National Association of Boards of Pharmacy says that since the the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June, there has been an increase in his team's discovery of illegal online sites selling what they claim are abortion medications.

"Ninety-six percent of the online pharmacies out there are illegitimate," he says. "They're violating some type of state or federal law in almost every incidence."

The court ruled that individual states could ban abortion procedures. The resulting patchwork of laws and access barriers have made conditions ripe for a growing black market online for mifepristone and misoprostol, two drugs used in combination to induce abortions.

Interest in the drugs soared after the Supreme Court ruling was leaked in May.

Within 3 days of the leak, online searches for abortion medications jumped 162% compared with the 3 days before the ruling, according to a report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Sites that make false claims about abortion pills are growing just as the illegal sites that popped up in the pandemic peddling COVID-19 "cures" and non-approved vaccines and treatments, Carter says, adding that the same fear-based tactics are being used. webmd.com

Maine Newspaper Blasts Plans for Amazon Warehouse
Op-Ed: Amazon warehouse would be no boon to Maine
Amazon is quick to hire warehousing staff and quick to dispose of them - at breathtaking scale. The company added hundreds of thousands of workers in the past two years and, now that pandemic-driven sales have slowed, is in the process of undoing that recruitment. The caprice is driving Amazon workers to unionize, starting at a facility in Staten Island, New York, earlier this year.

Challenging working conditions drive an extremely high rate of worker turnover: 150 percent annually, almost double the industry standard. This means that more people quit Amazon warehouse jobs in a year than the total number of people employed at those warehouses.

According to an investigation by The New York Times last year, this trend is by design. An internal memo leaked in June acknowledged a weakness in the strategy: that Amazon could run out of people to hire at its warehouses as soon as 2024.

A Scarborough foothold would allow Amazon access to a hard-to-access group of customers, helping the company with "last-mile" ambitions in northern New England. If you can't find any enthusiasm for this specific development, you're not anti-business. Amazon can be excited. We don't have to be. pressherald.com

Good inflation news: Online shopping prices are suddenly falling fast

Amazon's Roomba Deal Is Really About Mapping Your Home

Tallahassee, FL: Attorney General Moody and Melbourne Police Department Dismantle Organized Retail Theft Ring Committing Crimes in 14 Florida Counties
Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Melbourne Police Department are announcing the dismantling of an organized retail theft ring that targeted stores in 14 counties. According to the investigation, Marshawn Gordon and John McClure, III wore masks and raided stores, stealing nearly $30,000 worth of merchandise. Stores targeted include: Academy Sports, Bass Pro Shops, BJ's Wholesale, Dick's Sporting Goods, Target and Walmart. A third conspirator, Vishram Baijnauth, knowingly purchased the stolen items from Gordon and McClure at unreasonably low prices to resell online. Law enforcement arrested the criminal trio and Attorney General Moody's Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the cases.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, "This trio targeted stores in 14 counties across our state-stealing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise while trying to evade capture. Their shoplifting has ended, and my Statewide Prosecutors will make sure they pay for their crime spree." The investigation revealed that Gordon and McClure committed 28 separate thefts targeting specific merchandise in stores-mostly Yeti products, tech devices and golf balls. The duo then sold the stolen goods, most notably through McClure's online Facebook marketplace postings under the alias 'China Sam.'

McClure set the listings at heavily discounted prices. McClure either kept the items at a storage facility or transported the items to Baijnauth's residence. Through a search warrant, police found hordes of products in Baijnauth's home, along with computers, postage mailers and scales for product shipment. Baijnauth paid McClure for the items, then proceeded to sell the stock for profit on eBay. The theft spanned the following counties: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Osceola, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk and Seminole. myfloridalegal.com

Grand Rapids, MI: Three Defendants Sentenced In Fraud And Identity Theft Scam Targeting Customers Of Banks And Credit Unions
Three Miami Residents Stole $1,400,000 From Hundreds of Depositors by Posing as Security Officials to Obtain Access to Online Accounts. The fraudulent scheme exploited the online system used by customers of banks and credit unions everywhere. The defendants identified a targeted customer's online account using compromised personal information they purchased from computer hackers on the internet. To obtain a customer's confidential password and access to the money in the customer's account, the defendants called the customer, posing as bank security personnel, and induced the victim to share the onetime code a bank sends its customers when they need to reset their password. Then defendants drained the victim's account and moved the money to where they could use it for their own purposes. The defendants, operating out of Miami, Florida, targeted victims around the U.S. in this fashion, including customers of United Federal Credit Union in St. Joseph, Michigan. Total losses are estimated at $1,400,000.  justice.gov

Update: Marshall County, AL: Sheriff's Office gives update on pawn shop raid
On August 4, executed a search warrant at Joe's Pawn Shop on a 4-month joint investigation involving the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Secret Service, ATF and the Marshall County District Attorney's Officer. According to MCSO, the Loss Prevention units of Walmart, Target, Lowes and Home Depot assisted in the investigation. The investigation revolved around the buying and selling of stolen property. During the search of the shop, multiple items that were believed to be stolen were recovered. Some items that were still in original packaging were determined to be stolen from Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot and Target stores with an estimated total of $42,000. According to MCSO, 263 guns were recovered, a variety of gun accessories and $88,000 in cash were received. waff.com

Pelham, AL: $10,000 Interstate theft ring busted; diesel fuel
Five people from out of state were arrested and charged in Pelham early Friday, Aug. 5 in connection with recent diesel fuel thefts from a local gas station. Over the course of four days, from Aug. 2-5, 2,100 gallons were stolen. The monetary loss to the business is approximately $10,000. "These individuals were able to bypass the pumps' security and reporting mechanisms, ensuring the owners would have no record of the fuel being pumped," said Detective Sgt. Brad Jordan. "Once the owner determined there was no leak in his tanks, he reviewed surveillance video and found a man filling up a large storage container in the back of a moving truck." The Patrol Division and the Criminal Investigations Division worked together to share intelligence and increase patrols at all local gas stations. That teamwork paid off when these people showed up again to steal even more fuel. "We want to make sure criminals hear this message loud and clear," said Chief Pat Cheatwood. "It does not pay to come to Pelham to commit crimes." "I am so proud of the great communication and diligent police work our officers put into this case. The initial theft report was made at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. These suspects were taken into custody around 1:15 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5," Cheatwood added. The suspects listed below are charged with Theft of Property 3rd Degree. Additional charges are pending. pelhampd.com

Roseville, CA: 2 stores Roseville stores hit by organized retail thefts; 4 suspects arrested
Four young men were arrested after a pair of large retail thefts in Roseville last week. Roseville police say, back on Aug. 5, a store along the 1100 block of Galleria Boulevard was hit by four suspects who stole more than $950 of merchandise. Just 20 minutes later, police say those same four suspects were then seen at a sporting goods store on Stanford Ranch Road. They also allegedly stole more than $950 worth of merchandise from that store as well. Despite getting only a partial plate number, an officer managed to spot the suspects heading westbound on Interstate 80. Officers quickly pulled the suspects over, but they told police they weren't involved in any thefts. However, police say the stolen merchandise officers soon found in their trunk said otherwise. All four were arrested: Ly Duong, Cho Duong, Khailijah Saelee, and James Salvatierra. All the suspects are 18 years old and are facing charges ranging from organized retail theft to grand theft, burglary and conspiracy.  cbsnews.com

Warrington Township, PA: Shoplifters Swipe Vacuums From Target
The Warrington Township Police Department is hoping to make a clean sweep of this case with the capture of a pair of suspected shoplifters. But they'll need the public's help to identify the man and woman who made off with several Dyson vacuums without paying for them. The incidents took place on August 1 and 5 at the Target store, said police. The suspects left the area in a U-Haul van. patch.com