Prosecutors and Retailers Announce Partnership to Combat Retail Crime

Today, the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced a first-of-its-kind national partnership to combat retail crime. The launch of the national partnership follows a successful summit held on June 30, 2022 bringing together leading retailers and prosecutors' offices from around the country to establish open lines of communication between prosecutors and retailers, identify common challenges, share information on repeat offenders, and work together to identify criminal networks targeting local retailers.

"Retail theft is not a victimless crime. As prosecutors, we must protect the safety of retail employees and customers by holding the individuals who commit thefts, violence and other retail-related offenses accountable for their crimes. I look forward to continued discussions with the Retail Industry Leaders Association on how to uncover the criminals who profit from stolen merchandise, prevent thefts and enhance public safety for all who shop and work at our nation's retailers," said Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, President of the National District Attorneys Association.

Bringing together prosecutors and retailers is essential to combatting organized retail crime and keeping our communities safe. Law enforcement agencies at multiple levels, including the federal government, have established the nexus between organized retail crime and violence, as well as broader criminal activity that includes human trafficking, cybercrimes, drug trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault. By sharing information and working together to identify the organized criminal networks operating in our communities, we can focus our resources on cases that are vital to public safety.

   Read more in the D&D Daily's Special Report here

CVS Continues to Fight Organized Retail Crime
CVS Health completes rollout of time delay safes in five western states

New safes for controlled substances anticipated to help reduce organized retail crime

As part of an ongoing commitment to support law enforcement and help build safer communities, CVS Health today announced the installation of time delay safe technology in all 106 CVS Pharmacy locations, including those in Target stores, across five states in the western U.S. The states and corresponding number of pharmacy locations include Colorado (54), Utah (30), Montana (15), Idaho (4) and Wyoming (3).

The safes are anticipated to help prevent pharmacy robberies and the potential for associated diversion of controlled substance medications including opioid medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone by electronically delaying the time it takes for pharmacy employees to open the safe. In addition, the safes are anticipated to benefit the safety and well-being of CVS Pharmacy customers and employees.

The company's rollout of time delay safe technology is in support of each of these state's partnership with local and state law enforcement, and the retail community to fight back against escalating organized retail crime.

CVS Health first implemented time delay safe technology in 2015 in CVS Pharmacy locations across Indianapolis, a city experiencing a high volume of pharmacy robberies at the time. The company saw a 70 percent decline in pharmacy robberies among the Indianapolis stores where time delay safes had been installed. Since then, the company has introduced time delay safes across 29 states nationwide, and the District of Columbia, resulting in a 50 percent decline in robberies at CVS pharmacies in those local communities.

Other states where our CVS Pharmacy locations are equipped with time delay safe technology include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. cvshealth.com

UK Retailers Demand Action to Protect Store Associates
Primark, Boots & Asda among big name retailers urging officials to tackle crimes against shop staff

Police recorded crime statistics show that in the 12 months to March 2022 there was a 21% spike in shoplifting over the previous year

Big name high street retailers including Tesco, Aldi, Ikea and Primark have signed an open letter urging police commissioners to prioritise greater legal protection for retail workers. Approximately 105 retailers have written to police and crime commissioners in England and Wales, calling for more help with increasing violence and anti-social behaviour towards employees.

Reports of abuse towards shop staff have sky-rocketed since the onset of the Covid pandemic, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) claiming there were 1,300 incidents every single day for the period April 2020 to March 2021.

In the letter, organised by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which represents big chains, the leaders said the situation "cannot be allowed to get any worse". "We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising levels of violence, abuse, and anti-social behaviour which is partly linked to tackling shoplifting," the letter states.

Earlier this year, an amendment to a new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced tougher sentences for those convicted of violence and abuse against retail workers. However signatories are now urging officials to commit to making retail crime a priority in their local policing plan and to monitor how new sentencing guidelines are used.

The letter also called on PCCs to work with businesses to look at how to make reporting simpler and to push local officers to investigate all reports of such incidents.

"Retailers are going above and beyond to keep their colleagues and customers safe, hiring in-store security teams, training staff on de-escalation, and investing in CCTV and body worn cameras," Helen Dickinson OBE, BRC chief executive, said. retailgazette.co.uk

Is U.S. Violence Finally Leveling Off?
Murders, Gun Violence Down Slightly in 2022
With new mass shootings every week and plenty of other violent crime stories in the news cycle, you would be forgiven if this fact catches you off guard: so far in in 2022, the number of murders in the United States has decreased slightly compared to the year prior, as has the number of overall deaths resulting from gun violence.

Data analytics company Datalytics has a real-time dashboard of murders. As of the morning of 9 August, it was reporting 4,850 murders this year, which is a 3.2 percent decline compared to the 5,011 reported up to this point in 2021. Of the five most populous U.S. cities, murders have decreased in four of them, with Chicago's 16 percent decline leading the way.

However, the gains may be tenuous. Looking at the top 20 most populous cities, the number of murders has decreased in 11 of them and increased in nine of them. Also, Chicago alone accounts for 45 percent of the nationwide decline.

Data from the Gun Violence Archive reinforces the Datalytics slight downward trend thus far this year. In nearly every category that the Gun Violence Archive reports out weekly, there is a small decrease when comparing totals in 2022 through 8 August and totals in 2021 through 9 August.

There may be several reasons the positive trend has escaped notice. For one, the decrease is small and could easily reverse itself in the last five months of the year. The Times article postulated that negative media bias-the "if it bleeds, it leads" theory-could be another reason. In addition, police departments across the country are under severe strain caused by shortages of police officers.

The Associated Press reported that Los Angeles is down 650 officers compared to prepandemic staffing levels. Portland, Oregon has lost 237 officers through retirement and resignation. Chicago has 1,300 fewer officers than they budgeted to have.

"We're getting more calls for service and there are fewer people to answer them," Philadelphia Police spokesperson Eric Gripp told the AP. "This isn't just an issue in Philadelphia. Departments all over are down and recruitment has been difficult." asisonline.org

U.S. Crime Wave Overblown by Media & Politicians?
Op-Ed: Move over, San Francisco: NYC is the new capital of crime wave hysteria
This is what's happening in New York City, according to a recent Bloomberg story detailing how the Big Apple finds itself gripped by crime fears. The anxiety is rising even though the new mayor, Eric Adams, is a former police officer who campaigned as a tough crime fighter.

I beg to differ. Nowhere has the politically motivated hysteria over crime had more impact than in San Francisco, which recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin due to an unprecedented crime wave that, according to the data, never really occurred.

A similar mass delusion is manifesting in NYC. If some politicians get their way, it will soon sweep the nation as part of a strategy to wield crime as a political weapon against Democrats, much as Richard Nixon and other GOP politicians did in previous eras.

Statistically speaking, however, today's crime rates are far lower than in previous decades. In fact, NYC is a lot safer than some smaller cities in Republican states. Yet a national spike in murders that started in 2020, coupled with constant media coverage of rare but heinous crimes, has created a feeling that NYC is totally unsafe.

All crime is bad. Every murder is an inconsolable tragedy. It's important, however, to be aware that no modern society has eradicated crime - and that we are much safer now than in past decades.

As in California, some political actors in the Empire State are blaming increased crime on progressive reforms. Mayor Adams and police unions point the finger at bail reform laws in an effort to pass the buck to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. Her Republican opponent, Lee Zeldin, blames Alvin Bragg, Manhattan's progressive district attorney. If elected, Zeldin promises to fire Bragg on his first day.

As the Boudin recall proved, however, the facts don't always matter. If you can make the blame narrative stick, you win. sfexaminer.com

More Crime & Safety Closures
Security issues prompt abrupt closure of Jantzen Beach Cracker Barrel

Employees told KGW the decision to shutter the restaurant was announced to staff Monday, and security issues are to blame.

A man and woman looking for a bite to eat Tuesday morning were shocked to find the Jantzen Beach Cracker Barrel closed and boarded up. Others who live and work in the area were just as surprised. KGW reached out to Cracker Barrel to find out, and the company confirmed that the Jantzen Beach restaurant had been shut down.

The statement didn't mention any specific evaluation criteria, but employees who spoke to KGW said the restaurant's management called an emergency meeting Monday to announce the closure, and they told staff that it was due to security issues.

"There's a lot of theft," Goodwin said. "People on drugs." A quick look around the area Tuesday turned up drug paraphernalia, discarded clothes tags and abandoned shopping carts. "I would think a retail restaurant wouldn't be impacted that much by the crime and drug problems and that sort of thing," neighbor Ron Schmidt said.

Coffee giant Starbucks announced last month that it would close two Portland locations - one downtown and one at Gateway - along with more than a dozen other stores across the country, due to safety concerns for staff and customers. A third Portland location in Hollywood has also been shuttered. kgw.com

RELATED: Portland Cracker Barrel latest casualty of crime wave

Democratic infighting - and crime surge - threatens policing package

FTC Establishing Rules - Advance Notice For Public Comment
FTC Explores Rules Cracking Down on Commercial Surveillance and Lax Data Security Practices

Agency Seeks Public Comment on Harms from Business of Collecting, Analyzing, and Monetizing Information About People

The Federal Trade Commission today announced it is exploring rules to crack down on harmful commercial surveillance and lax data security. Commercial surveillance is the business of collecting, analyzing, and profiting from information about people. Mass surveillance has heightened the risks and stakes of data breaches, deception, manipulation, and other abuses. The FTC's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks public comment on the harms stemming from commercial surveillance and whether new rules are needed to protect people's privacy and information.

"Firms now collect personal data on individuals at a massive scale and in a stunning array of contexts," said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. "The growing digitization of our economy-coupled with business models that can incentivize endless hoovering up of sensitive user data and a vast expansion of how this data is used-means that potentially unlawful practices may be prevalent. Our goal today is to begin building a robust public record to inform whether the FTC should issue rules to address commercial surveillance and data security practices and what those rules should potentially look like."

The business of commercial surveillance can incentivize companies to collect vast troves of consumer information, only a small fraction of which consumers proactively share. Companies reportedly surveil consumers while they are connected to the internet - every aspect of their online activity, their family and friend networks, browsing and purchase histories, location and physical movements, and a wide range of other personal details.

Companies use algorithms and automated systems to analyze the information they collect. And they make money by selling information through the massive, opaque market for consumer data, using it to place behavioral ads, or leveraging it to sell more products.

The FTC is seeking comment on a wide range of concerns about commercial surveillance practices. For example, some companies fail to adequately secure the vast troves of consumer data they collect, putting that information at risk to hackers and data thieves. There is a growing body of evidence that some surveillance-based services may be addictive to children and lead to a wide variety of mental health and social harms.

The public will also have an opportunity to share their input on these topics during a virtual public forum on September 8, 2022. ftc.gov

Pallone on FTC's Advanced Proposed Rulemaking on Privacy

Energy and Commerce Chairman Committed to Passing Comprehensive Privacy Legislation

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today on the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on online consumer privacy:

"The lack of online privacy rights in the United States is completely unacceptable. I strongly believe the federal government should be taking every step it can to protect consumers. I appreciate the FTC's effort to use the tools it has to protect consumers, but Congress has a responsibility to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation to better equip the agency, and others, to protect consumers to the greatest extent. Ultimately, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act is necessary to establish comprehensive national statutory privacy protections for all Americans and I'm committed to getting it passed and signed into law." energycommerce.house.gov

Mexican Cartels Target Two Dozen C-Stores in Mexico
Arrests in western Mexico set off destruction in 2 states
Drug cartel gunmen burned over two dozen stores and blocked streets with blazing vehicles in western Mexico in a response to a series of arrests of drug cartel figures, authorities said Wednesday.

Images circulated on social media showed men commandeering cars and buses and setting them on fire late Tuesday in the middle of roadways. Others showed burned out convenience stores. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday that soldiers had confronted criminals, including "bosses," at a "meeting of two gangs" Tuesday in Jalisco state.

"Local authorities and media are reporting multiple road blockades, burning vehicles, and shootouts between Mexican security forces and unspecified criminal elements in various parts of the Guadalajara metropolitan area," according to consulate.

Oxxo, a national chain of convenience stores owned by Femsa, the country's largest bottling company, said in a statement that 25 of its stores in Guanajuato - which borders Jalisco, home to the cartel of the same name - were either totally or partially burned.

"Fortunately, all of our employees and customers are all right," the company said.

Videos showed armed men, some shouting slogans in support of the Jalisco cartel, bursting into convenience stores before setting fires, as occupants of the stores fled. Guanajuato-based security analyst David Saucedo said the Oxxo stores were apparently chosen because of their ubiquity and light security, rather than because of any dispute with the company.

"They are small stores, there are many throughout the state, they don't have security like a Walmart or Liverpool (department store) have," Saucedo said, adding "they are open at night, and everyone recognizes them."

Cartels often create such chaos in an effort to keep authorities from transporting captured cartel bosses or to protest arrests. yahoo.com

Walgreens Under More Fire for 'Fueling Opioid Crisis'
Judge: Walgreens contributed to San Francisco opioid crisis
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Walgreens can be held responsible for contributing to San Francisco's opioid crisis for over-dispensing highly addictive drugs for years without proper oversight and failing to identify and report suspicious orders as required by law.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the pharmacy chain "continually violated what they were required to do under the federal Controlled Substances Act," failing to track opioid prescriptions, preventing pharmacists from vetting prescriptions and "nor did they see the many red flags of physicians and others who were dramatically over-prescribing."

"Pharmacists were pressured to fill, fill, fill," he said, "and as a result, Walgreens filled our streets with opioids."

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote in his decision that from 2006 to 2020, "Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco dispensed hundreds of thousands of red flag opioid prescriptions without performing adequate due diligence. Tens of thousands of these prescriptions were written by doctors with suspect prescribing patterns. The evidence showed that Walgreens did not provide its pharmacists with sufficient time, staffing, or resources to perform due diligence on these prescriptions."

He said the large volume of illegitimate opioid prescriptions contributed to the city's hospitals being overwhelmed with opioid patients, libraries being forced to close because of syringe-clogged toilets, and syringes littering children's playgrounds in San Francisco.

A Walgreens spokesman said the chain is disappointed in the outcome, which he said is not supported by the facts and the law. abcnews.go.com

Walmart Sued Over Deadly Parking Lot Fire
Mom sues Walmart after daughter died in fire at Fridley store's lot

Essie McKenzie says Walmart failed to properly manage RV campers who stay overnight.

Essie McKenzie walked out of a Fridley Walmart one morning three years ago to find her car ablaze with her two young daughters still inside. McKenzie is now suing Walmart related to its policy that welcomes RV campers to stay overnight in the mega retail chain's store parking lots, alleging negligence and wrongful death as a result of a lack of proper oversight.

The five-count complaint, seeking more than $75,000 in damages, outlines allegations including negligence, nuisance and wrongful death. At the heart of the suit is Walmart's invitation for campers to stay overnight in its parking lots. McKenzie alleges that Walmart endangers shoppers and nearby residents by not actively monitoring its overnight guests, saying it created an "unregulated campground."

Essie McKenzie with her children Ty'Rah, Taraji and Terrell White. The girls were severely burned when the van they were in caught fire in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Ty'Rah died from her injuries. Walmart has a well-established policy of inviting campers to stay onsite, and several websites point travelers to stores where overnight camping is permitted.

Her lawsuit points out that Walmart had surveillance cameras that could observe the activities of those staying in its lot and should have done more. startribune.com

Big Mac is coming back: McDonald's to reopen in Ukraine

Kohl's rolls out self-service in-store pickup option ahead of the holiday season

Ace Hardware continues expansion - 60 New Stores By End of Year

Gas Prices in the U.S. Fall Below $4 a Gallon

Selling Fake Reviews to Retailers
Scoop: Amazon lawsuit accuses company of selling fake seller feedback
In what Amazon calls a first, the e-retailer on Tuesday sued a Rhode Island man and his company for allegedly selling fake, 5-star reviews to bolster seller feedback of third-party retailers who peddle products on Amazon.com.

Driving the news: The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges that Trey King and his online business, AuctionSentinel.com, has been selling fake "verified feedback" to retailers, and posting reviews to "artificially inflate sellers' feedback ratings in the Amazon.com store."

"Defendants are actively deceiving Amazon's customers and tarnishing Amazon's brand for their own profit, as well as for the profit of dishonest sellers," the lawsuit alleges.

Why it matters: The suit is Amazon's first aimed at stopping "fake review brokers" who attempt to manipulate product reviews by the posting of fake seller feedback as part of a broader effort to crack down on deceitful practices across its retail site, per the company.

Between the lines: As of early Tuesday, King described himself on his company's website as an eCommerce business expert with 21 years of experience, including running his own stores on eBay and Amazon.

State of play: Among the services marketed on Auction Sentinel as of early Tuesday were "Amazon feedback" packages offering to "make real purchases on your Amazon account and turn them into 5-Star Positive Feedback."

The options ranged in price from a $300 "basic" package offering 10 reviews for a single store, to an $800 "enterprise" package for 100 reviews for six online stores. Later Tuesday, King's website added a disclaimer in red lettering, saying it "does not sell product revieves (sic)."

Details: The 19-page suit alleges violations by King and his company of the Washington Consumer Protection Act and breaches of Amazon.com's contract provisions. axios.com

Making Porch Piracy a Felony
Porch piracy now a felony in Kentucky under new law
Kentucky is cracking down on porch pirates with the passing of Senate Bill 23. Starting Thursday any type of package theft will be a felony. Multiple residents in Ashland, Kentucky say they've gotten packages stolen and they've always been wary of having anything delivered when they aren't home.

"It's about time somebody did something about these people that go around stealing people's stuff. That should be the same thing as bank robbery. It should be a felony," said Ashland resident, Keith Taylor.

The Kentucky State Police in Ashland say they also hope this change makes things easier on their team.

"I really hope this will make the number of calls go down. Once the perpetrator sees the amount of time they could serve in prison," said Trooper Shane Goodall, the Public Affairs Officer with the Kentucky State Police Ashland Post 14.

The lowest level charge for a felony is a Class D and can result in 1-5 years in prison.

Goodall says people in the area will appreciate this change as "before it seemed like residents were getting their packages stolen and there were no repercussions to the people that were stealing them." privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Amazon warehouse staff plan more strikes over pay
Amazon warehouse workers are set to continue striking at multiple sites over their salaries. Union GMB said Amazon advised their staff that they "will not increase pay at any site in the UK". Last week, more than 700 workers at a warehouse walked out over a 35p pay rise announcement.

Amazon emissions increased 18% last year as Covid drove online shopping surge