C-Store Assaults Up 75% - Grocery Store Assaults Up 63%
Violence Against Retail Workers Is on the Rise. How to Keep Your Team Safe

Fostering a safe workplace starts with strong internal policies and good communication--a framework employees need to stay alert and decisive in the face of potential violence.

Here's yet another reason why you may be having a hard time filling your retail positions: Grocery and retail businesses are seeing an uptick in violence.

Between 2018 to 2020, assaults in grocery stores rose by 63 percent and those in convenience stores by 75 percent--that's compared with an overall 42 percent rise in assaults over that same period, according to FBI data reported by the New York Times. Although workplace violence dipped in 2020--the result of Covid workplace closures--it has steadily risen since, with a particular increase in the retail space, says Kenna Carlsen, a research associate at the National Safety Council, an Itasca, Illinois-headquartered nonprofit that advocates for public safety.

The reasons for the increase in violence are manifold. Mask enforcement, for one, has resulted in customer disagreements that can turn violent, Carlsen says. In a recent roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also noted an uptick in organized retail crime, which impacts both online and physical retail businesses.

Businesses may not have the power to totally prevent violence, but there are actionable ways they can better prepare their employees to recognize, deescalate, and manage potentially violent interactions on the job. Here's how.

Formalize a plan and response

"The most essential step you can take to protect your employees is having a really strong workplace violence policy in place," Carlsen says. Carlsen recommends that leaders refer to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's workplace violence resources--like its Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments guide--to create an effective and thorough workplace safety handbook.

Improve employee communication and training

"Employees are the eyes and ears of your organization," Carlsen says. That's why it's important for leaders to involve them in the development of your workplace violence prevention program. Speak with your employees about potential risks they've noticed on the job, regular customers who might be a threat, and any measures they would find helpful with regards to maintaining a safe workplace.

Invest in new tech - Create an environment of awareness: inc.com

Stopping Retail Shootings Before They Happen
Securing Retail Stores with AI-Powered Visual Gun Detection

Technology can help stores rapidly recognize firearms, preconfigure actions, issue active shooter notifications and provide instructions on how to respond.

Retail fatalities are on the rise, leaving store owners and patrons more vulnerable than ever before. In fact, according to the D&D Daily's 2020 Retail Violent Fatalities Report, retail fatalities were up 40% between 2015 and 2020, with 2020 racking up the most fatalities and incidents ever reported in a single year. And as we near the half-mark of 2022, that trend is only continuing as evidenced by recent events such as the Buffalo supermarket shooting. Clearly the retail industry needs more preventative strategies to curb this alarming trend, and one of the most promising solutions is visual gun detection with artificial intelligence (AI).

An AI-equipped visual system leverages multiple cameras in a store (and oftentimes outside the store) and can detect the presence of a gun threat and raise an alarm independently of where store personnel are located. The system can also automatically send out alerts to onsite or offsite security and/or first responders.

How AI Visual Gun Detection Works

In under one second, an AI-powered visual gun detection system can identify a visible gun, and when it does, it sends an alert to a designated person that the store decided on earlier. This could be a security officer at the store, the owner, an employee or a third-party service on hand to monitor alerts 24/7. Once the designated person confirms the active shooter, they can then initiate a series of actions depending on a previously agreed upon plan and the capabilities the store has built into its security system.

Leveraging Existing Investment in Video Surveillance

One of the advantages of technologies such as visual gun detection is that they can be integrated seamlessly with most existing IP-based security cameras and video management systems. This is an important point because many retail stores have already invested heavily in their security system, and they want to leverage that, not replace it. Their cameras don't change, but they are harnessed with AI-powered software that can proactively spot and potentially prevent harm if acted upon. rfidjournal.com

NYC Fatal Stabbings Surge 43% Amid Crime Spike
Stabbings on rise in NYC during surge in major crime
Stabbings are on a rise in the Big Apple amid a citywide surge in major crime, according to the latest figures obtained by The Post. The statistics, which cover the period through Aug. 7, show that stabbings have risen by 11% compared to the same span last year - from 2,465 to 2,756.

Fatal stabbings have jumped a whopping 43% - from 48 to 69 - during the same period, the data shows.

"People aren't afraid to carry guns, so obviously they are not worried [about carrying] knives," a Manhattan cop told The Post. "Plus it is a lot easier to get a hold of a knife." A Staten Island cop blamed the lack of serious consequences for offenders.

The rise in stabbings comes amid a 36% spike in major crime citywide as of Sunday.

Grand larceny was up a whopping 48.3%, from 20,374 to 30,205 incidents, auto theft rose 42%, from 5,589 to 7,939, and robbery jumped 39.8%, from 7,366 to 10,294, over the same period in 2021, the data show.

Meanwhile, murders were down 8.1%, from 284 to 261, the number of people shot dropped 7.4%, from 1,101 to 1,020, and the number of shooting incidents fell 10.1%, from 938 to 843, according to the NYPD data.

"The politicians will say 'Murder is down!' and ignore everything else," Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan told The Post earlier this week. "Meanwhile, everything else is God awful."  nypost.com

Crime & Violence Not Keeping Shoppers Away
Is retail crime another reason to shop online?

Post-COVID, both empty storefronts and retail crime can be seen as deterrents to shopping brick-and-mortar stores.

It's hard to escape the violence permeating our cities and this country - particularly the associated gun violence. We should consider selling and shopping, not survival and retail crime.

Retail crime does not appear to be a shopping deterrent, but some of its byproducts may be formidable. Those are the sentiments of shoppers I reached out to who live and shop everywhere from urban to suburban stores. Rather than identifying individuals, the thoughts expressed seemed to be consistent among those who shared their opinions.

"I don't think higher store robbery rates would cause me to shop less in stores, even if I did know about them happening in the suburbs. Maybe I'm more rational than others, but there's more of a chance of me getting hurt just walking/driving around than getting hurt or even involved in a robbery. Statistically, it doesn't seem to be an issue that would cause me to slow shopping even if I were to be in an area with the higher retail crime rates."

A resident of Chicago's Gold Coast reflected, "The only crime-related reason that I am doing less in-store shopping is that there are fewer brick-and-mortar stores to shop. Between the pandemic and crime, many merchants in my 'hood, the Gold Coast and what was once the Miracle Mile (Chicago), have closed their doors. That said, aside from apparel, I have always been an online shopper and, more than crime, supply chain issues have increased my spending via the internet. In an effort to support local merchants, I will typically try to find something in two or three locations. Then, I'll buy online when not able to locate whatever I am seeking in-store." digitalcommerce360.com

Progressive Manhattan DA Defends Crime Policies
Op-Ed: To reduce NYC crime, invest in prevention
Last week, the Manhattan DA's office - along with its partners in the NYPD and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District - announced sweeping indictments against 24 alleged members of a violent criminal organization, charging them with numerous shootings, murders, drug trafficking and gunpoint robberies across Manhattan and the Bronx.

This week, the Manhattan DA's office is partnering with CUNY's Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG) to award 10 community-based organizations with $20,000 each. These investments will engage young New Yorkers with supportive services and work in the community - methods proven to keep young people, and their neighbors, safe from gun violence.

While these two approaches are fundamentally different - the former a strong enforcement action and the latter a critical prevention strategy - both are essential to stop the swell of crime and gun violence that has plagued New York City, and the nation, since the pandemic began.

Enforcement is a blunt tool to stop known drivers of violence from continuing to harm the community. Last week's gang takedown was just the latest enforcement action by DA Bragg. Our office has increased gun prosecutions by 26% this year compared to last - in many cases seizing guns from alleged domestic abusers.

While we have more work to do, as of early August, homicides in Manhattan are down 12.5% this year compared to last, and shootings are down almost 20% - outpacing declines citywide in both categories.

But enforcement alone won't deliver the enduring safety we need. It must be paired with community partnerships to prevent violence upstream, provide support for victims of crime, and help those leaving incarceration thrive and avoid returning to jail.

Drivers of violence must and will be held accountable today. But preventing other young people from taking their place tomorrow on the path to violence and prison is the only sustainable way to deliver both safety and justice to our communities. We will continue to bring to justice those who commit violent crimes, but we all agree that a crime prevented is always better than a crime prosecuted. nydailynews.com

41% Decrease in Law Enforcement Deaths - 152 Year-to-Date
17 Deaths in July: 6 Gunfire - 4 Auto-Related - 3 Aircraft Accident - 2 Illness - 1 Heatstroke - 1 Animal-Related
In July, 17 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. The cause breakdown (July 2022 only) is: 3 aircraft accident, 1 animal related, 3 automobile crash, 2 duty related illness, 6 gunfire, 1 heatstroke, and 1 vehicular assault. This means that the year-to-date total for line of duty deaths is at 152, a 41% decrease from the same time last year.

The Officer Down Memorial Page extends our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death this past month. We encourage our supporters to read the memorials of each of the officers who died in the line of duty.  odmp.org

Crime Surges as Cities Grapple with Police Shortage
'Overwhelmed': Cops combat violent crime as ranks dwindle

Portland, Oregon, police confront a spike in killings and more than 100 officer vacancies.

From Philadelphia to Portland to Los Angeles, killings and gun violence are rising at the same time officers worn out by the pandemic and disillusioned over the calls to divest from policing that followed George Floyd's murder are quitting or retiring faster than they can be replaced.

Departments are scrambling to recruit in a tight labor market and also rethinking what services they can provide and what role police should play in their communities. Many have shifted veteran officers to patrol, breaking up specialized teams built over decades in order to keep up with 911 calls.

Portland logged a record 89 homicides last year - roughly three times its historical average - and is on pace to top that this year after already tallying more than 50. A report completed for the city last month by the California Partnership for Safe Communities found it had the largest homicide rate increase among similarly sized cities and 75% of homicides in 2020 were by gun. The city has seen nearly 800 shootings this year.

That follows a national trend. While non-violent crime decreased during the pandemic, the murder rate increased nearly 30% in 2020 and the rate of assaults went up 10%, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

What law enforcement says is a staffing crisis could actually be a case of misdirected resources, said Christy Lopez, co-director of Georgetown Law School's Center for Innovations in Community Safety. Understaffed departments sometimes shift detectives to patrol because of political pressure, but research shows solving violent crime depresses crime rates more effectively than putting rank-and-file officers on the street, Lopez said.

In Philadelphia, the department is down 550 officers from pre-pandemic staffing and another 860 are on medical leave or restricted duty. apnews.com

As Shootings Soar, Philadelphia Is Awash in Guns
More than 1,400 people have been shot this year in Philadelphia, hundreds of them fatally - a higher toll than in much larger New York or Los Angeles.

Los Angeles City Council approves more funding for police in Hollywood

How Major Retailers Prepare for Natural Disasters - Part 3: The Home Depot
How The Home Depot Responds to Natural Disasters
On August 24, 1992, The Home Depot had an awakening. It was the day Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida and when we learned that we were not only a retail store, but also a part of the infrastructure of communities to assist citizens, first responders and relief organizations when disasters strike.

During big storms, our merchandising, supply chain and operations teams work around the clock in a complex effort to move necessary product and equipment to stores caught in the path of hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, wildfires and other crippling events. Meanwhile, our human resources team, alongside The Homer Fund, activates to support associates in dangers way while our operations teams work to be the last stores to close and the first to reopen to help communities recover.

Our stores often become command centers for first responders and relief agencies. The Home Depot Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations like Team Rubicon, an organization that rallies military veterans to help and empower communities in the wake of a disaster, to help deliver the right aid to the right people - right when they need it. The Foundation also contributes to the American Red Cross' Annual Disaster Giving Program to ensure it's prepared to respond immediately after a disaster strikes.

Rebuilding after a natural disaster takes time, money and energy that many victims simply don't have to spare. That's where we come in. From making sure emergency supplies are on hand to helping repair and rebuild, Team Depot, our associate-led volunteer force, instinctively goes into action to make sure our communities have the support they need to recover. corporate.homedepot.com

   Read Part 2 about Target's Disaster Preparedness & Response here

Retailers: Time to Review Your Disaster Plans
Strategies for Retailers to Weather the Storm this Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season 2022 is underway, and with it comes the looming threat of outages and downtime for retailers. Forecasters are projecting an above-average storm season for the sixth consecutive year, with the first tropical storms forming and Hurricane Agatha already making landfall in May. As we head into the peak of the season, retailers should review their disaster avoidance strategies as they seek to protect critical equipment and prevent downtime.

The Impact of Downtime

Natural disasters are a threat to any retailer's bottom line as downtime can severely hinder a store's ability to drive revenue. According to the Uptime Institute's 2022 Outage Analysis, more than 60% of outages reported in the time covered resulted in at least $100,000 in total losses, up from 39% in 2019. This will likely come as no surprise to many, as the COVID-19 pandemic led many retailers to adopt new digital strategies that made them heavily reliant on digital infrastructure and ecommerce.

Address the Threat

Prevention and visibility are essential factors in achieving the always-on power retailers demand, especially with many retailers pushing data to distributed infrastructure at multiple locations. While both big box chains and small businesses face the same size and scope of natural disasters, each retailer should take a unique approach that fits their individual needs.

A disaster avoidance strategy that incorporates integrated power management technology should serve as retailers' first line of defense against outages stemming from hurricanes and other disasters. Depending on the size of the retailer and number of stores it operates, such a system should include the following:

● Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)
● Disaster avoidance software
● Remote monitoring and predictive analytics

To avoid compromising customer data and privacy, retailers should make sure to incorporate cybersecurity safeguards as part of any decisions around procuring power management equipment, especially as ransomware has grown in prominence and impact. retailtouchpoints.com

The Growing Physical Security Market
Report Predicts $62.75 Billion Growth for Physical Security Over Next Four Years

Global concerns about crime and terrorism cited as reasons for market growth

The growth of the physical security market is picking up speed thanks to global concerns about crime and terrorism. Global market research firm Technavio has released its 2022-2026 forecast and analysis for the physical security market, with a forecast estimating an increase of $62.75 billion over the next four years.

Driving factors in this market growth are driven by global concerns about crime and terrorism, Technavio said. The report cites major contributing factors such as growing populations in modern cities and unemployment among youth.

The firm also said that the incidents of crime and terrorism are not only a concern for developing nations.

"Terrorism and crime incidents are not limited to developing economies; the number of such incidents is also rising in developed economies," Technavio noted. "Hence, businesses, as well as commercial and residential complexes, are employing physical security solutions, which involve video surveillance, access control, and others." securitysystemsnews.com

Nationwide Starbucks Union Strikes
Starbucks workers hold strikes in at least 17 states amid union drive

Workers allege over 75 people have been fired in retaliation for organizing this year

Workers at Starbucks have held over 55 different strikes in at least 17 states in the US in recent months over the company's aggressive opposition to a wave of unionization.

According to an estimate by Starbucks Workers United, the strikes have cost Starbucks over $375,000 in lost revenue. The union created a $1m strike fund in June 2022 to support Starbucks workers through their strikes and several relief funds have been established for strikes and to support workers who have lost their jobs.

Starbucks employees have alleged over 75 workers have been fired in retaliation for union organizing this year, and hundreds of allegations of misconduct by Starbucks related to the union campaign are currently under review at the National Labor Relations Board, including claims of shutting down stores to bust unions, firing workers and intimidating and threatening workers from unionizing. Starbucks has denied all allegations.

More than 200 Starbucks stores around the US have won their union votes, with dozens of stores currently waiting for their election votes. theguardian.com

The End of the Great Resignation - At Least in One Sector
Restaurant mogul Danny Meyer says inflation is ending the Great Resignation in the hospitality industry
As everything from food to energy gets more expensive, restaurant goers are also tipping their waiters more-making the historically high turnover sector a bit more attractive for employees.

Inflation-inspired higher tips are driving workers back into the restaurant industry, Danny Meyer, the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group, which owns of Shake Shack and a number of other NYC-based restaurants, told CNBC on Tuesday.

"Inflation has cut both ways in our industry... There's no question that menu prices are higher than they've ever been," Meyer said in an interview with Jim Cramer on "Mad Money." For hospitality workers, this means "if you do have a tipping model in your restaurants, servers are making more money than they've ever made before."

The opportunity to make more money in tips now-compared to low-inflation times-may slow down the Great Resignation in the sector, in which quitting has reached epidemic levels. fortune.com

Another Pharmacy Chain Under Fire for Opioid Crisis
WVa AG reaches settlement with Rite Aid over opioid supply
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's office has reached a settlement with Rite Aid that may total up to $30 million in a lawsuit alleging oversupply of opioids at pharmacies in the state, he said Thursday.

"Money will not bring back the lives lost from this epidemic, but we are looking for accountability," Morrisey said in a statement. The lawsuit alleged the pharmacy chain failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers.

The lawsuit against the remaining pharmacy defendants continues, with a trial date in September, the statement said.

Funds from all opioid settlements will be distributed under an agreement with cities and counties on the use of future settlement proceeds to address the opioid crisis in the state, the statement said. myjournalcourier.com

Albertsons operates self-checkout-only trial store

Sears Holdings reaches $175M settlement with Lampert and company

Gen Z workers demand flexibility, don't want to be stuffed in a cubicle
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director, Asset Protection - Operations job posted for Gap Inc. in San Francisco, CA
In this role, you will embody Do The Right Thing by protecting People, Assets, and Brands. You will work in an energized, fast paced environment focused on creating a safe environment for our employees, teams, and customers; this is critical to driving our Brand Power, Enduring Customer Relationships, and exuding our commitment to Team and Values. You'll need to understand the big picture strategy and work with cross-functional teams and external partners. gapinc.com

Director, Loss Prevention - Commerce and Operations job posted for David Yurman in New York, NY
This position is responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating the protection, safeguarding, and security of company assets and employees with a focus on all channels of commerce and LP operations. In addition, this role will design, implement, and monitor security policies, procedures, and programs and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local legal regulations. linkedin.com
 

Amazon 'Spying on the Layout' of Homes?
Antitrust researchers and data-privacy experts say Amazon's Roomba purchase is 'most dangerous, threatening acquisition in the company's history'

People don't buy a Roomba to have it "spying on the layout of your home," a researcher said.

After Amazon on Friday said it acquired iRobot, the company behind Roomba vacuums, data-privacy experts and antitrust researchers quickly raised alarm, saying the tech giant could use the purchase to vacuum up personal information from inside users' homes.

Advanced Roomba vacuums have internal mapping technology that learns the floor plan of a user's home. The devices can also "adapt to and remember" up to 10 floor plans "so users can carry their robot to another floor or a separate home, where the robot will recognize its location and clean as instructed," press releases by iRobot say. Some models have low-resolution cameras to avoid obstacles and aid in mapping.

"People tend to think of Amazon as an online-seller company, but, really, Amazon is a surveillance company. That is the core of its business model, and that's what drives its monopoly power and profit," Evan Greer, the director of the nonprofit digital-rights-advocacy organization Fight for the Future, told Wired. "Amazon wants to have its hands everywhere, and acquiring a company that's essentially built on mapping the inside of people's homes seems like a natural extension of the surveillance reach that Amazon already has."

Ron Knox, a senior researcher and writer for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance - a nonprofit that gives tech assistance to community businesses - said in a series of tweets after the acquisition was announced that the $1.7 billion deal, the fourth-largest acquisition in Amazon's portfolio, "may be the most dangerous, threatening acquisition in the company's history." businessinsider.com

Rolling Out Amazon Palm Print Payments at Whole Foods
Amazon begins large-scale rollout of palm print-based payments

The technology has drawn scrutiny from privacy activists and politicians.

Amazon will expand its Amazon One palm print checkout system to dozens of Whole Foods locations, marking the most significant expansion of the technology that was introduced in 2020.

Amazon One allows customers to speedily check out at retail locations using only their palm prints after storing a scan of their hand via an interface at Amazon's kiosks. The palm print data is encrypted and stored on Amazon's servers. And before you worry too much about COVID-19 transmission or future pandemics, Amazon One works when you hover your palm over the scanner-unlike some handprint tech.

Amazon initially added the technology in its Amazon Go stores and the now-shuttered Amazon Books retail locations. It then made its way to several Whole Foods locations in the Seattle area. (Amazon has owned the Whole Foods grocery chain since 2017.)

Now, Amazon Go will expand to 65 Whole Foods stores across California. The rollout starts in Malibu and Santa Monica, with more locations adopting it in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and the Bay Area over the next few weeks. Amazon previously rolled the tech out to a few select locations in California, but never at this scale. arstechnica.com

Below old Seattle Macy's, Amazon plans to test robots

Bellevue, WA: 5 charged in organized retail theft ring, totaling $100K+
2 suspects arrested in Retail Crime Theft ring, including convicted killer of Tuba Man. At least two people were in custody in connection with a retail crime ring that officials say is responsible for more than $100,000 in stolen merchandise from several high-end stores in Bellevue and the Seattle area. One of those people was Billy Chambers, 29, the same person arrested in 2008 for killing 53-year-old Edward McMichael, Seattle's "Tuba Man." A Bellevue Police spokesperson said there are six total suspects in these cases with two currently in custody. Of the six suspects, five have been charged, according to police.

Bellevue Police Department detectives say the first case saw four suspects charged, three of them allegedly stole more than $93,000 in Louis Vuitton bags. The fourth was charged for selling the bags. Police say they hit the Louis Vuitton twice in June 2022. Detectives found the bags for sale online, set up a buy and arrested one of the suspects. The three arrested in this crime ring were Chambers, Memory Yearby and Earnetra Turner. Trey Kendall was arrested for selling the bags.

"These suspects were aggressive and coordinated in their efforts and often physically confronted employees or security who stood in their way," BPD Captain Shelby Shearer said. "These crew also caused significant damage to the stores during the thefts, causing some businesses to close for the day to clean up the mess."
The second case saw detectives arrest a 24-year-old for multiple thefts totaling nearly $13,000 from the Bellevue Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack in October and November 2021. The suspect, Janay Luckey, walked into stores, cut off security tags and left. She is also accused of selling these items online. Luckey's criminal record stretches down the highway to Seattle, where she is charged with five counts of organized retail theft and trafficking out of Seattle, with those totals reaching more than $84,000.

BPD's third case involves a theft nearing $7,000 from Ulta in Factoria. Detectives here say two people stole 62 bottles of perfume, one was arrested in Kent and the other was a suspect in the Louis Vuitton theft. The two used a rental car and left, but the merchandise here was recovered. q13fox.com

Pittsburg, CA: 11 arrested after retail thefts in Pittsburg; meth & heroin seized
A series of retail thefts were reported earlier this week in Pittsburg, police announced in a Facebook post on Thursday. A total of 11 arrests were made for theft-related crimes at Century Plaza Shopping Center. The Pittsburg Police Department also recovered a firearm, along with "large" amounts of methamphetamine and heroin. Several businesses were stolen from, but police did not specify which ones. At the plaza, shops include Target, Burlington and Mancini's Sleepworld. Photos posted by Pittsburg PD show a handgun was recovered and at least 15 bullets. The crystal meth seized was kept in a Hefty sandwich bag. In the comments section of the Facebook post, Pittsburg police said "a lot" of merchandise was recovered. Pittsburg PD did not release any other information about the 11 suspects arrested.  kron4.com

Bronx, NY: 'I Couldn't Even See:' Masked Thieves With Bear Spray Terrorize NYC Jewelry Store in $800K Heist
10 people in masks used bear spray to temporarily maim workers in an NYC jewelry store before swiping nearly $1 million in merchandise and fleeing the scene, authorities say. Video shows workers and others scrambling into nearby stores as a security worker grabs his face in pain. People walking by on the street were also sprayed, and a street vendor said he had to use milk to flush his eyes. Mojib Ullah, a manager at a nearby clothing store, says he's been working in the area 13 years and has never seen local crimes of today's magnitude and frequency. He blames the pandemic, and says now, "this area is getting by worse and worse every day. They robbed the corner store, three times. Across the street, robbed last week." nbcnewyork.com

St George, UT: 3 suspects at large following $20,000 jewelry theft in St. George
Three suspects are at large after more than $20,000 in merchandise was stolen from a jewelry store on Red Cliffs Drive in St. George in what police called a "distraction theft." Shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to a theft reported at a jewelry store on Red Cliffs Drive in St. George. Officers arrived to learn that $20,000 in jewelry reportedly was stolen from the store. Detectives were called out to process the scene, efforts that continued for several hours as they collected evidence, surveillance footage and other information, St. George Police Detective Zack Bahlmann told St. George News in an email. stgeorgeutah.com

Overland, KS: Overland Park police asking for public's help following grab-and-run theft
The Overland Park Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying multiple people in connection with a grab-and-run theft that happened Wednesday. According to the police, the felony theft happened on Aug. 10 in the 9700 block of Quivira Road. It appears the theft took place at a store. The police department did not specify the time the theft happened. The police add that these individuals committed similar thefts in Olathe, as well as Belton and Liberty on the Missouri side of the metro. kctv5.com

Exton, PA: Police Investigating Theft from Sephora in Exton