Sissy Scruggs named Senior Director of Business Development for
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Property Crime Down 9% Nationwide in 2024
Real-Time Crime Index Shows Nationwide Trends

The Real-Time Crime Index launched yesterday with data from more than 300 agencies nationwide. It's designed to show national crime trends as they develop from as many agencies as possible with as little lag as possible.

The RTCI is a sample of reported crime data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies nationwide which mimics national crime trends with as little lag and the most accuracy possible. Crime statistics are inexact, but sampling agencies in this way is a proven method for accurately measuring trends while waiting for national crime estimates published each year. Standardizing the offenses collected and time periods measured from hundreds of agencies makes it possible to evaluate trends up or down as they develop.

Not all crimes are reported to police, and the RTCI can only measure those offenses that are reported to police. Crime data is inherently imprecise with frequent (usually small) variations between different data sources. This methodology is designed to ensure that crime trends are being captured accurately even if the exact figures reported either publicly by an agency or by the FBI may differ depending on the available data source.

These figures represent reported crimes published by agencies, which may not represent the entirety of crimes in a city, if served by multiple agencies or when accounting for offenses that do not get reported to police. Agencies also can report crimes months after they occur, so figures for each agency are subject to change. The data collection methodology differs between cities, not every city is included in the RTCI sample, not every agency reports every offense type, and not every agency has complete data through the most recent reporting period. As such, ranking between cities is imprecise and inadvisable, and users should be cautious when comparing crime counts for one city against another city's counts.   realtimecrimeindex.com


Store ATM Thieves Find 'Glaring Security Gap'
Why federal authorities don't respond to ATM thefts from corner stores

If thieves steal an ATM out of a bank, it would be an FBI matter with federal charges

There has been a rash of automatic teller machine (ATM) thefts and attempted heists across Chicago and the nation, and the ABC 7 I-Team found a startling reason behind it: There are no federal laws against stealing independently-owned ATMs.

More than half, 60% of all of ATMs nationwide are independently-owned, and those are the ones being targeted by crafty thieves who have struck at least 20 times in the past two weeks, according to Chicago police.

If the two suspects had been carrying the ATM out of a bank, it would be an FBI matter and they could face federal bank robbery charges, including lengthy prison terms. But lately, Chicago burglary crews seem to have learned when they steal an independently-owned ATM, there is no federal jurisdiction.

Federal regulations against bank robbery charges carry up to a 20-year sentence, while state theft laws carry a five-year maximum sentence. It's a glaring security gap that lawmakers in Washington have recognized.

"The bad guys have become aware that if you rob an independently-owned ATM, one of these that's in a convenient store, or maybe a sporting event or some other venue, that's not going to bring the wrath of the FBI and federal authorities down on top of you," said U.S. Representative John Rose, a Republican from Tennessee.

Rose has introduced legislation that would change that. If passed, the "Safe Access to Cash Act of 2023" would fold all ATMs, both independently and bank-owned, into the federal Bank Robbery Act that was passed in 1934, long before ATMs were ever created.   abc7chicago.com


Tough-on-Crime Ballot Measure Leading in California
OPINION: Progressives' Public Safety Flip-Flop
Despite the outcry from Californians who are fed up with smash-and-grabs, brazen drug use on the streets, and the overall decline in public safety, the state's leadership continues to push an agenda that has enabled all of those things.

There's a strong argument that 2014's Proposition 47 played a major role in the rise of crime and homelessness. By reclassifying certain theft and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, the measure led to consequences that are now impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately, the governor and progressives have no desire to touch the policy. From their perspective, Prop. 47 has been a success, but everyday Californians know there are real problems that need to be addressed. Crime rates have surged, and many communities are suffering from the consequences of prioritizing ideology over reality.

This year, in a rare show of bipartisanship, both sides of the aisle came together to pass public safety bills aimed at addressing organized retail theft. But just when it seemed that progress was being made, chaos ensued. Progressive leadership in Sacramento attempted to force amendments that would have effectively nullified the measures if voters approve Proposition 36 this November, which aims to make significant reforms to Prop. 47.

The truth is, there is a demand for action. A recent Berkeley IGS Poll shows Prop. 36 is leading among Californians, 56% to 23%. Even many Democratic members and mayors in major liberal cities like San Francisco are openly endorsing the measure. Their endorsements speak volumes. signalscv.com
 

Retailers Continue to Partner with Police to Fight ORC
Lake Worth, TX: Police helping businesses combat organized retail theft rings
Burglaries and robberies of businesses have changed. Instead of just one person, police are now seeing groups of people committing organized retail theft. Now, the Lake Worth police chief is organizing the city's retailers against organized crime rings.

Chief Manoushagian holds a retail roundtable twice a year, meeting with businesses to talk about ways to cut organized crime rings of burglars and robbers.

"No longer do we see shoplifting. That's very rare," he said. "What we're starting to see now are groups of criminals acting in an organized fashion to strategically target certain retailers or areas, and then those products are sold on the black market. And those funds go into criminal organizations. So we see the bigger picture, and we're trying to work with our private sector partners to put a stop to that."

"They have stash houses, and they just take all of it," said Lake Worth Police Commander Joe Connolly. "They don't have to sell it on the corner. They take it to a stash house, and they sell all of it in one block for hundreds of dollars."

Organized rings are rolling across the country, says one retail loss prevention agent. Chief Manoushagian wants retailers to call when they know or suspect that a theft is taking place - not after it's over and the thieves are gone - to give police a chance to catch them.  fox4news.com


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Birmingham, AL: DOJ: Update: Hoover brothers plead guilty in massive $1 Million Retail Theft scheme
Two Hoover brothers have pleaded guilty to running an online fencing scheme that resulted in the sale of over $1 million worth of stolen goods. Abdurrahman Amar, 32, and Yahya Amar, 33, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the interstate transportation of stolen goods, Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis announced Wednesday. According to the plea agreements, from January 2022 through December 2023, Abdurrahman Amar organized and led a network of "boosters" - professional thieves. The boosters regularly offered the Amars various new and unopened goods for purchase, especially personal electronic devices and tools. The Amars knew that the boosters obtained the items by stealing them from retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowe's. After buying goods from the boosters at a steep discount, the Amars listed them for re-sale on online platforms-primarily eBay and Facebook. The prices included a markup from the boosters' prices but were still well below the stolen goods' retail value. Over the course of the conspiracy, authorities said, the Amars completed about 7,283 separate sales of stolen goods on eBay, netting approximately $1,014,191.44. A sentencing date has not yet been announced. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation of stolen goods is five years in prison.  al.com


Riverside County, CA: Southern California burglary crew arrested in theft of $500K worth of jewelry
Two men from Los Angeles, believed to be a part of an organized robbery crew that stole high-valued jewelry and designer products with an estimated value of $500,000, are in custody, officials announced Tuesday. In a news release by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, authorities say 39-year-old Anthony Pena-Gomez and 40-year-old Carlos Riquelme-Montecinos targeted neighborhoods in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage in July 2024, gaining access to the residential properties by breaking glass doors and windows. "The suspects are believed to be associated with an organized burglary group out of the Los Angeles area that commits burglaries nationwide," the release stated. On Aug. 27, members of the Riverside Sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau, along with members of the Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage special enforcement teams and the Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Team, served a search warrant in the 400 block of Cottage Home Street in L.A.'s Elysian Park neighborhood. Both suspects were arrested, and a search of the residence recovered a handgun stolen out of Burbank, jewelry from residential burglaries in Rancho Mirage and Fullerton, burglary tools, fake identification and multiple cell phones.  ktla.com


San Rafael, CA: San Rafael Police report smash-and-grab Jewelry store robbery
A group of suspects smashed open display cases and stole jewelry from a San Rafael store. The incident was reported at about 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Home Consignment Center on Bellam Boulevard.. San Rafael police Sgt. Justin Graham said that four suspects were seen breaking the cases with small sledgehammers and stealing an undisclosed amount of merchandise. One suspect served as a lookout at the store's main entrance. Graham said the robbery lasted about one minute before the suspects fled in a white Toyota Highlander SUV. No injuries were reported.  marinij.com


El Cajon, CA: Five people arrested in Home Depot retail theft operation
El Cajon police arrested five people and recovered stolen merchandise during a retail theft operation last Friday. The operation was conducted around 5 p.m. at the Home Depot located at 298 Fletcher Pkwy. in El Cajon. Investigators with the police department worked with store employees to surveil and arrest five people who were accused of stealing merchandise. Two transients - 44-year-old Darrius Moore and 20-year-old Adrian Varona - had theft-related warrants and were booked into jail, according to police. Three others were released with citations.  fox5sandiego.com


Montgomery County, MD: Update: Police search for trio allegedly connected to Nike store theft
Police are searching for three people who allegedly stole items from a Nike store in Montgomery County in August. On Aug. 26, officers said they responded to the Nike store in the 22700 block of Clarksburg Road for the report of a theft that had taken place. According to officials' investigation, three people went into the store and stole an unknown amount of merchandise then left the store. A surveillance camera captured the people allegedly connected to the incident.  wjla.com


Philadelphia, PA: 6 men stole $42,000 of crab from truck in South Philly

Medford, NY: Man wanted for stealing $1,300 worth of allergy medication from Target