Summer Wave of 'Flash Mob Attacks'
Thieves Swarm Luxury Malls, Driving Retail Crime to $100 Billion

California Governor Gavin Newsom commits $267 million to fight "brazen smash-and-grabs" hitting stores

"Losses from theft are at historical highs, and I'd say, we find it unacceptable," Erik B. Nordstrom, chief executive officer of the eponymous department store chain, said during an earnings call last month. "We're looking at everything we can do to make our stores are safe and secure."

Critics though, particularly within California, say better prevention and surveillance won't ultimately solve the problem, and instead point the finger at lax prosecution as a factor contributing to the jump in flash raids.

Los Angeles, for instance, no longer requires cash bail for suspects charged with nonviolent misdemeanor penalties, allowing many people accused of low-level crimes to be released without having to post a bond. Petty larceny - theft of goods valued at $950 or less - is a "cite and release" offense in California, according to Rachel Michelin, chief executive officer of the California Retailers Association. Many participants in flash mob incidents started out as small-time shoplifters, who graduated to more serious offenses after getting away with a hand slap for entry-level theft, she said.

"When people realize there's no consequence, that behavior is going to escalate," Michelin said.

The crimes are having a ripple effect on local economies, said Michelin. Sales tax revenue falls as fearful shoppers stay away from stores, leading to closures and demoralized workers, making it harder for cities to pay police or clear sidewalk vagrants camped outside vacant storefronts, further discouraging new businesses from opening.

When the Nordstrom in the Westfield San Francisco Centre announced in May that it was closing, the mall's owner, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, blamed "unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees." This week, American Eagle Outfitters sued Westfield, accusing it of letting the mall "deteriorate into disarray" and exposing its staff to violence and robberies, according to a complaint filed in Superior Court in San Francisco County.

In the Los Angeles area, where mall culture has long inspired Hollywood scriptwriters, a summer wave of flash mob attacks swept across various retailers, from discount to luxury. bloomberg.com


NYC: Robbery Up 5%, Larceny Up 5%, Burglary Up 2%
But the city saw a downward trend in major crimes at the end of 2022 and major crime is down overall in 2023

Major crime in NYC continues to climb under Mayor Eric Adams - while NYPD response times slow: report
Major crime continued to rise during Mayor Eric Adams's first fiscal year in office - as NYPD response times slowed across the board, according to the mayor's yearly report.

The sprawling Mayor's Management Report, - which addresses every facet of city government and this year mentions the migrant crisis more than two dozen times - says felony crime nearly topped 127,000 reports over the fiscal year 2023, a 6.4% jump from the prior year.

That's also a more than 35.6% jump from pre-pandemic times, according to the report which covers the period from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

Only two categories, murder and rape, saw an improvement, while the rest ticked up year over year. At the same time, average response times for all crimes jumped by nearly two minutes to 14 minutes and 24 seconds.

The breakdown of crime from the report reveals:

• Murder was down 9% - 424 vs 465
• Rape was down 7% - 1,088 vs 1,168
• Robbery was up 5% - 17.047 vs 16,178
• Felony assault was up 8% - 26,959 vs 25,034
• Burglary was up 2% - 15,054 vs 14,793
• Grand larceny was up 5% - 51,455 vs 49,227
• Car theft was up 20% - 14,902 vs 12,448

The report also highlights the NYPD's clear refocus on broken windows policing - issuing 134,580 minor tickets, which is nearly double that last year.

"Under the mayor's leadership, the city saw a downward trend in major crimes at the end of 2022 and major crime is down overall in 2023, year-to-date, including a double-digit decrease in shootings," he added. nypost.com


NYC's 'Forgotten Borough' Sees 129% Murder Surge
Staten Island appears to be NYC's crime hot spot while other areas see improvement

Murders in Staten Island soar 129% so far in 2023: 'Wholly unacceptable'
Staten Island secession might not be a bad thing - for New York City's crime stats. Murders in the "forgotten" borough have surged 129% so far this year over last year, to 16 from seven.

Major crimes are up in every category and 17% overall, according to NYPD data through Sept. 10. By contrast, murders citywide are down 10%, to 280 from 311 this year. And major crimes have dipped 0.2%, the data shows.

Staten Island - where the migrant crisis has prompted the latest wave of secession sentiment - is the only borough whose murder rate is going in the wrong direction and the only one to only one to see increases across all major crime categories.

"This year's increase in crime on Staten Island is wholly unacceptable," District Attorney Michael McMahon told The Post, noting his office "has work to do" because of "misguided and harmful policies visited upon us by outside forces."

Bail reform; changes to discovery protocols in criminal cases that have led to a "mass exodus" of prosecutors; along with the Raise the Age law, which lifted the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18, are among the "devastating" policy decisions sparking a more than 20% jump in juvenile crime boroughwide and "a total lack of accountability for teenage lawbreakers," McMahon said.

Some of the murders and robberies are fueled by street gangs, mostly on the North Shore, said one recently retired veteran detective. nypost.com


Backlash Grows After Oakland Misses Out on Millions in State ORC Funds
Oakland merchants plan to strike over crime after city messes up grant funding
Several Oakland merchants plan to go on a one-day strike in response to rising crime and the city missing a deadline to secure millions in crime-prevention funds from the state, a prominent community leader said Monday.

A date for the strike will be announced Wednesday, and between 15 to 20 businesses have agreed to participate, said Carl Chan, a public safety advocate in Chinatown. Chan said small businesses hope to send a message to city officials that merchants, their employees and customers are "suffering" from crime.

"Right now we are under siege," Chan said during a news conference. "We have been promised many times, but what about the delivery?"

Chan announced the strike at the event that was held by the Oakland NAACP chapter at a church in East Oakland. The chapter also criticized the city and said it will launch an independent investigation into why and how the city leaders missed the grant deadline.  sfchronicle.com  abc7news.com

   RELATED: Oakland flubs critical chance to fight retail theft


Facial Recognition Expands in Police Departments Worldwide
Irish police start €10M facial recognition body cam procurement
The Irish police, known as Garda Síochana, have officially started the public procurement process for facial recognition body-worn cameras as the country awaits regulation for police use of face scanning software.

Ireland is currently debating the Garda Síochána (Digital Management and Facial Recognition Technology) Bill 2023 which would allow facial recognition to be used retrospectively to search through images.

The tender, published on Tuesday, seeks recommendations on body-worn camera systems and the Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS), used for collecting and analyzing footage obtained by the cameras, including retrospective facial recognition.

The DEMS system also plans to integrate or replace existing CCTV surveillance systems.

The police say they expect the system to cost around 10 million euros (approximately US$10.7 million) over five years. The body-worn cameras will first be introduced as a pilot in mid-2024, with full roll-out expected in 2025.

The draft bill promises to use the technology only in serious crime investigations while the police say their cameras will only be switched on in specific circumstances. The procurement documents also highlight that the police have no plans to use live facial recognition on body-worn cameras. biometricupdate.com


New iPhone Launch Fueling Theft Surge
Phone shops brace for spike in robberies as iPhone 15 goes on sale

Three UK is rolling out innovative watermarking technology in a bid to deter gangs of thieves from targeting their stores next week.

Mobile phone retailers are preparing for a spike in organised robberies when Apple's new iPhone 15 goes on sale next week. Thefts involving a group of people targeting a shop for goods are sometimes referred to as "steaming" and there were more than 300 incidents of this in telecoms stores last year.

Half of these incidents took place in the last three months of 2022, after an iPhone launch, according to data published by the Crime Communications Strategy Group (CCSG). Three UK are hoping to combat the rise in robberies by rolling out watermarking technology, in partnership with Selecta DNA and The National Business Crime Centre.

This involves unique codes being placed on high-value products, making them easier for police to track if they are stolen. "It's a deterrent," he continues. "We are going to have signs in our stores and we are hoping that will deter people taking them in the first place."  news.sky.com


House ORC Bill Gets More Cosponsors
H.R.895 - Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023
Two new co-sponsors signed onto the legislation (1 Republican and 1 Democrat), bringing the total to 70 cosponsors (36 Republicans, 34 Democrats). It's picking up activity.


Edwardsville, IL: Police target organized retail crime, seek grant to help

NC Democrats rally for gun regulations in wake of recent shootings

'The Visionary 2024' Award to be Presented to Dick's Executive Chairman
NRF Announces DICK'S Sporting Goods Executive Chairman Ed Stack as The Visionary 2024
The National Retail Federation today announced that DICK'S Sporting Goods Executive Chairman Ed Stack will receive The Visionary award. Stack will be recognized during the ninth annual NRF Foundation Honors on Jan. 14 in New York City.

"Starting his retail career at a young age, Ed Stack has led DICK'S Sporting Goods through decades of remarkable growth with tremendous business acumen and ingenuity," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "His story demonstrates how retail is unmatched in opportunity. Throughout his tenure, Ed has stood by his convictions and dedication to making a difference, and NRF is honored to recognize him with The Visionary award."

Presented each year to an outstanding retail leader, The Visionary award honors Stack for his leadership of the largest omnichannel sporting goods retailer in the United States, guiding the company's evolution from two stores in upstate New York to a Fortune 500 company. From 1984 through January 2021, Stack served as the chairman and chief executive officer of DICK'S Sporting Goods.

"I have spent my life in retail, and I am honored and humbled to be recognized as The Visionary by the National Retail Federation," Stack said. "This recognition is on behalf of the more than 50,000 associates with DICK'S Sporting Goods who have helped build the company over the last 75 years."  nrf.com


McKinsey & Company Study
Retail workers are fed up and quitting at record rates

Workers increasingly say the job isn't worth the wages

To be a United States retail worker in 2023 means fielding an onslaught of growing American anxieties about everything from high prices to politics. Increasingly, some workers say the job isn't worth the wages.

Low pay, erratic schedules and monotonous tasks have long been a challenge for the nearly eight million Americans working in retail, but the pandemic years have added a host of taxing new duties. Employees must cope with an uptick in shoplifting and customer orneriness. They manage online orders and run up and down the aisles to unlock items as quotidian as toothpaste.

A 2022 McKinsey & Co. study found that the quit rate for retail workers is more than 70 per cent higher than in other U.S. industries. And the COVID-19 years made the problem worse. Before 2020, turnover for part-time retail employees - who make up the bulk of the in-store workforce - hovered around 75 per cent, according to data from Korn Ferry. Since then it's shot up to 95 per cent and hasn't budged, which has at times led to understaffed stores.

Demitrius, who was 17 when he was hired, spent his days toiling as cashier, janitor, shelf stocker and passport photo taker. At times, it seemed he might have to provide security, too.

It was the weight of these things that eventually drove him out of the minimum-wage gig in 2021. "I had to quit and take a break from working for like a year just to regain the ability to breathe and to focus," he says. financialpost.com


Retail Holiday Hiring Its Lowest Level in 15 Years
US retailer holiday hiring to drop to levels last seen in 2008
U.S. retailers will hire the lowest number of seasonal workers for this holiday season since 2008, due to increased labor costs and shaky consumer confidence, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas provided exclusively to Reuters.

Retailers are expected to add just 410,000 seasonal jobs this season, according to an analysis of nonseasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the global outplacement and executive coaching firm. That is just slightly above the 324,900 workers they added during the last quarter of the financial recession of 2008. reuters.com


Saks Survey Sees Luxury Shoppers 'Bouncing Back'

Each quarter, the Saks Luxury Pulse canvases about 2,000 Americans on their shopping intentions and views on the economy.

Saks, displaying some optimism in an otherwise sluggish apparel environment, sees luxury consumers more inclined to shop in the near term. The latest Saks Luxury Pulse quarterly survey found that 58 percent of the respondents plan to spend the same or more on luxury in the August through October period. wwd.com


Grabango lays off employees across several departments
The frictionless checkout provider declined to specify the number of impacted team members, though multiple LinkedIn posts indicate cuts hit 40% of the company.

Soft Surroundings files for bankruptcy, will close all 44 stores

Bed Bath & Beyond Employees Sue Over 401(k) Plan Losses