WSJ Report on Retail Theft Prevention Makes the Rounds
Retailers Opt for Empty Shelves To Prevent Theft
Many retailers are emptying their shelves across the country, but not because of low stock. A concerning increase in thefts has pushed companies to put more products under lock and key, the Wall Street Journal reports.

At one Best Buy store in the suburbs of Houston, shoppers will instead find small blue signs that read, "This product kept in secured location."

Surging crime rates across the country are hitting retailers hard. The National Retail Federation's 2022 Retail Security Survey found that retailers lost $94.5 billion overall in 2021 mainly due to external theft and organized retail crime. Theft attempts at Home Depot are on the rise compared with before the pandemic, Home Depot vice president of asset protection Scott Glenn told the Journal. Last year, the supermarket giant Kroger for the first time listed organized theft as a factor pressuring profit margins. Starbucks has had to close 16 U.S. stores this year because of drug-related incidents and other disruptions, the Journal reported.

Twelve Democrat-run cities hit record-high crime rates last year, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Voters have responded by turning on left-wing prosecutors who support lighter sentences, less policing, and the elimination of cash bail. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has blamed the crime spike on "illegal gun trafficking" and has focused on gun control legislation.

"Organized retail crime is more than petty shoplifting, and the economic impact has become alarming," Retail Industry Leaders Association senior executive vice president of public affairs Michael Hanson said in 2021. "Professional thieves and organized criminal rings are building a business model by stealing and reselling products, increasingly online through marketplace platforms like Amazon or Facebook." freebeacon.com

   Read the D&D Daily's initial coverage of the WSJ report here

Mandatory 3-Day Jail Term for Shoplifters
Aurora lawmakers impose mandatory 3 days in jail for shoplifting more than $300
Any adult convicted of stealing more than $300 in merchandise from an Aurora retail store will soon face no fewer than three days in the municipal jail, under a new mandatory minimum sentencing law passed by Aurora's City Council on Monday.

The minimum jail sentence of three days, short enough to be served in the city holding facility, was introduced in response to what Mayor Mike Coffman described as the "literally lawless" problem of retail theft in the city, despite a marked drop in arrests.

Police reported in a summary of crime data for the week of Sept. 18 that property crime has risen 10.3% since last year. At the same time, police Division Chief Cassidee Carlson said Monday that the number of arrests and summonses of adults for retail theft exceeding $300 was less than pre-pandemic levels, with 177 reported in 2019, compared to 38 so far in 2022.

She also said that shoplifting is underreported and that police are trying to build relationships with the owners of stores targeted for theft. The proposal's sponsor, Danielle Jurinsky, said the law was meant to support businesses that have become the victims of crime. The change would not apply to juveniles convicted of shoplifting.

"This ordinance is really to start standing up for business owners in this city and start talking about the victims, and addressing something to help the victims, and stop doing everything in our power to help the criminals," Jurinsky said.

Council members voted 6-4 to finalize the new mandatory sentencing law, with Coombs, Marcano, Ruben Medina and Crystal Murillo opposed. The law includes a sunset provision that will require the group to revisit its effectiveness in two years. sentinelcolorado.com

Mall Mass Shooting Training Conducted in Knoxville
After high-profile shootings nationwide, Knoxville agencies prepare
Police cordoned off West Town Mall on Sunday night as officers swarmed the entrance and ambulances stood at the ready. But a scene that might have engendered alarm in passers-by was all about preparing in case a real emergency occurs in Knox County. Specifically, crews trained on how they'd coordinate and respond to a mass shooting.

"This was the first time in at least five years that we've done a multiagency response training in a big, very populated public space," said Knoxville Police Department spokesman Scott Erland. "There have been a lot of high-profile shootings recently," Erland said, citing the tragedies in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.

The Knoxville Police Department served as the lead agency as multiple first response crews participated in the collaborative active shooter training at the mall, Erland said, including Knoxville Fire Department, University of Tennessee Police Department, Rural Metro Fire, Knox County 9-1-1, Knox County Sheriff's Office and American Medical Response. The University of Tennessee Medical Center also prepared with "victims" being taken by ambulance to the emergency department throughout the drill.

The four-hour-long session was broken into two exercises, Erland said: one contained to a small section of the mall and one that was spread out and complex. Every effort was made to make the exercises as close to a real-life scenario as possible, he said, starting from the initial response by the first officers on the scene to other personnel coming in, triaging "victims" and extricating "mall patrons."

"We certainly train nonstop for those worst-case scenarios," Erland said. "Hopefully, you don't ever have to use that training. But you don't want it to be the first time agencies have to work together, if an active shooter situation happens." knoxnews.com

NYC's Bail Reform Poster Child
Pedro Hernandez, darling of bail reformers, nabbed on attempted-murder warrant
An accused career criminal and onetime darling of bail-reform advocates was nabbed by cops on an attempted-murder warrant Monday after he failed to surrender as planned, police said.

Hernandez was being sought on an attempted-murder charge stemming from an Aug. 28 shooting outside St. Patrick's Cathedral during a dispute over a three-card monte game.

Hernandez, who has a lengthy criminal record and three open gun cases in the Bronx, was once championed by criminal-justice advocates who fought to get him released after he served one year at Rikers Island on a 2015 robbery case. Hernandez had refused to cop a plea deal in the case and was held behind bars till a liberal advocacy group sprang him on $100,000 bail.

The group, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, was among advocates calling for lower or no bails in many cases, saying the system discriminated against minorities and the poor.

According to the Bronx District Attorney's Office, Hernandez was out on bail on two of his three cases currently pending in that borough. The cases include a felony third-degree robbery charge.

All three of the Bronx cases predated the state's controversial bail-reform laws, which did not take full effect until January 2020. Under the new law, none of the cases would have allowed bail to be set against Hernandez. nypost.com

New Gun Merchant Code Under Fire
Republicans grill bank CEOs on merchant gun code

GOP lawmakers Wednesday demanded the CEOs of the nation's top banks share how they plan to respond to a new category code for gun and ammunition retailers.

House Republicans want to know how banks will respond to the creation of a new merchant category code (MCC) for gun and ammunition retailers, telling CEOs of the nation's seven largest banks Wednesday they fear the new code gives financial firms the ability to infringe on Second Amendment rights.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved a new four-digit code for gun and ammunition sellers this month, the result of a three-year effort by Amalgamated Bank, Guns Down America and Giffords Law Center, which have argued the new code will help law enforcement identify suspicious gun purchases. paymentsdive.com

Retailers Hiking Prices Due to ORC Surge
Small retailers raising prices to offset organized theft surge
A nationwide spike in organized retail thefts has prompted nearly half of U.S. small businesses to raise prices to offset losses, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported Thursday.

The business lobbying group said 56% of 750 small retailers responding to a survey were hit by shoplifters in the past year and 50% believed the problem worsened. As a result, 46% of the retailers raised prices.

Mr. Bradley said retail crime has gone beyond "traditional shoplifting" to include "highly organized criminal gangs who seek to profit by taking advantage of gaps in the law." washingtontimes.com

Measure 114 could change how Oregonians handle their guns
Measure 114, if passed by Oregon voters in November, would require permits to buy a firearm, require safety training and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds.

Can warning signs stop a mass shooting?

US: 97.9M Cases - 1M Dead - 94.7M Recovered
Worldwide: 621.3M Cases - 6.5M Dead - 601.5M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 799

COVID Cases, Hospitalizations & Deaths

Remote Work Doesn't Encourage Slacking - It Creates Workaholics
Microsoft CEO says bosses are scared that you slack off while working from home

Slack off? More like can't escape work when working from home..

In a recent report into shifting workplace attitudes, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made some comments about why some bosses are skeptical of work-from-home culture, and also why they're wrong to be.

87% of Microsoft employees feel as though they are more productive while working from home, whereas 80% of Microsoft's managerial layer thinks workers are less productive. Nadella also noted that before the pandemic, only 2% of the vacancies on LinkedIn included remote working, but since the pandemic, that amount has jumped to 20%.

Companies like Tesla, Google, and Apple have been aggressive in trying to get its office population back into the office. There have been reports that companies like Apple could in fact lose out on major talent, owing to its stance on forcing its engineers and developers back into office cubicles. windowscentral.com

COVID Vaccine Mandate for NYPD Ruled Invalid
New York judge rules COVID vaccine mandate for NYPD union members invalid
A New York judge ruled Friday that the city's mandate requiring members of the New York City Police Department to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is invalid as applied to members of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York.

In the decision, State Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank, sitting in Manhattan, ordered that members of the union that were caused to be "wrongfully terminated and/or put on leave without pay a result of non-compliance" be reinstated.

"This decision confirms what we have said from the start: the vaccine mandate was an improper infringement on our members' right to make personal medical decisions in consultation with their own health care professionals," PBA President Patrick Lynch said, responding to the ruling. "We will continue to fight to protect those rights." foxnews.com

Remote work is going nowhere
Here's how to implement a successful remote, global working model.

Rising Covid-19 cases in the UK may be a warning for the US

Five things about covid we still don't understand at our peril

Retail Natural Disaster Response

Hurricane Ian Expected to Pummel Florida

Millions Ordered to Evacuate Ahead of 'Catastrophic' Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian Rapidly Strengthens Into Category 4 Before Catastrophic Florida Landfall Today
H​urricane Ian has rapidly strengthened into a strong Category 4 as it draws closer to landfall later today between Sarasota and Fort Myers, with catastrophic storm surge, wind damage and flooding rainfall. I​an is a Category 4 hurricane packing maximum sustained winds of 155 mph as of 7:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning.

Landfall of Ian's center should occur this afternoon between the Sarasota, Port Charlotte and Fort Myers areas. Ian should remain at least Category 4, but could make an extremely rare Category 5 landfall this afternoon. Regardless, Ian will be a life-threatening, catastrophic landfall, one of southwest Florida's strongest hurricanes on record.

"Catastrophic flooding" is expected to pummel parts of Florida once Hurricane Ian arrives, Gov. Ron Desantis warned earlier in the week, as 2.5 million people were instructed to evacuate the state. The peak surge, possibly up to 16 feet, will occur near and south of where the center makes landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday. weather.com yahoo.com

Business Continuity Leaders: Be Ready
How Businesses Are Preparing For A Crisis As Hurricane Ian Heads Toward Florida

What companies do before the storm hits the state, and how they do it, could be critical to their survival.

The actions companies are taking to prepare for the hurricane's impact depends on the nature of their business, where they are located, and whether they have a crisis management plan in place.

Sean Ferraro owns Madison Avenue Pizza, which employs 31 people, is located about 300 feet from the water. "We are in one of the predicted direct hit areas," Ferraro said via email. He has taken several steps to brace for the impact of the hurricane on his business.

"Structural damage and damage to buildings that allow rain and wind to penetrate the interior of buildings could be widespread," Clifford Oliver, a former assistant administrator of FEMA, said via email.

Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist of AccuWeather's AccuWeather for Business division, said, ""Hurricanes are not just coastal hazards. The heavy rainfall, flooding, and localized tornado risk will move well inland. Business continuity leaders should be looking at the entire impact of the storm, not just its landfall. Execution of crisis management plans should be looked at multiple times a year." Porter recommended.

"The basic steps are to conduct a risk analysis of the major departments of a business, [then] determine [its] vulnerability to risk in each," Erika Andresen, a business continutiy expert and professor of emergency management at the University of Texas at El Paso, said via email. forbes.com

In Case You Missed It

How Major Retailers Prepare for Natural Disasters
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.

Read more about Walmart's preparedness plans here: corporate.walmart.com

How to Prepare for Possible Flooding
While you can't dictate the forecast, you can plan for excessive rainfall and other natural disasters.

Disney to Close Florida Theme Parks as Hurricane Ian Nears

Cuba Faces Nationwide Electrical Outage After Hurricane Ian Hits Power Grid

 
COVID Replaced by Financial Headwinds Ahead of Holidays
The 2022 Holiday Season Retail Forecasts - Shop Early

By Tony D'Onofrio, Global Retail Influencer & Prosegur's CEO & Managing Director, Global Retail Business Unit

Even though it's only very early fall, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in many of the stores that we go. Santa must be anticipating a mad rush on limited supplies as multiple major retail chains already have their trees and trimmings out for sale.

Typically, late summer and early fall is when all the retail holiday predictions are published. The key words that are bubbling up in this year's cloudy crystal ball are early, inflation, recession, discounts, and the continuing battle between physical and digital retail. Timing of the economic cycle will potentially lead to more winners than losers.

COVID has moved to the rear-view mirror and it has been replaced by financial headwinds. "In fact, concerns related to COVID have decreased significantly, from 52% (in 2021) to 16% this year, while the financial concerns have surged 153%." It is now time for my annual summary of those prognostications, along with my own thoughts for Retail Holiday Season 2022.

USA Holiday Sales Projected to Increase, But...

Bain & Company forecast that retail holiday sales will increase 7.5% this year, above the 10-year average of 5 percent. However, when you factor inflation, real growth will range from 1% to 3% below the 10-year average.

Read Tony D'Onofrio's full article here

The Retail Unionization Wave Continues
Trader Joe's Staff Petition to Unionize in New York City
Trader Joe's employees have petitioned to unionize a New York City supermarket, extending a recent wave of organizing at the company and within the broader US retail industry.

Employees at a Brooklyn store filed Friday for a unionization election, according to the docket of the National Labor Relations Board. Workers are seeking to join Trader Joe's United, the same fledgling, independent group that prevailed in elections this summer in Massachusetts and Minneapolis, creating the first union foothold among the company's over 500 stores. The Brooklyn site employs around 185 workers, according to the docket.

Staffers at the store, located in Williamsburg, allege that they've been dealing with poor working conditions, racial discrimination, and union busting, according to nonprofit news outlet More Perfect Union.

Two Trader Joe's locations in Massachusetts and Minnesota unionized over the summer, and employees of Trader Joe's now-closed wine shop in Manhattan alleged last month that the store was abruptly shut down just as they were about to publicize their intent to unionize. (Trader Joe's denied that the closure was related to union activity.)

The Brooklyn outpost will be the first Trader Joe's store in New York to unionize, if it succeeds. bloomberg.com ny.eater.com

Labor Law Changes Nationwide
Mandatory California workplace posters now available
Mandatory labor laws changes are on the rise and keeping up with all the updates can be a struggle. There have been over 60 mandatory state changes already this year - 5 from just California alone.

If you haven't updated your labor law compliance posters this year, now is the time.

Here at Resourceful Compliance we do the work for you. We continually monitor labor law posting regulations issued by more than 22,000 federal, state and local agencies to ensure our customers remain in compliance.

Don't put this off any longer. The maximum penalty for poster violations is now $38,000!   resourcefulcompliance.com

REI will open stores late on Election Day so employees can vote
 
Shanghai becomes the first city in the world with 1,000 Starbucks
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director Asset Protection job posted for Albertsons Companies in Boise, ID
This position will be part of the Intermountain Division Office reporting to the VP of Operations. As the Director of Asset Protection, you will be an integral member of the team by developing and implementing asset protection initiatives that support and protect our stores and Division office teams. Promote the adherence to company policies and procedures; Work closely with the AP team to conduct regular store inspection checks ensuring compliance of all operational processes related to shrink reduction, loss controls and physical security; assist in follow-up action plans or maintenance calls as needed. eofd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com
 

Now is Not the Time to Cut Cybersecurity Budgets
Making a business case for security in a world of tightening budgets
With talk of a possible recession approaching (if one isn't already upon us), many businesses are already applying a higher level of scrutiny to spending-even for business-critical costs like cybersecurity. As budgets begin to tighten, security and IT leaders need to anticipate discussions with executive leaders and start proactively preparing a formal business case for their security program to ensure funding for upcoming projects.

Ultimately, your business case needs to "sell security" to the management team. CISOs and CIOs should keep a few key tips in mind as they head into future budgeting cycles and start to build out business cases for their security programs.

Connect security to the overarching business strategy

When writing any business case, you need to know your audience-what they're working on now, any potential problems you can help them solve, and any potential changes to the business on the horizon. Security objectives need to be synchronized with the broader goals of the business as well as important changes where security can improve outcomes.

This might include mergers and acquisitions (M&As)-where security should play a critical role at every stage. It might include legal issues around customer privacy, expanding into a new global region, or giving a strategic partner controlled access to intellectual property. Or it might include sudden changes to the company's profit and loss (P&L) status. It might even allow for quicker enablement of new organizations, improved risk identification, or better overall integration.

Show them the money

Maybe the best way to show the monetary value of risk reduction is to talk about it as "enhancing revenue"-security as a cost center that helps bring cash into the organization. I once went into a budget conversation with the CEO and CFO and my opening was to say that my team drove $800 million in revenue the previous year. That got their attention. When you reframe the conversation from security being just another cost center to being a revenue-driving center-it works. helpnetsecurity.com

90% of Organizations Hit with Ransomware
The various ways ransomware impacts your organization

Despite increased investment in tools to fight ransomware, 90% of organizations were affected by ransomware in some capacity over the past 12 months

Allocation of security budgets

Respondents ranked the risk of attack through third-party vendors as the main factor driving the allocation of security budgets, followed by the rise in frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks. As a result, organizations' ransomware mitigation solutions focus increasingly on the risk of account takeover as a precursor to this form of cyber attack.

The number of organizations that implemented or plan to implement multi-factor authentication jumped 71%, from 56% the previous year to 96%. Monitoring for compromised employee credentials also increased from 44% to 73%.

As organizations strengthen their password hygiene and invest in tools like MFA, criminals have doubled down and expanded traditional tactics to circumvent their defenses. For example, deploying malware to personal devices to access corporate applications or pivoting to session hijacking using compromised cookies can allow criminals to bypass the authentication process altogether.

"Multi-factor authentication provides a much-needed added layer of security, but it isn't perfect. We have heard warnings recently against using SMS authentication for MFA since texts can be intercepted by motivated cybercriminals, but even push notifications and authentication applications are not completely foolproof or secure, which these malware and compromised cookies trends are showing," Darren Siegel, Cyber Security Expert at Specops Software, told Help Net Security. "This defense report is a great reminder of the need for employee security education and better security controls."  helpnetsecurity.com

Americans Lost $9 Billion in BEC Fraud Since 2016
Business email compromise: How to identify red flags and reduce risk
Business email compromise (BEC) scams are online payment fraud that targets businesses and can result in significant financial loss. BEC involves gaining unauthorized access to a legitimate email, text message or social media account, or an attempt to spoof or fake a legitimate account.

The purpose is to enable the criminal to send a message from an executive or business leader, vendor or client to convince an employee to transfer funds.

Once these funds are transferred to the criminal actor, it's difficult, if not impossible, to recover the loss. Between 2016 and 2021, Americans lost approximately $9 billion to BEC fraud. It takes only minutes for a financially crippling mistake - and it can happen to anyone. Whether it's a new hire, a 20-year veteran, payables manager or CEO, the resulting impact is the same.

How to help prevent BEC

Thoroughly vet payment change requests. A request for payment accompanied by a change in receiving account should always be closely examined.

Contact executives, vendors or clients using an alternate communication channel to verify the request and the new account information. Ensure contact is made using a trusted phone number for a known contact at the organization, not the phone number provided in the email, text or social media message, and verify the individual is authorized to make the request.

Create an environment of trust. Employees should feel comfortable pausing to validate a senior leader's funds transfer request via phone or in person without worry. bizjournals.com

Hacker Behind Optus Breach Releases 10,200 Customer Records in Extortion Scheme
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Monday disclosed it's working to gather "crucial evidence" and that it's collaborating with overseas law enforcement authorities following the hack of telecom provider Optus.

How to get into cybersecurity with no experience
Cybersecurity needs new talent now more than ever, but landing that first job without a computer science degree can still be difficult. Here are five tips for getting in the door.

Information Security vs. Cybersecurity: What's The Difference?

Bethlehem, PA: Update: Man sentenced to prison for scheme to steal, resell $2M of electronics from Bethlehem Walmart Distribution Center
A man living in South Carolina was sentenced to almost four years in prison for organizing and participating in a scheme to steal and resell electronics from a Bethlehem Walmart while he was working in the store's distribution center. Rusmaldy Jimenez-Hiciano, 38, of Goose Creek, was a long-time employee of the distribution center in 2017 when he devised a plan to defraud his employer by hiding some of the high-end electronic merchandise as it came into the warehouse on delivery trucks, U.S. prosecutors said. After stealing the items, Jimenez-Hiciano would repackage and mail the items to addresses in Allentown that he controlled. When the stolen items arrived at his doorstep, he would resell them and share the proceeds with other people. Among the items stolen were 1,000 Apple iPads, 912 Apple Watches, and 285 Nintendo Switch consoles, altogether worth nearly $2 million, The Morning Call reported. He previously pleaded guilty to four counts of mail fraud and admitted in federal court to masterminding the scheme. phillyvoice.com

St Louis, MO: Update: Man gets 9-year term for theft of nearly $600,000 from Home Depot
A Vinita Park man found guilty in May of returning stolen goods to Home Depot more than 2,000 times in 28 states was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison. U.S. District Judge Ronnie White gave Xaiviair Brown, 46, the prison term. A jury in May found Brown guilty of four counts of wire fraud and one count of unauthorized use of an access device. An indictment filed last year alleged that in April 2017 through March 2021, Brown stole merchandise from various Home Depot stores and then returned that merchandise to stores in 28 states, costing the retailer more than $598,000. Brown received gift cards with store credit for the value of the returned items, authorities said. He showed stores more than 1,700 different temporary driver's licenses as part of his scheme. The judge ordered Brown to repay $598,036 to the retailer. stltoday.com

Massillon, OH: Over $50,000 in electronics stolen from Massillon Walmart
On Sept. 18, two women went to the Massillon Walmart and left with stolen merchandise from the Electronics Department, according to Massillon police. One woman pried drawers open while the other woman acted as a lookout, the police report states. Once the drawers were broken into, the women took 38 iPhones. In addition to the iPhones, they broke into two additional locked cases and obtained an unconfirmed number of laptops, Apple AirPods and smart watches, police said. The women fled with $50,655.33 worth of merchandise in a gray SUV, the report states. No further information has been provided. news5cleveland.com

Durham, NC: Armed man stole 65 iPhones worth $54,000+ during Durham County robbery
Authorities are looking for a suspect in a brazen cellphone store robbery in which $54,451 worth of iPhones were stolen in Durham County. The incident happened in mid-June at the AT&T store at 5431 Page Road, located just outside Durham city limits near RDU Airport, according to a search warrant from Durham police. The suspect in the June 20 robbery - in which 65 iPhones were stolen - came into the store just after 4 p.m. armed with a handgun, the warrant said. The man "racked the slide and pointed it toward employees" forcing them and a customer to all lie down on the store's floor before being ordered to go to a back office, the warrant said. "Employees were ordered to place all of the iPhones in the inventory safe into two cardboard boxes," the warrant said, adding the suspect forced a worker to help him carry the box to the getaway car. cbs17.com

DOJ: Turtle Creek Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Using Stolen Credit Cards at Area Retail Stores
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to five years of imprisonment on his conviction of identity theft offenses. Iklas Reginald Davis, age 41. Davis is currently incarcerated.

In the summer of 2017, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Allegheny County Police investigated a series of vehicles that had been broken into while parked at various entertainment venues, including the Boyce Wave Pool, the Pittsburgh Zoo and similar venues. The victims reported the theft of their credit cards and means of identification and the use of the credit cards, typically on the same day as the break-ins. Investigators secured video of Davis using and attempting to use some of the stolen credit cards at various retail establishments. The later investigation revealed that an individual named Terry Porterfield broke into the vehicles and then transferred the credit cards to Davis and others, who then used the credit cards to purchase primarily gift cards and electronic equipment. justice.gov

Tonawanda, NY: Jewelry store break in caught on tape; $3k in items stolen, $3K in damages
A Town of Tonawanda business owner is not letting a burglary get in the way of doing business. Jeremy Lupke, owner and master goldsmith at Gem Design Jewelers on Delaware Avenue, said his shop was broken into Tuesday morning. "I got a phone call at 2:36 a.m," he said, "I checked the video there's somebody in my store. The cops were on their way." Surveillance footage captured someone shattering the door and running into the shop. Lupke said the person hopped over the jewelry counter and grabbed some watches and bridal jewelry. wkbw.com

Meridian, ID: Walgreens robbery suspects arrested in Nevada
Two men are behind bars in the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in Winnemucca, Nevada, believed to have robbed a Meridian Walgreens pharmacy Monday. Police arrested Tyheir Bolden, 24, Antonio Watkins, 24, and Domonique Joyner-Hodges, 26, around 5:30pm Monday, just hours after the robbery, following a chase in Nevada ending with officers finding a significant amount of prescription drugs. When Meridian Police found out, they requested warrants be issued for Bolden for felony robbery and Watkins for felony aiding and abetting. They believe the two traveled from California and are connected to other pharmaceutical thefts that recently happened throughout Idaho. idahonews.com

Braselton, GA: Suspects using stolen credit cards target Pokemon cards
Braselton police are searching for two suspects who used a stolen credit card to purchase thousands of dollars of Pokémon cards and other merchandise from a business. The two unidentified men were captured on surveillance walking into the Inner Nerd store on Davis Street at around noon. The Braselton business opened in January. The retail space is stocked with everything from sports memorabilia, to comic books, to specialty trading cards. Reyna said the men told a store employee that they were dealers and wanted to purchase several boxes of Pokémon cards and other items. The suspects selected about $5,000 worth of the cards and other items, then paid for them with a stolen credit card. fox5atlanta.com

Watchung, NJ: Man arrested for theft of $777 in Power tools from The Home Depot

Petaluma, CA: 2 Arrested In Dick's Sporting Goods Thefts

Watertown, NY: Man arrested in connection to 5 thefts at Walmart