Face Forward With Facial Recognition:
Privacy, convenience and security battle it out
Many smartphone users are familiar with facial recognition, which they use a million times a day to access their devices. While that may be one of the more obvious uses, the technology has other applications.

Facial recognition technology is becoming a fixed part of some public infrastructure, requiring more high-definition cameras and lighting focused on and around doorways and gates. Some iterations of the technology got started with border control and at airports as a way to identify people. The technology is increasingly prevalent and sometimes controversial as it makes inroads into retail stores and stadiums.

Biometrics and privacy concerns

In facial recognition, cameras typically leverage a biometric software application to verify or identify a person's facial features against a database. Other biometrics include iris recognition and fingerprints. However, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, facial recognition is the fastest and most accurate in real-life scenarios, where people are presented in a variety of angles and change with age.

Retail to target shrink

Banking is not the only industry using facial recognition to beat crime and fraud. Some stores are turning to facial recognition to identify suspicious individuals, whether they are casual opportunists or linked to organized crime.

In fact, with cameras already deployed at entrance and exit points, many stores have made a fairly seamless transition to including facial recognition in their surveillance. The system can quickly identify someone connected with previous theft, especially if it took place at that store.

"It's clear that RFID and facial recognition each have very bright futures ahead of them. Many retailers will want to use these two solutions in combination, since doing so will positively impact the monetary value and success rate of cases that proceed to prosecution," Marshall Kay, director of retail transformation services at Avery Dennison Smartrac, Mentor, Ohio, said.

Replacing some manual security

Store associates can't always have their eyes on the front door. And expecting a human to recognize all the known offenders among thousands of store customers is an impossible task, said Dara Riordan, president and COO of tech company FaceFirst, Austin, Texas.

Companies such as FaceFirst create probable matches and send notifications for individuals who have been enrolled into the retailer's private, curated database of known offenders. ecmag.com


How to Respond to Retail Crime
C-Store Leaders Discuss the Evolution of Theft & How to Fight It

C-store industry leaders discuss how retail theft is evolving, and what retailers need to know going forward.

Fighting back against retail crime is no small feat in the c-store industry - it requires attention, a plan of action and thorough training of employees. To dive deeper into what c-store retailers are facing today, CStore Decisions Editor-in-Chief Erin Del Conte sat down with industry experts in an exclusive webinar.

Panelists in attendance included Kristy Clement, loss prevention manager at Walters-Dimmick Petroleum, and David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation (NRF).

To kick things off, Johnston talked about the evolving nature of theft, which has increased coming out of COVID. Some of these new tactics, according to Johnston, include brazen smash-and-grabs and mob thefts.

Clement noted that while incidents of theft are up and evolving, Walters-Dimmick has not seen a notable uptick in violence, which she mentioned she is trying to get ahead of in case it begins to follow industry trends in the future. To do this, Clement said it is important that the crimes are reported and cataloged.

A lot of this information can come as a result of proper training - managers need to not only be aware of potential theft, but they need to be trained to actively try to combat it in a variety of ways.

Johnston agreed that training is essential for loss prevention, but another tactic that can be helpful is technology.

The panelists covered a wide range of other topics, including surveillance, artificial intelligence (AI), RFID chips, body cameras and much more.

To download the full webinar, click here. cstoredecisions.com


California's Progress Against Retail Theft Makes More Headlines
California Announces Retail Crime Crackdown Progress
California continues its crackdown on organized retail crime with 621 investigations statewide so far in 2024, leading to 1,123 arrests and $8.1 million worth of stolen goods recovered.

The state's Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF), led by California's Highway Patrol, recovered more than $300,000 of stolen items in September 2024 alone, according to a press release from California Governor Gavin Newsom's office.

Newsom has made combatting retail crime a priority for his current term, especially after high-profile spikes in retail crime across major Californian cities contributed to stores shuttering and perceptions of higher personal risk in urban centers.

The state distributed $267 million to 55 law enforcement agencies in California in 2023 to address organized retail crime.

"These funds have enabled cities and counties to hire more police, make more arrests, and secure more felony charges against suspects," the press release said. "In just the first six months of the grant cycles, local law enforcement agencies that received the grants reported more than 6,900 arrests for retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and cargo theft offenses."

Meanwhile, in August, Newsom signed into law 10 new bills designed to make it easier to catch, prosecute, and punish property theft offenders.

In addition, AB 2943 expands probable cause, enabling law enforcement to arrest individuals based on sworn statements from eyewitnesses, video surveillance footage showing a person shoplifting or committing another crime, or possessing "a quantity of goods inconsistent with personal use and the goods bear security devices affixed by a retailer that would customarily be removed upon purchase."  asisonline.org


Retail Theft Task Forces Continue to Make Progress
MPD: Cordova area sees 60% increase in retail theft arrests with the help of retail theft taskforce
A task force in one Memphis police precinct is making a major impact on retail theft with the help of business owners. Command staff at the Appling Farms station say enough is enough when it comes to retail theft in their precinct.

"The word is getting out that in Appling Farms station, if you come and steal, that we will catch you," said Sergeant Vaughn Brown.

Major Byron Braxton says arrests for retail thefts in the Cordova area are up 60% since last year.

They credit it to the Appling Farms station's Retail Theft Taskforce and their Retail Theft Collaborative with area businesses.

"We are out there, and we're making a big difference," said Sergeant Brown. "Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Shoplifting is hurting all of us. It makes products, the prices go up. Not only are we seeing increased prices, but we have businesses thinking about leaving. That's crucial to our city and to the economy in our city to keep these businesses here."

More than 50 businesses with 160 loss prevention representatives, officers and managers are in constant communication with police about thefts in the area.

At a collaborative meeting Tuesday, Sergeant Brown said they've handled 1,500 cases this year alone and says sharing pictures and information on thefts can eventually lead to arrests, prosecution, and at times, banning shoplifters from businesses altogether. actionnews5.com


Gift Card Scams Surging
Santa Clara County DA: Be wary of store-bought gift cards
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is warning the public about a gift card scam. Think twice about purchasing store-bought gift cards.

Organized criminal networks steal gift cards, tamper with them, and put the doctored cards back on the rack for consumers to buy. After the gift cards are purchased and loaded with funds, the culprits deplete the funds.

Experts say that the scheme is rising as we approach the holiday gift giving season. To raise awareness, the DA's Office has released a short public service announcement that can be used by the media or public.

Americans spend about $230 billion on gift card purchases annually. "Please be cautious about buying gift cards from stands or shelves at stores," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "You could inadvertently be giving a thief a gift this holiday season."  da.santaclaracounty.gov


Proposition 36: The Right Solution?
Ten years ago, California voters passed Proposition 47 which classified certain crimes as misdemeanors that had theretofore been charged as felonies. In recent years, media coverage suggests an uptick in property crime for which some law enforcement groups have long-blamed proposition 47.

Is the perception of a surge in crime fair, or has crime remained near historic lows? For that matter, has the increase in property crime in San Francisco or Oakland different from what we see throughout rest of the country?

Proposition 36 is being offered in response, purporting to address three of our largest hot-button issues: property crime, the opiate crisis and homelessness. Some, such as former California Senate President Darryl Steinberg, have called into question whether Proposition 36 offers the right solution to these problems; others, including the San Francisco Police Officers Association have pointed to their increased use of technology and dramatic drops in such property crimes as auto burglary. Governor Newsom has commented that the surge in organized retail theft was not only not common at the time proposition 47 was passed, but would never have been affected by proposition 47, that is, those large thefts remain chargeable as felonies. kalw.org


New retail crime laws set to take effect in California

Retail Shrink and ORC: Expert Roundtable Shares Strategies To Combat Retail Theft
 

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Watches worth almost $100k stolen from King of Prussia Mall
Nearly $100,000 in luxury items gone in less than 20 seconds as the search for suspected burglars continues a week later. Both men were seen walking into the Breitling Watch store at the King of Prussia Mall around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday. Police say one man pulled a hammer from his pocket to smash the glass cases, while the other grabbed several high-end watches. The entire burglary took less than 20 seconds, and was worth approximately $93,000. Police are asking for the public's help to identify the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Upper Merion Police Department. fox29.com


Shoplifting suspects identified in Athens linked to $25,000 in Walmart thefts
An Athens-Clarke police officer has identified two shoplifting suspects who are believed to have stolen more than $25,000 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in at least two states. The investigation stemmed from a shoplifting on Sept. 24 at the Walmart on Lexington Road, where a man and woman were able to leave with a cart full of merchandise valued at $688. The South Carolina residents visited Athens in a rented Dodge Caravan, but Sgt. Nathaniel Franco was able to take a surveillance video and see that it carried a North Carolina license plate, according to the report. Using this information, Franco obtained FLOCK camera footage information that showed a similar van had been driven in numerous areas of north Georgia on that same day. onlineathens.com


Two charged for 'organized' thefts from Johnson County CVS Pharmacies
The two suspects accused of robbing a series of CVS Pharmacies in Johnson County are part of an organized retail theft ring, court documents unsealed Wednesday say. Janeta S. Buzdugan, 24, and Serafim Hornea, 31, are both charged with three counts of organized retail theft and three counts of theft of merchandise greater than $750, both Level 6 felonies; one count of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Level 6 felony; and one count of resisting law enforcement as a Class A misdemeanor. Hornea, also known as Albert Lionte, additionally faces a single charge of leaving the scene of an accident, a Class B misdemeanor. The Johnson County Prosecutor's Office announced the charges against them Wednesday. Buzdugan and Hornea allegedly committed thefts at CVS Pharmacy stores in Greenwood, Bargersville and Whiteland over the last few months. The two suspects were apprehended after a vehicle pursuit resulting in a crash of their vehicle, and then also a pursuit on foot where Buzdugan was apprehended quickly. Hornea was apprehended only after a perimeter was established and K-9 units were deployed to find Hornea, who was hiding in a New Whiteland neighborhood, prosecutors say. dailyjournal.net

 
2 charged with organized retail thefts across Nashville
Two people are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from stores across Nashville. According to court documents, 39-year-old Jeremy Bryan and 35-year-old Brandy Lukowski stole electronics, beauty supplies and six Cricut machines from the Target on White Bridge Road on 10 occasions over three weeks this summer. The two are accused of then selling the stolen items for a profit. Metro police reported Bryan and Lukowski are connected to thefts at Hobby Lobby, Walgreens, Bass Pro Shops, Ace Hardware, Home Depot and Costco. Bryan and Lukowski were taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Metro jail on felony retail theft charges. Bryan's bond was set at $45,000 while Lukowski's is $20,000. wkrn.com