War of Words Between Sheriff & Retailers Over Theft Response

Sheriff Calls Out Retailers for Obstructing Anti-Theft Operations
Sacramento County sheriff accuses retailers of stymieing efforts to stop theft

Sheriff Jim Cooper this week criticized retailers Target and Walgreens, claiming the corporations stopped deputies from carrying out planned operations at their stores.

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper criticized stores and a business trade group this week on social media for stymieing efforts by deputies to stop retail theft and failing to address what he believes are lenient penalties for property crimes. Cooper said his office created operations at both Target and Walgreens locations to arrest people experiencing homelessness who are reportedly shoplifting.

At both stores, deputies' plans were halted, he said in social media posts Thursday, while adding it's a reminder that big retailers "DON'T CARE about retail theft or consumer." "We don't tell big retail how to do their jobs, they shouldn't tell us how to do ours," Cooper said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Target, which Cooper says is seeking to avoid negative press, didn't want deputies arresting people inside the store and only behind the establishment, the sheriff wrote in one of his posts. Walgreens' corporate office abruptly stopped deputies from carrying out an operation they planned with store employees, Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said in a phone interview.

"We were told they didn't want to create a scene inside the store and have people film it and put it on social media," Cooper wrote of Target. "They didn't want negative press. Unbelievable."

Cooper also criticized the California Retailers Association, which represents the interests of retailers before the state Legislature. He said his talks with the group's CEO Rachel Michelin to address Proposition 47 have failed. Prop 47, passed by voters in 2014, has drawn increased scrutiny by law enforcement for being too lenient. The referendum recategorized some nonviolent property crimes causing less than $950 in losses as misdemeanors. Criticism of Prop 47 has mounted as videos of so-called "smash and grab" robberies go viral on social media. sacbee.com  foxbusiness.com

   RELATED: Sacramento sheriff calls out Target for limits on shoplifting enforcement


Retailers Push Back After Sheriff's Criticism
Sacramento Sheriff, Walgreens go back and forth over retail theft issues
Rachel Michelin, president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, said they are working to help with the growing problem.

"We're the ones who actually moved the needle when it comes to organized retail crime and retail theft, including the $9.4 million dollars the sheriff's department got. We're the ones who did that," Michelin said.

Many stores do have rules in place that don't allow employees to chase after shoplifters. However, Michelin said that doesn't stop them from working with local law enforcement.

"I will assure everyone the California Retail Association - our members - are doing everything we can to move the needle to make sure our employees and our customers and our neighborhoods are safe. We will work with anyone, but they have to be willing to be collaborative," Michelin said.

KCRA 3 reached out to Walgreens' corporate office to find out exactly why this operation was shut down. The CRA said it was a result of miscommunication between the sheriff's office and the company.

Walgreens said in a statement that it frequently works with law enforcement in sting operations.

"Theft continues to be one of the top challenges facing retailers nationwide including Walgreens, and that's why we partner with law enforcement, elected officials and community leaders to address this issue," Walgreens said. kcra.com


Sheriff-Retailer Spat Reignites Debate Over Prop 47 Impact
Sunday Commentary: Sac Sheriff Blames Prop 47, but Retail Theft *Problem* Is Probably Not Local
Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper expressed frustration this week as they attempted to help Target with shoplifters. Cooper is blaming both the state law and also the CRA for this problem.

One person tweeted in response, "Why are you blaming retailers for the State of California's failed progressive leftist crime policies, laws, legislators and Judges?"

The question is why are state policies being blamed when Prop. 47 doesn't set the level for retail theft even above the nation average? Actual data suggests that the problem didn't emerge after Prop. 47 was passed but rather during the pandemic.

All of this suggests that Prop. 47 is probably not the culprit here and, to the extent that retail is a problem, it is national and global in scale rather than due to local California policies.

Then there is this fact that Prop. 47 did raise the felony level from $450 to $950 in California. Had it remained at $450-which was unchanged since it was set in the early 1970s, it would be the second harshest in the nation.

At $950, only nine states have a lower felony level than California. Texas and Wisconsin are at $2500. Colorado, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are at $2000. Alabama, Delaware, Georgia and Iowa are at $1500. davisvanguard.org


Coming to Grips with America's Theft Surge is No Easy Feat
Some analysts say the current theft spike is a 'return to normal' after COVID

Are fears of a shoplifting surge running away from the facts?

Retailers say they're struggling with a dramatic increase in theft, but it's surprisingly hard to tell how bad it might be.

It's becoming a mainstream worry that is contributing to fears about crime and the fate of major cities. New York City is experimenting with new ways to address shoplifting, for example, as complaints of stealing from retailers reportedly increased 77% from 2017 to 2022.

To hear some retailers explain it, an outbreak of shoplifting, and especially "organized retail theft," where merchandise is stolen en masse and resold online, is forcing them to close some stores and lock up merchandise elsewhere.

"We are living in a nation where stealing is no longer considered a crime, and those stealing are not criminals," David Johnston, the vice president of asset protection and retail operations for the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation, wrote in September.

But for all of the extreme statements, it's hard to tell if there has really been a notable increase in shoplifting nationwide. Law enforcement often does not distinguish between theft from retailers and other kinds of robbery.

The broad category of larceny, however, is lower than it was before the pandemic. The Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank, says larceny fell 7% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same time period in 2019.

How retail theft ranks in the U.S.

Dylan Carden and Phillip Blee, two analysts for the financial services firm William Blair & Co., say that on a national level, it looks like theft and other forms of inventory loss - which retailers call "shrink" - are just returning to normal after they fell to unusually low levels in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. nbcnews.com

   RELATED: Are Organized Robberies on the Rise in America?


'Too Dangerous to Work Here': Store Employees Fight Back -- in Court
New Lawsuits Emerge Amid Surge in Retail Theft
With retailers facing a new wave of organized theft, store employees on the front lines are bearing the brunt of violent and menacing behavior.

But it's an open question whether resorting to litigation will pan out for workers who seek compensation for the physical and emotional scars of being on the front lines.

A New Jersey retail manager sued The Gap, saying an epidemic of shoplifting made her feel unsafe because of what she said were inadequate security measures in the store where she worked. Wendy Toof brings claims for negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent security and constructive discharge under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.

The store where Toof worked experienced regular incidents where individuals stole large quantities of merchandise, acting in a rude and intimidating manner, throwing clothing on the floor and taunting employees, her suit said. In one instance, an assailant physically punched Toof in the chest while screaming at her and dumping clothes on the floor, according to the suit.

In an incident when individuals that Toof recognized from prior theft incidents came to the store, she sent a text message to her boss, asking permission to call the police, the suit said. But she was told she could call police only if the persons verbally abused her and ignored her request to lower their voices, the suit said.

Toof told her superiors repeatedly that she and her staff felt unsafe in the store, the suit said. At one point a guard was stationed at the store but was removed after two weeks, the suit said. At another point, there was only one working security camera in the store, and Toof asked for her bosses to install more cameras and other security measures, including a camera outside the store to capture the description and license number of cars used by thieves. But defendants failed to take corrective action, her suit claimed.

Toof eventually resigned, but her suit says she had no choice but to do so, according to her attorney, Alan Milstein of Sherman, Silverstein, Kohl, Rose & Podolsky in Moorestown. law.com


UK: 40% of Retail Theft Comes from Employees
While shoppers account for 60% of theft, 'employee theft is rapidly growing'

Theft to cost retailers £7.9bn in 2023, study finds

Among those that have seen an increase in employee theft over the past year, 70% state they've seen an increase in organised crime in DCs

It has been forecast that retail theft will cost UK retailers £7.9bn this year, according to new research by Thruvision Group plc and Retail Economics.

Thruvision, a provider of walk-through security technology, and Retail Economics stated that shoppers account for 60% of the value of the theft (£4.7bn) while employees, working in distribution centres (DCs), distribution and stores, account for 40% (£3.2bn).

Theft in DCs is the employee crime that is under-reported by retailers with some 42.6% (£1.4bn) of the total employee theft from DCs.

Meanwhile, around two thirds of retailers interviewed believe that over the past decade the opportunity for crime in DCs has accelerated.

In addition, there are also structural shifts in the labour market impacting crime, with half (50.9%) of retailers considering a reliance on temporary staff as a key driver of theft.

Retailers grappling with current vacancies rely on a transient workforce. Although minimum wages have increased in recent years, there is a perception of declining job satisfaction as the intensity of work changes and greater sickness in the labour force impacts full-time work.

Among those that have seen an increase in employee theft over the past year, 70% state they've seen an increase in organised crime in DCs.

Colin Evans, chief executive of Thruvision, said: "That employee theft is a rapidly growing problem is not a surprise, but the scale of financial losses suffered by UK retailers in their distribution centres really is. What is even more surprising is that so few retailers seem to be prepared to deal with this very serious problem when proven technology solutions exist - only one in six retailers are investing in detection and deterrence technology to solve Distribution Centre theft.  retailsector.co.uk


Retailer Files Theft Incident Report in Bulk Amid Crime Rise
Experts discuss organized retail crime trends
Lowes in Warren had so many incidents they waited until the end of the month to file their reports in bulk rather than make regular trips to the police department.

Although it may seem like it's on the rise, CNBC's Gabrielle Fonrouge, who worked on a series exploring retail theft nationally, believes the reality is less clear. "When you break down the statistics and crime stats, you're not actually seeing that come out," Fonrouge said.

One reason for the perceived increase may be that there has been an increase in violence along with these thefts. The National Retail Federation says 88% of retailers reported shoplifters being more aggressive and violent compared to years ago.

Ohio Council of Retail Merchants' Alex Boehnke, attributes the uptick of retail theft violence to taking advantage of a retailers hands off approach.

"The consequences are lacking at times for these types of thefts. Response times may be delayed and retailers are not going to put their associates in harms way." Boehnke said. wfmj.com


The View from the Left: Putting the Myth of a Shoplifting Crisis to Rest

In Case You Missed It: U.S. Shoplifting Rate Down As Some Cities See Spikes

Canada's Jeffrey Epstein - Retail Founder & CEO Convicted
Nygard was a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein

Peter Nygard convicted of four counts of sexual assault
Nygard has been in jail since December 2020.

Five women testified the ex-fashion mogul sexually assaulted them inside his former Toronto headquarters. Nygard is still facing sexual assault and other criminal charges in Montreal, Winnipeg and New York. His Montreal trial is scheduled for next July.

After disgraced ex-fashion mogul Peter Nygard was convicted by a Toronto jury on Sunday of four counts of sexual assault, one of his victims declared, "We did this for everyone, not only for ourselves."

Nygard, 82, showed no emotion in court Sunday as he stood to hear the verdicts, which the jury delivered after hearing nearly six weeks of evidence. The jurors acquitted Nygard of sexually assaulting the only complainant in the case whom he admitted knowing, and also found him not guilty of unlawful confinement in relation to one of the other four complainants.

The Finland-born, Winnipeg-raised Nygard founded what would become Nygard International in 1967. Once the largest manufacturer of women's clothing in Canada, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as Nygard came under criminal investigation, first in the U.S. and then in Canada.

Four of the five women in the Toronto case are also involved in a class-action lawsuit in the United States against Nygard, in which 57 women made allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking. The lawsuit was put on pause until further notice in 2020, with the reasons sealed, meaning the information is not publicly accessible.

Most of the incidents allegedly occurred at Nygard's mansion on Lyford Cay in the Caribbean paradise. And most of the alleged victims were young "impoverished" Bahamian girls.

According to Manhattan prosecutor Audrey Strauss Nygard has been using his wealth and position in the fashion industry to "recruit and maintain" victims in the US, Canada and the Bahamas. Nygard allegedly had a criminal network similar to Epstein’s in which he exploited both underage girls and young women, then sold them off to his wealthy friends.

In many cases, Nygard and his friends drugged their victims. They also specifically targeted victims from disadvantaged backgrounds who were less difficult to isolate from their families or friends.

According to the indictment Nygard’s company hosted "Pamper Parties" at his properties in Marina del Rey in California and the Bahamas, where many of the victims were forced to engage in sexual activity with his wealthy associates.

He also waged a relentless intimidation campaign against any of the victims who went public with accusations against him, threatening to sue them, destroy their reputations, and even have them arrested. thestar.com  eraoflight.com

The Full Story - Nygard Was in Fact Canada's Jeffrey Epstein | Continue Reading

Amazon Produced a 3 Episode Series: Evil By Design: Exposing Peter Nygard


The 2023 Security Benchmark Report

This year's report offers security leaders insights into how they and their peers have matured their programs' role, technology, training and budget over the last year.

Security magazine is excited to present The 2023 Security Benchmark Report, an editorial initiative that collects self-reported data from enterprise security programs across the globe and a wide range of market sectors to determine trends in security roles, responsibilities, technology, training and budget.

The 2023 Security Benchmark Report is comprised of:

• Main Report, which includes data across all respondents and sectors they represent.

• Sector Reports, which include data broken down by sector.

• The 2023 Benchmark Achievers, a section which showcases a number of security programs excelling in training, technology, new initiatives and crisis management.

• Benchmark Leader Profiles, which provide an inside look into two enterprise security programs and their accomplishments in the past year.

The Security Benchmark Report is an editorial initiative that collects and reports on self-reported data from security leaders who are responsible, at least in part, for physical security in their organization. securitymagazine.com


Retail VP of AP Recognized as '2023 Security Benchmark Leader'

'Cross-Functional Partnership' Key to Successful Retail Security Program
The 2023 Security Benchmark Leaders - Chico's FAS, Inc.

A Holistic Approach to Corporate Security

Chico's FAS, Inc. (Chico's), a Florida-based fashion company founded in 1983, operates 1,258 stores in the U.S. and sells merchandise through its digital channels, 58 international franchise locations in Mexico and two domestic franchise locations in airports.

To maintain an effective security program in an organization that size, it is important to tailor the strategy to fit the location, says Joe Biffar, Vice President, Asset Protection, Facilities and HQ Operations at Chico's FAS, Inc.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Biffar believes the threat of workplace violence has significantly increased for companies operating in the retail space. Workplace violence threats can range from a customer incident at a store, organized retail crime group, or an employee's personal life impacting the business, such as a domestic violence issue.

To that end, Biffar adds that Chico's security program is driven by a cross-functional team partnering with Human Resources, Associate Relations and Legal.

"I truly believe this cross-functional partnership is really what makes our program successful," he says.

HURRICANE IAN

Part of an effective corporate strategy includes emergency preparation and response plans for severe weather, which, for Chico's, include hurricanes. Biffar says preparedness for the company is a year-long effort, even though hurricane season only runs from June through end of November.

STRONG SECURITY POSTURE

In order to maintain an effective security posture, Biffar emphasizes the importance of breaking down the security silo and looking for development opportunities in areas like leadership and soft skills across the whole organization. securitymagazine.com


Workers Rally for 24/7 Security, Better Wages
Waffle House workers are demanding a $25 hourly wage and 24/7 security to protect them from the 'constant threat' of violence

They're also demanding 24/7 security and an end to mandatory meal deductions regardless of whether staff eat during their shift.

Waffle House workers are demanding a $25 minimum hourly wage and constant security in restaurants. Workers rallied outside the company's headquarters in Norcross, Georgia on Wednesday to demand the changes. The Union of Southern Service Workers, which is supported by the Service Employees International Union, is organizing Waffle House workers.

The USSW said that Waffle House's response to Wednesday's rally showed that the company "doesn't care about its workers." The southern chain is well-known for keeping its nearly 2,000 locations open 24/7, even during natural disasters so severe that restaurants don't have access to electricity and running water.

But its restaurants have developed a reputation as a hotbed for violence, including from intoxicated customers, in part because they're open throughout the night. USSW member Jessica Gantt in South Carolina said at a previous strike that during her 24 years at Waffle House she'd experienced two robberies and "had guns in my face."

Workers are demanding that Waffle House provides 24-hour security, lets staff get involved in creating a safety plan for their store that includes natural disasters, replaces mandatory meal deductions with the option for staff to purchase discounted shift meals, and raises wages to $25 an hour for all servers, cooks, and workers. businessinsider.com


Import cargo volume winding down as holidays approach
With most imported holiday season merchandise already here, inbound cargo volume at the nation's major container ports is expected to slow during the remainder of 2023.

Will JOANN Facing Bankruptcy Be the End for the Retailer?
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Senior Manager AP job posted for the Walt Disney Company in Glendale, CA
You will lead and manage North America processes and programs to protect company assets, people and brand. Our mission for this role is to provide an operational focus on workplace and physical security programs, profit protection and investigations. You will report to the Consumer Products, Games and Publishing Executive Director, Global Asset Protection and Safety. jobs.disneycareers.com
 

Last week's #1 article --

San Francisco DA is Waging War on Retail Criminals
'Brazen retail theft is over,' declares DA Jenkins after jury convicts burglar
A San Francisco jury convicted a man of burglary for a 2021 smash-and-grab incident at a Market Street Walgreens, prosecutors said Thursday. Daron Wilson, 23, faces up to three years and eight months in state prison, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 30.

"The era of consequence-free-smash-and-grabs and brazen retail theft is over," District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. "This jury's verdict sends a loud and clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated and that those who seek to engage in this conduct will be held accountable and face consequences. My office takes these cases seriously and will prosecute them accordingly."

In a separate case, on Oct. 16, Jenkins announced felony burglary charges against five suspects in connection with a mass retail theft scheme that targeted a Walgreens store on the 900 block of Geneva Avenue in October.  sfchronicle.com

Serious Retail Ransomware Breaches Drop 10%
But are retailers still losing the battle against ransomware?

Three-Quarters of Retail Ransomware Attacks End in Encryption
The share of global retailers hit by a serious ransomware breach over the past 12 months fell nearly 10 percentage points year-on-year (YoY), but just 26% were able to disrupt an attack before data was encrypted, according to Sophos.

The security vendor polled 355 IT and cybersecurity leaders in retail organizations with between 100 and 5000 employees to produce its report, The State of Ransomware in Retail 2023.

Although the percentage of breached retailers dropped from 77% last year to 69% in this year's report, the share of respondents able to prevent encryption dropped from 34% in 2021 and 28% in 2022.

The impact on affected businesses is clear: the share of retailers able to recover from an attack in less than a day decreased from 15% in 2022 to 9% this year, while the percentage that took more than a month to recover increased from 17% to 21% over the same period.

Chester Wisniewski, director, global field CTO, Sophos, argued that retailers are losing the battle against ransomware.

"Ransomware criminals have been encrypting increasingly greater percentages of their retail victims in the last three years, as evidenced by the steadily declining rate of retailers stopping cyber-criminal attacks in progress," he added.

"Retailers must up their defensive game by setting up security that detects and responds to intrusions earlier in the attack chain."

The report also had some compelling evidence that organizations should follow the advice of governments and security agencies and never pay their extorters. infosecurity-magazine.com


1.3M Impacted by Data Breach
An entire state's population just had its data stolen by a ransomware group
It's not everyday that roughly the entire population of a U.S. state gets their data stolen by online thieves. But, according to the state of Maine, that's what happened this year.

In a new notice posted on Maine's official state government website, 1.3 million residents have had their data stolen due to a vulnerability in a tool used by the state. The breach was first discovered on May 31 of this year. It is believed that a notorious ransomware group is behind the attack.

Again, 1.3 million individuals are affected in this data breach. Maine has over 1.3 million residents according to the 2022 U.S. Census.

According to the notice, the data breach occurred between May 28 and May 29 of this year. Cyber criminals took advantage of a "software vulnerability" in a third-party file transfer tool known as MOVEit. The state says that this tool is "used by thousands of entities worldwide to send and receive data." During that period, an exploit in the tool was weaponized by a cybercriminal group which was able to download swaths of data from multiple state government agencies. mashable.com


DDoS Attacks Hitting ChatGPT
ChatGPT: OpenAI Attributes Regular Outages to DDoS Attacks

ChatGPT and the associated APIs have been affected by regular outages, citing DDoS attacks as the reason - the Anonymous Sudan group claimed responsibility.

The popular generative AI application ChatGPT experienced recurring outages this week on both the ChatGPT interface and the associated API, according to its own status page.

The company attributed the recurring disruptions to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack resulting in high error rates in the API and ChatGPT itself, and said that it's undertaking a series of countermeasures to get the service back up and running.

The company reported the first major outage on November 8, and has since reported the problem has been "identified and resolved," without going into further detail. "The incident has been resolved and status of our services have returned to normal," the status page noted. darkreading.com


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Chinese multinational bank hit by ransomware