Evan Edwards promoted to Senior Corporate Investigator - Investigative Intelligence for Lowe's
Prior to his promotion to Senior Corporate Investigator - Investigative Intelligence, Evan spent nearly six years in various positions with Lowe's. His first position with the company was Loss Prevention & Safety Specialist, which he held from 2013 to 2015. He then spent over three years with Lowe's as a Loss Prevention & Safety Manager. Before being promoted, Evan held the position of Online Fraud Investigator. Congratulations, Evan!

Detex-Partner DSI Wins Security Today's 'New Product of the Year' Award for Anti-Tailgating Entrance Device
Security Today magazine, the leading industry media brand providing technology, education and solutions for security professionals, and securitytoday.com, the preeminent editorial website for the security industry, recently announced the winners of the Security Today 2018 New Product of the Year Award.

The New Product of the Year Award honors the outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers whose products are considered particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve security.

Designed Security, Inc., was named the Pedestrian Security Entrances winner with the ES5600 Entry Sentry with Voice. Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below.


STANLEY Security Achieves SOC 2 Certification for Sixth Consecutive Year
STANLEY Security, a leading global manufacturer and integrator of comprehensive security solutions for a wide range of industries, has successfully achieved Service Organization Control (SOC 2®) certification for its platform for the sixth year in a row. The auditing procedure is governed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and speaks to the controls STANLEY Security has in place to manage critical data with proper disciplines and greater transparency, giving customers the confidence in the ability of STANLEY to manage their sensitive information.

SOC 2 is an auditing procedure for non-financial data that ensures proper management, protection and access of the security provider's data while verifying the quality and integrity of related processes. STANLEY was measured against over a hundred different control points in the 2018 SOC 2 report. stanleysecuritysolutions.com

Here Comes the 1st Lawsuit After Sr. Mgt. Sexual Harassment Firings
Lululemon Board Ignored Toxic Work Culture, Investor Says
In a Delaware Chancery Court derivative complaint made public Wednesday, an investor in exercise apparel maker Lululemon Athletica Inc. said the company's board ignored the behavior of its former CEO, creating a toxic work environment to the detriment of the company's financial position and reputation.

In the complaint filed a week ago, shareholder David Shabbouei alleges former CEO Laurent Potdevin fostered a "boys' club culture" at the company's upper management levels that promoted bullying, sexual harassment and gender discrimination while alleging the board of directors did nothing to prevent the ongoing pattern of toxic behavior.

The suit claims that after Potdevin resigned as CEO and chairman of the board in February for falling short of the company's standards of conduct, media reports revealed deeper cultural problems, with many women denied promotions to leadership positions while other women involved in romantic relationships with Potdevin and other high-level executives at Lululemon were given such opportunities. law360.com

After Months of 'Empty Gestures' From LAPD, Family of Trader Joe's Manager Killed in Police Shootout Sues to Get Answers
The family of a Silver Lake Trader Joe's store manager killed by police gunfire during a shootout between officers and a fleeing suspect filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday seeking not only damages for the woman's death, but also answers about the circumstances of the deadly shooting.

Melyda Corado, 27, was working her shift at the grocery store on Hyperion Avenue on July 21 when a police pursuit of a man accused of shooting his grandmother in South L.A. and taking a young woman hostage ended up in front of the business.

Too many questions remain about the incident, despite promises from the Los Angeles Police Department and Chief Michel Moore of a transparent investigation, said Ron Rosengarten, one of the attorneys representing the Corado family. ktla.com

In Case U.S. Readers Missed It in Vector's Canadian Connections
Toronto Shoplifting Up 51% Since 2014
Toronto's Non-Violent 1st Time Shoplifters Under $1k NOT Prosecuted

This year, Toronto had 16,667 shoplifting incidents reported to Toronto police as of Oct. 30. Up 51% from 2014.

First-time shoplifters will no longer be prosecuted in two of Toronto's busiest police divisions as part of a six month pilot project that, if successful, will go citywide.

The program - called Shop Theft - allows privately employed theft prevention officers to release an accused non-violent shoplifter after the details of the incident are called in to a division, as opposed to waiting - sometimes for hours - for police to answer the low-priority calls. As long as they meet certain criteria - they must be 18 years of age or older, the items they are accused of stealing are worth less than $1,000 and they have identification.

Accused shoplifters who are released through Shop Theft won't be charged, although police reserve the right to later.

The new procedures could lead to an increase in the number of accused shoplifters, says a U.S. academic, and to the increased use of a controversial practice by retailers called civil demand recovery letters, which threaten legal action if the accused doesn't pay hundreds of dollars in punitive damages, even when the items are retrieved.

Peel Regional police have run a shop theft release program with large chain retailers since 1997. The program has been a success, says Sgt. Mike Lockington, who is in charge of crime prevention for Peel Regional police.

"It's great for the stores because they gain efficiencies," he says. "They're able to have faster turnover, so their loss prevention officers are able to get back on the floor, protecting the property in their retail store." "The less of a drain on resources for police the better and the same for the retailers." thestar.com

C-Stores Combat Human Trafficking
"One-hundred girls are already sold a night in Atlanta"
More retailers are becoming a safe harbor for victims of this vastly unreported crime.

Convenience stores are realizing the power they have in joining forces to fight human trafficking.

"The business community, like government and churches, has only recently started to take on the effort. It's wonderful from a comprehensive standpoint because we need all eyes and ears possible," said Bill Cronin, commissioner at the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking in Florida.

Cronin noted traffickers and victims often frequent c-stores. Red flags might include someone repeatedly buying large orders of first-aid kits, tampons or food orders, or a big group of women who come in to eat daily, but don't talk.

Selling single cigarettes, drug paraphernalia or single cold beers can inspire traffickers to set up shop near your store and use it for food and supplies, Cronin said. "The trafficking industry is very transient. They will go where it's easiest to make money and has the least amount of obstacles."

IN OUR BACKYARD
Clipper Petroleum, based in Flowery Branch, Ga., has partnered with the national anti-human-trafficking non-profit, In Our Backyard, which has developed the program Convenience Stores Against Trafficking (CSAT). The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores and the National Association of Convenience Stores, among others, have also partnered with the organization.

Minority Drivers Sue Amazon Over Background Check Policy
Amazon Inc. was hit with a proposed class action from black and Latino delivery drivers in Massachusetts state court Thursday alleging the company's policy of terminating drivers who don't meet background history requirements regardless of their performance is racially discriminatory.

The drivers said the policy results in the systematic firing of qualified black and Latino drivers and removes talented employees from the workforce. The drivers brought their suit on behalf of all black and Latino people who were hired to make deliveries in Massachusetts and terminated within the three years preceding the complaint because of the company's background check policies and practices. law360.com

Are retailers better off going cashless?
The foodservice and retail industries appear headed to a cashless future and, while proponents suggest that doing so will help businesses cut cash handling costs and reduce losses due to theft, it may also leave groups of consumers without a way to purchase goods and services.

The move to cashless transactions got its start in restaurants a few years ago, USA Today reports, and has since shifted to retail locations, as well. Cashless stores and restaurants will make up between 40 and 50 percent of all establishments within the next 15 years, according to an IHL Group forecast.

Retailers and other businesses, including Amazon, The Bar Method, Bonobos, Casper Mattress, Drybar, Indochino, Everlane and Reformation, currently operate physical locations that do not provide customers the option of paying by cash.

While consumers and retailers may like the ease of using non-cash forms of payment, particularly as more make use of mobile wallet technology, the concern is that merchants will discriminate against unbanked customers.

Legislation was proposed in New York City this week that would ban the practice of refusing cash as payment. Ritchie Torres, the city councilman from the 15th district in the Bronx who introduced the legislation, claims that cashless stores discriminate against poor people, many of whom are minorities.

"On the surface, cashlessness seems benign, but when you reflect on it, the insidious racism that underlies a cashless business model becomes clear," Mr. Torres told Grub Street. "In some ways, making a card a requirement for consumption is analogous to making identification a requirement for voting. The effect is the same: It disempowers communities of color."

The Guardian reports that studies have found 12 percent of New York City residents do not have bank accounts.

The state of Massachusetts has a ban on cashless stores, although a separate Guardian report claims it is rarely enforced. Legislators in New Jersey have also considered a similar ban. retailwire.com

How the G20 Summit Might Affect Security Technology
The G20 summit is coming to Argentina on Friday, and this could mean big news for the security industry, as President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet regarding the ongoing trade war between the two countries.

The U.S. and China have been going tit for tat imposing tariffs on one another, with Donald Trump telling the Wall Street Journal as recently as Monday that he may impose tariffs on an additional $267 billion of Chinese imports if no deal is reached. Tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods are already set to increase from 10 to 25 percent on Jan. 1.

The Security Industry Association has identified 29 categories within the list of products seeing an increase in tariffs that could negatively affect the global security industry.

Some products facing this 25 percent tariff increase that the SIA has pointed out as affecting the security industry are electronic burglar and fire alarms, control panels, automatic data processing machines, audio technology, copper, lead-acid storage batteries, video surveillance cameras and door hardware. It is essentially impossible to run a security business without these components, and incredibly complicated for smaller companies to switch suppliers to avoid the tariff impact. sdmmag.com

Sears Workers, Galvanized by Toys 'R' Us, Ask for Bankruptcy Assurances
Employees of Sears Holdings Corp., inspired by the hardship fund for workers affected by the collapse of Toys "R" Us Inc., are asking Chairman Eddie Lampert and the firms involved in the chain's bankruptcy to preserve jobs and stores as well as guarantee severance pay and pensions.

"While we understand that Sears and Kmart must make changes to survive, we do not believe it is fair that financial firms stand to profit from Sears's bankruptcy while employees like us are asked to sacrifice," the workers said in a letter addressed to Lampert. It was signed by 62 current and former employees.

Sears says it has no plans to liquidate after filing for Chapter 11 court protection in October, but it has been closing stores and cutting jobs as part of that process. It's still working to keep several hundred outlets alive as part of Lampert's plan to buy the company out of bankruptcy. Sears has lost billions of dollars since Lampert combined the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company with Kmart in 2005. bloomberg.com

Earthquake hits near Anchorage, Alaska, triggering tsunami warning
Stores damaged
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Alaska Friday, the United States Geological Survey said. The quake, which hit about eight miles north of Anchorage, prompted authorities to declare a tsunami warning.Videos posted to social media showed students taking shelter under their desks and grocery store items knocked to the floor from shelves. nbcnews.com cbsnews.com


Quarterly Results
Guess Q3 comp's America's up 3%, wholesales revenue up 15.5%, net revenue up 10.3%