FBI Credible Threat Alert
Threats on the U.S. Power Grid Could Upend Final Holiday Shopping Days

Law enforcement sources say they received a memo from the FBI warning them about attacks to power stations in various parts of the U.S.

Authorities in Georgia and the North West have confirmed attacks on their power grids in recent days. The FBI is warning that this may be a nationwide organized attempt to disrupt our country during the busy shopping days and Christmas holidays.

There have been at least two shootings at electric power facilities in North and South Carolina. Both were intended to disable electricity and damage the power grid. Over the weekend, in Moore County North Carolina, the shooter was successful and put 45,000 people in the dark. Repairs are still underway there.

The FBI, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement continue to investigate.

In Ridgeway South Carolina, about two hours away from the first shooting, a man, in a pickup truck stopped his vehicle and pulled out a long gun yesterday, and began shooting at a Duke Energy facility which is a Wateree Hydro Station. After firing multiple rounds at the power facility, the driver sped off. Several Duke Energy employees witnessed the event. No one was injured. No outages were reported.

In January, a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security warned that domestic violent extremists "have developed credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020, identifying the electric grid as a particularly attractive target."   king5.com

ORC is 'Spreading Faster Than COVID' - Like a Wildfire
Former Home Depot CEO warns organized retail theft an 'epidemic' that's 'spreading faster than COVID'

Walmart the latest retail giant to warn that rising theft could close stores

As big-name retailers like Walmart and Home Depot warn of rising retail thefts this holiday season, two experts are predicting the surge "only escalates from here" into an "epidemic."

"Today, this thing is an epidemic. It's spreading faster than COVID," former chairman and CEO of Chrysler and Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli said on "Fox & Friends" Thursday. "The degree of severity now, it's not just theft, it's smash and grab. There's an entitlement out there that if you have it, you've worked hard to earn it. I want it. I'm just going to take it."

"It's not so much the numbers, although the numbers are alarming, it's the manner in which this is going on and the implications for each community and each store that this happens in," business analyst and 7 Stage Advisors President Carl Gould had noted on "Cavuto: Coast to Coast" Wednesday. "That's where the major problem is, because this type of crime emboldens other types of crime, and it only escalates from here."

During an appearance on CNBC Tuesday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said theft is "higher than what it has historically been." He explained Walmart has safety and security measures "that we've put in place by store location" to help combat the issue.

Walmart joins the growing list of retailers feeling the wrath of raging theft and crime across the nation ahead of the holiday shopping season. Drugstore companies like Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens have publicly cited shoplifting concerns, as well as retailers such as Kroger, Target and Best Buy.

The Home Depot also recently expressed it was "outraged" when an elderly worker died after being shoved during a store theft in North Carolina this fall. While former Home Depot CEO Nardelli called the tragedy "very, very unfortunate" and "sad," he put the onus on the Biden administration to get a hold on rising crime.  foxbusiness.com

The Grinch That Stole Christmas: Retail Crime
Retail crime threatens to steal holiday spirit, but Congress can fix that
For many retailers, the holiday spirit is once again being soured by an uptick in organized retail crime — professional-scale robberies involving multiple bad actors that can span cities or even states. While shops across the country are bulking up security measures in anticipation of increased activity, it's already a longstanding issue for many merchants.

Take a look at companies such as Rite Aid, which lost an additional $5 million last year to retail theft. Or Target, which just revealed that inventory shrinkage has reduced its gross profit margin by $400 million so far in 2022 compared to 2021— a number that is likely to escalate to $600 million, according to its chief financial officer Michael Fiddelke.

These crime rings are getting more sophisticated and increasingly turning to the internet to sell their high volume of stolen goods, expanding their access to an unsuspecting consumer community that spans the globe.

A pervasive problem such as this warrants a speedy, federal solution that can halt organized retail crime in its tracks. Thankfully, the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act could help deliver meaningful retail relief for consumers and businesses alike before the end of this year.

If passed, the INFORM Consumers Act would ensure that online platforms universally verify the identity of high-volume, third-party sellers to prevent nefarious actors from operating online. This could effectively kick organized retail crime rings off the internet, while still empowering honest entrepreneurs to reach new markets and customers via e-commerce.

A political rarity in Washington, the INFORM Consumers Act is a bipartisan bill that just passed the House by an overwhelming majority. Although that shouldn't come as a surprise, the legislation has garnered praise from unlikely bedfellows, including online marketplaces, brick-and-mortar retailers, law enforcement agencies and consumer advocacy groups. thehill.com

The Growing Importance of Active Shooter Training
Training Aims to Prevent Workplace Shootings
Mass shootings have become more common across the country in recent years, making it even more critical for employers to ensure that their workplaces are safe and that workers understand how to handle active shooter scenarios.

Many employers offer training on procedures to follow if workplace violence might occur. The training also teaches employees how to defuse potentially dangerous situations at their workplace.

"Any workplace safety training should be tailored to fit the needs of the specific employer, but should include training on how to address scenarios, including active shooters, regardless of whether they are a co-worker, manager or someone outside of the company," said Kate Gallen, an attorney with Polsinelli in Kansas City, Mo.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), factors that may increase the risk of workplace violence include:

• Exchanging money with the public.
• Working with volatile, unstable people.
• Working alone or in isolated areas.
• Working where alcohol is served.
• Working late at night.
• Working in areas with high crime rates.

"As a best practice, employers should incorporate workplace violence/active shooter procedures into their emergency action/preparedness plan and train employees, so they know where to escape in an emergency and where meet-up points may be located," recommended Melanie Paul, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Atlanta.

Workplace Shootings

Since 2009, there have been 289 mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 1,622 people killed and 1,074 people wounded, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention nonprofit organization based in New York City. shrm.org

Biden leads vigil for US mass shooting victims

Franklin, VA police catch criminals using license plate readers

US: 101.2M Cases - 1.1M Dead - 98.4M Recovered
Worldwide: 652.4M Cases - 6.6M Dead - 628.3M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 816

 
Apple Supplier Convinced China to Loosen COVID Rules
Apple supplier Foxconn reportedly helped persuade China to loosen Covid rules

The founder of China-based Apple supplier Foxconn helped persuade the country's leaders to loosen Covid restrictions, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The founder of China-based Apple supplier Foxconn helped persuade the country's leaders to loosen the Covid restrictions that led to protests in China, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

In a letter to Chinese leaders sent over a month ago, the Journal wrote, Foxconn founder Terry Gou said China's zero-Covid policy threatened its position in global supply chains. He also asked for more transparency about how Foxconn's workers were affected by the rules.

Foxconn's iPhone plant in Henan province was locked down earlier this fall, restricting the movements of people in an area that was experiencing a Covid outbreak. Some workers tried to flee the plant on foot.

Gou's letter helped Chinese health officials and government advisors make the case for accelerated easing of Covid restrictions, the Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. The protests that later spread throughout China furthered that case. cnbc.com

A Sign of a Nationwide COVID Wave?
California COVID hospitalizations rise 150% in a month: 'We're concerned'
California's coronavirus trends keep moving in the wrong direction as cases and hospitalizations rise to levels that could match last winter's omicron wave.

The daily number of newly reported cases in the state has increased to 7,805, up 114% from a month earlier and 43% from a week ago, according to health department data published Thursday. New hospital admissions of patients with confirmed COVID are at 4,387, up 150% over the same period.

The number of people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 across the state is already nearing the peak of the summer wave in July, with the number of intensive care unit beds available falling to its lowest figure since last winter's devastating omicron surge in February at 1,575.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said during a Tuesday briefing that the state's health systems are already under stress due to a triple threat of viruses surging across the region and the nation: COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. sfchronicle.com

L.A. County hits high COVID-19 community level as possible mask mandate looms
Should hospitalization rates continue to rise this month, the county could be on track for a renewed universal mask order in indoor public settings. But it's uncertain when such a rule might be handed down — or whether one will materialize at all.

Is the Bay Area heading back to mandatory masking? Here's what to expect

Walgreens teams up to offer free delivery of COVID-19 medication

House passes defense bill scrapping COVID vaccine mandate

Report details government's COVID failings: Suffering was 'not inevitable'

Protos & Prosegur Among Top 10 Guarding Companies in North America

Providing solutions to improve hiring & retention while battling rising crime

     

The 2022 Annual Guarding Report: The Quest to Stay Staffed

Security executives and guarding providers talk about the state of security guarding, including hiring, retention and implementing new technology.

As 2022 comes to a close, the guarding sector has faced challenges in hiring and retention like many other parts of the workforce, resulting at times in staffing shortages, along with questions about whether and how much to use artificial intelligence (AI) and/or robotics to help to supplement boots on the ground.

Of course, the pain points of staffing and other challenges come at a time when, with the world reopening as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, demand for security officers or guards at office buildings, retail centers, events and other highly trafficked locations has been steadily rising — as has the risk of criminal activity and the fear thereof.

"We've seen surging levels of crime — violent and property crime — at sustained levels, while at the same time, we have surging wages and a shortage in the labor market — which we're working through, and hopefully seeing that improve," says Dan Kennedy, Senior Vice President, U.S. Security Operations at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (Westfield).

Hiring and Retention

Brian Neimeyer, Senior Vice President of the retail division at Allied Universal — which has a nationwide contract with Westfield — notes that employers in most sectors have faced recruiting and retention challenges. Allied has doubled its recruitment budget, found ways to get more creative in terms of networking partners (including some nonprofits) and managed to keep Westfield properties fully staffed, he says.

Supplementing With Technology

To augment guarding forces during difficult times with regard to hiring and retention, as well as increase and force multiply the reach of security teams, security contractors and their security executives are turning to digital technology.

Prosegur uses robots, drones and AI to enhance and complement its guarding force, including drones through a vendor called Dedrone, says Mike Dunn, Chief Technology Officer. "By no means are we pitching this as a replacement [for human guarding]," he says. "What we're doing is trying to increase efficiency for guards onsite and maybe cut down on the need for extra guards," he says. "A guard in-house can set a robot on automatic patrol. If the robot sees anything, it can flash its lights, set off sirens, and call security elsewhere — all the normal stuff technology can do. The guard doesn't have to watch [an area] as closely."

These deployments have proved beneficial to customers more than one level, Dunn says. "We're able to give more to the customer without having to charge them more," he says. "When an event is found, you still need a manned presence. But it's helping them do other things [in the meantime] and refocus that energy."

Fully deploying robots to provide law enforcement is a long way over the horizon, Franklin believes. For the time being, security technology will be based on pre-programmed protocols and the concept that robots can exercise discretion. Thus, moving toward AI with the intention of replacing guards or canine resources will have its limits, he says.  securitymagazine.com

Click here to see the full report & rankings
 

Holiday Retail Hiring Hits Lowest Level Since 2008
But overall retail employment remains high

Seasonal retail jobs in November fall to lowest level since 2008

Retailers have taken a cautious approach this year to holiday hiring.

As job cuts start to inch up and economic uncertainty continues, retailers added 256,700 seasonal jobs in November, down 26% from the 348,600 jobs added in the year-ago period and the lowest level since 2008 when retailers made 213,600 holiday hires, according to an analysis by Challenger, Gray & Christmas of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the same time, however, employment in the retail sector is higher than last year. According to the BLS, 16,076,400 Americans are employed in retail, the highest November for the sector since 2018, when 16,191,000 were employed.

So far this holiday season, retailers have added 418,700 jobs, down 27% from the 573,000 jobs added in October and November of 2021.

"It's clear that retailers that hire seasonal workers are taking a cautious approach to adding positions this holiday season," said Andrew Challenger, senior VP of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "Many are still unsure if workers will be needed in-store versus in online fulfillment roles, as consumers begin to return to stores. Also, many are still unsure if consumer spending will justify new hires, particularly as layoffs begin to ripple around the economy."  chainstoreage.com

Here's a News Flash - As if Anyone in Retail Didn't Already Know This
DC's finally waking up - Now, do retailers get any relief? See article below this one.

Labor costs point to corporate profit as main inflation driver
Speaking on CNBC Thursday morning, Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas), the top Republican on the Ways and Means committee, sounded a familiar refrain, arguing the labor situation in the U.S., which has been characterized by a tight job market and rising nominal wages, was behind lingering consumer inflation.

"Both the White House and the Fed don't understand the worker crisis we're in and how that's driving higher prices persistently for a long time, as well," Brady said.

Ways and Means Republicans have gone so far as to blame inflation on a "wage-price spiral," the mutually reinforcing pressure of wages on prices and vice versa that led the Nixon administration to freeze both for 90 days during high inflation in the 1970s. thehill.com

What Retailers Make it on 'The 2023 Senate's Naughty List'
They're 'working on the list of industries to investigate' - Does your CEO get called in?

Senate Democrats gear up for battle with corporate America
Sen. Bernie Sanders & Sen. Elizabeth Warren take the lead on Labor Committee

Democrats lost control of the House but expanded their Senate majority, giving them greater power to issue subpoenas that party senators say they plan to use to investigate price gouging and other inequities in corporate America.

Democratic committee and subcommittee chairs say they plan to call on corporations to provide more information about how they price prescription drugs, health insurance plans and other goods and services that have soared in cost in recent years.

They also plan to grill corporate executives over their private discussions about how respond to climate change and over how they use customers' personal information.

And they will demand answers on corporate efforts to crack down on misinformation and inappropriate content targeted toward minors across social media platforms.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is expected to become the next chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says he plans to launch investigations into several industries. we are and will be prepared to take on very powerful special interests who are ripping off the American people," he told The Hill.

Fellow leading liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said that she's "still working on the list" of industries to investigate, adding she has a "wide range."

Warren predicted that corporate CEOs will be more willing to comply with Senate Democratic requests for information knowing they may otherwise face a subpoena and a day in court. thehill.com

RFID Tech Sales Growing at 'Historic Levels'
RAIN RFID Research Report Finds Growth at 36 Percent

The study, conducted by VCD Research and the RAIN Alliance, predicts technology growth will continue at an average 25 percent annually as more applications emerge.

Sales of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, devices and solutions are at historic levels and rising, according to a report conducted by the RAIN Alliance and VCD Research. The study, titled "RAIN RFID Market Research Report," is the latest in a series of such studies into the UHF RFID market, and it includes sales of hardware and full solutions. The last such report, published in 2021 (see RAIN Alliance Research Finds RFID Growth Despite Pandemic), estimated that 21 billion integrated circuits (ICs) were sold worldwide in 2020, with the number growing to almost 30 billion last year. That amounts to a 36 percent increase over 2020 sales.

One key takeaway for the RAIN Alliance was how much the industry is growing at a time when many technologies are more stagnant. That, in part, is due to COVID-19 having created an environment in which RFID has offered several benefits. "The pandemic actually acted as a market catalyst for RAIN RFID," Ryan says, due to the transition toward more e-commerce retail, in which product buyers expect goods to be delivered directly to them from a variety of channels, such as "buy online, pick up in store" (BOPIS). rfidjournal.com

Better Than Expected Year Coming for Retail?
The sky won't fall, and other retail predictions for 2023
The year 2023 is going to be better at retail than expected (that doesn't mean great, btw) especially for those companies that appeal to the higher and lower ends of the market. Those catering to the middle will likely have a tough go of it.

We're likely to see a continuation of recent trends, with lower income consumers moving to discounters and off-pricers to stretch their dollars spent on necessities. Higher income folks (who won't feel the woes of a potential downturn anywhere near as much as the aforementioned) will continue to spend, albeit also for less frivolous goods.

We will start to see more showroom stores, like the new Best Buy models. There are plenty of advantages built in with showrooms, including lower build-out costs, reduced labor/payroll, less on-hand inventory, and lower rent and next day shipping charges, which make this type of investment sort of a no-brainer.

More and more retailers will settle into smaller spaces for the reasons listed above, plus the advantage of getting into more attractive "neighborhood" or high street locations, like J.Crew, Target and Amazon.com (with its c-store concept). retailwire.com

Olive Garden manager fired after message sent out to employees about time off
"We are no longer taking ANY excuse for calling off," the manager's message read in part. "If you're sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If it's a 'family emergency,' too bad. Go work somewhere else."

JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores to close only eight out of its 800+ stores
 
Dos and Don'ts of Surprise OSHA Inspections

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Civil War Among Cybercriminals?
Cybercriminals are scamming each other, tipping off law enforcement
Cybercriminals are scamming each other out of millions of dollars and use arbitration to settle disputes about the scams, according to Sophos.

For this report, Sophos experts investigated two Russian-language cybercrime forums that provide Access-as-a-Service (AaaS) listings, and an English-language cybercrime forum and marketplace specializing in data leaks. All three sites have dedicated arbitration rooms.

Despite this resolution process provoking occasional mayhem among the "plaintiffs and defendants," with some accused criminals either going dark and not showing up, or calling the complainants themselves "rippers," the practice of scammers scamming scammers is lucrative.

During 12 months, researchers examined approximately 600 scams that resulted in threat actors losing more than $2.5 million to each other, just on these three forums—with claims ranging from $2 to $160,000.

"While investigating cybercriminal scams, we stumbled upon an entire sub-economy that includes not just lower-tier criminals, but some of the most prominent ransomware groups. And these scams aren't always just financially motivated. Personal beefs and rivalries were common. We also found incidents where scammers would scam the scammers who scammed them. In one case, we found a trolling contest set up to get revenge on a scammer trying to trick users into paying $250 to join a fake underground forum. The 'winner' of the contest received $100," said Matt Wixey, senior threat researcher, Sophos.

Researchers also discovered that the arguments and arbitration process left behind a wealth of untapped intelligence that security professionals and law enforcement could leverage to better understand and defend against cybercriminal behaviors. helpnetsecurity.com

$400K Point-of-Sale Hacking Campaign
DOJ: Arizona Man Arrested For Point-Of-Sale Cyber Intrusions

Foster Cooley is Charged With Hacking Campaign of a New York-Based Salon Company that Resulted in Theft of Over $400,000

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, announced today the arrest of FOSTER COOLEY for charges in connection with a scheme to conduct cyber intrusions targeting a New York-based company that owns and operates hair salons in New York City, New Jersey, Colorado, and elsewhere, which resulted in the theft of over $400,000. COOLEY was arrested this morning and is expected to be presented today or tomorrow before a U.S. magistrate judge in the District of Arizona. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "Foster Cooley allegedly participated in a scheme to hack into a salon company's point-of-sale provider and steal over $400,000 of credit card payments from its customers. And because Cooley was able to steal this money without stepping foot into one of the salons he stole from, his crimes went undetected for weeks. Hacks like this that compromise the integrity of our electronic payment systems cause great harm to businesses and consumers alike. Thanks to this Office's teamwork with the FBI, Cooley is now facing serious criminal charges for his alleged cybercrimes."

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: "As alleged, the defendant hacked into the victim's business systems and diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars to his own bank accounts. The FBI's Cyber Task Force along with our law enforcement partners are committed to tracking down malicious hackers who target private businesses and ensuring they face the consequences for their actions. If your business is the victim of a cyber intrusion, please report it as soon as possible; the faster we are made aware, the sooner we can provide assistance." justice.gov

Fraudulent Payment Processing Scheme
DOJ: Two Illinois Men Charged in Fraudulent Payment Processing Scheme
A federal grand jury in Chicago returned an indictment charging two Illinois men with bank fraud in connection with payment processing companies they operated.

According to court documents, Michael D'Ambrose, 62, of Chicago, and Scott Apgar, 43, of Roscoe, operated a group of payment processing companies that deposited checks on behalf of merchant-clients. The checks typically were "remotely created checks" (RCCs), which were not signed by the account holder whose account was debited.

The indictment alleges that D'Ambrose and Apgar deceived banks about the nature of the payment processing companies' business and financial transactions in order to open and maintain bank accounts and to allow for the processing of tens of millions of dollars of RCCs, which were purportedly authorized by consumers.

D'Ambrose and Apgar allegedly used those bank accounts to deposit RCCs on behalf of merchant clients despite warning signs of fraud, including indications that merchant-clients were initiating unauthorized debits from the accounts of purported customers. As alleged in the indictment, the warning signs of fraud included consumer complaints and law enforcement and bank inquiries about unauthorized debits. The indictment further alleges that D'Ambrose and Apgar intentionally recruited clients that were having difficulty finding and keeping payment processing services elsewhere and, when seeking clients, touted their companies' low standards for accepting clients. justice.gov

$8M Hacking, Wire Fraud, Money Laundering Scheme
DOJ: Nigerian National Charged with $8 Million Computer Hacking, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering Activities
NEWARK, N.J. – A Nigerian man has been indicted for his role in computer hacking, wire fraud, and money laundering acts that defrauded companies of nearly $8 million after compromising companies' business e-mail accounts, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Oladeji Nathaniel Adelekan, aka "Djzle," 28, of Lagos, Nigeria, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count each of wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, unauthorized access of a computer with intent to defraud, and money laundering conspiracy. justice.gov

American Data Privacy & Protection Act
ICYMI: Pallone and Rodgers on ABC to Discuss Online Privacy Legislation

The Committee Leaders Sat Down with ABC News to Talk About Their Bipartisan Effort to Pass the American Data Privacy and Protection Act

Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) sat down for an interview with ABC News to discuss the importance of passing the American Data Privacy and Protection Act.

"The American Data Privacy and Protection Act puts people back in control of their online data and includes the strongest privacy protections to date for children online," Pallone and Rodgers said. "We remain 100 percent committed to passing ADPPA this Congress."

Watch the full story here

Great Infographic for Training Corporate Associates
CISA Releases Phishing Infographic
Today, CISA published a Phishing Infographic to help protect both organizations and individuals from successful phishing operations. This infographic provides a visual summary of how threat actors execute successful phishing operations. Details include metrics that compare the likelihood of certain types of "bait" and how commonly each bait type succeeds in tricking the targeted individual. The infographic also provides detailed actions organizations and individuals can take to prevent successful phishing operations—from blocking phishing attempts to teaching individuals how to report successful phishing operations. cisa.gov

Apple unveils end-to-end encryption for iCloud backup, Photos, etc.

Where to Find the Best Open Source Security Technology

Malaga, CA: Update: CHP investigators recover over a half million dollars worth of stolen merchandise
The California Highway Patrol's Organized Retail Crime Task Force recovered more than $500,000 worth of merchandise stolen from Best Buy. CHP officers from the Central Division Organize Retail Crime Task Force responded to a call regarding possible suspicious activity in Malaga, an unincorporated area of Fresno County, on Thursday, Dec. 1st. The caller said that it appeared merchandise inside a tractor-trailer was being stolen. CHP Investigators responded to the scene and observed two semi-trailer trucks backed up against each other so merchandise could be moved between trailers. CHP Investigators responded to the scene and observed two semi-trailer trucks backed up against each other so merchandise could be moved between trailers. kmph.com

Lexington, KY: Police notice increase in shoplifting during holiday season
Lt. Jeremy Tuttle is the Lieutenant of the property crimes section in the Bureau of Investigations. He says they tend to see more thefts in retail stores during the holiday season. "We always have a slight uptick in thefts, whether that be breaking into cars or shoplifting, people going into businesses and stealing things," Lt. Tuttle said. "So it is typical that during the holidays, people go in and commit more thefts." Lt. Tuttle says the Lexington Police Department partners with their local stores to help prevent these crimes. "They all have a very good working relationship," Lt. Tuttle said. "They go over share information, share tactics, see stuff that goes on around the nation and watch for it here as well, so it's a very good partnership that we have with the stores in our community." "They're just taking what they want or need and walk out the door with it, but if it is over $1,000, it does give the courts the opportunity for a harsher sentence. But whether it does or not is up to the courts," Lt. Tuttle said. wkyt.com

West Kelowna, BC, Canada: Shoplifter-busting mission deemed a success
Thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise has been returned to West Kelowna, B.C., businesses. On Nov. 18 and 19, 23 shoplifters were apprehended due to a surveillance mission that started inside area businesses that have regularly been hit by thieves. Police say each file ended in an arrest as suspected thieves exited the stores, some with shopping carts full of stolen merchandise. "The West Kelowna RCMP continues to be committed to preventing threats of, or violence towards the professionals that prevent retail theft in our communities," Cpl. Judith Bertrand, from the West Kelowna RCMP. "Thankfully, police officers have developed good partnerships with loss prevention officers. Together, the group can reduce shoplifting by collecting evidence and safely arresting the suspects while they are still in possession of the merchandise." globalnews.ca

Clackamas County, OR: Dec. 6 Retail-theft Operation leads to 5 arrests, 2 juvenile custodies at Clackamas Home Depot
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office led a multi-agency operation targeting retail theft at Home Depot. The shoplifting detail included CCSO Patrol deputies, detectives and Reserve deputies working alongside Tigard PD detectives and Home Depot loss-prevention personnel. It led to seven custodies (five adults and two juveniles) on multiple charges, as well as the recovery of over $1,000 in stolen merchandise. During the operation, law enforcement contacted retail thieves ranging in age from 16 to 54 as they exited the Home Depot at 9300 SE 82nd Ave. Recovered stolen items included a drone, faucet, multiple spray-paint cans, and other items. Adult suspects were booked at Clackamas County Jail on charges including Theft II, Theft III, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Resisting Arrest, and outstanding warrants in Clackamas and Marion Counties. clackamas.us

Anderson, CA: Police arrest several people during anti-retail theft operation
Eight people were arrested on Wednesday during an anti-retail theft operation conducted by the Anderson Police Department's (APD) Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) team within Walmart. Anderson police officers teamed up with Walmart loss prevention agents to conduct the anti-theft operation. According to APD, both uniformed and plain-clothed officers were involved in the operation, as well as the APD bike team. krcrtv.com

Stewartville, MN: Woman accused of $1K Walmart thefts