More Progressive Criminal Justice Reform Coming in Manhattan
New Manhattan Progressive DA to Stop Seeking Prison Sentences in Slew of Criminal Cases
Manhattan’s new district attorney has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences in a slew of criminal cases, according to a set of progressive policies made public Tuesday.

In his first memo to staff on Monday, Alvin Bragg said his office “will not seek a carceral sentence” except for in homicide and a handful of other cases, including domestic violence felonies, some sex crimes and public corruption.

“This rule may be excepted only in extraordinary circumstances based on a holistic analysis of the facts, criminal history, victim’s input (particularly in cases of violence or trauma), and any other information available,” the memo reads.

In cases where prosecutors do seek to put a convict behind bars, the request can be for no more than 20 years for a determinate sentence, meaning one that can’t be reviewed or changed by a parole board.

“The Office shall not seek a sentence of life without parole,” the memo states.

Bragg, who was sworn into office Jan. 1, also made clear his mission is to reduce the number of defendants locked up pretrial, telling his prosecutors, “Particularly given the ongoing crisis at Rikers, we must reserve pretrial detention for very serious cases.”

The 48-year-old also vowed to stop pursuing many low-level offenses in his note to staff, titled: “Achieving Fairness and Safety.” nypost.com

Putting Blame Where it Belongs - "Permissive Policies"
San Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. cities
Unlike nearly every other big U.S. city, San Francisco did not see a significant uptick in homicides during the pandemic. Instead, it has found itself in the grip of a different sort of crime wave.

With security cameras everywhere, social media have exploded with videos of young men brazenly stuffing their backpacks with everything from beer to Tylenol or using drills to crack open people’s garage doors. That has fed the impression that the city has become a lawless place and left residents bitterly divided over the roots of the problem and how to solve it.

But in the disordered wake of the pandemic, a growing sense of unease has pervaded the neighborhood as homeless encampments appeared and burglaries and other street crimes shot up.

Dietrich started to see people shoplifting every time he went into the Walgreens or Ross a few blocks from his house, and when he mentioned it to the security guards, they shrugged helplessly.

“Then one day I found a bunch of needles on the sidewalk where my kid plays,” he said.

San Francisco has long registered a consistently high rate of property crimes, and in 2019, the city had the highest rate of larcenies, burglaries, arsons and car thefts in California, according to an analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California.

But burglaries climbed nearly 50% in 2020 and remained up in 2021. Car thefts have also soared.

People who commit property crimes run the gamut from addicts stealing for drug money to organized syndicates who fence goods on the internet.

Authorities speculate that during the pandemic, the suddenly empty streets and padlocked businesses became easy targets for thieves who no longer had gullible tourists to prey on.

The vast majority of the burglaries are never solved, and victims of nonviolent crimes often end up waiting hours for the police, especially since the department is down nearly 500 officers, as many have taken jobs in more cop-friendly communities with cheaper housing.

But some San Franciscans feel no doubt about who is to blame. A couple of days after the closure, someone hung a banner across the front of the locked glass doors bearing the smiling photos of the city’s district attorney, Chesa Boudin, and the local District 1 supervisor, Connie Chan.

Both are progressives whose permissive policies have been blamed — fairly or not — for emboldening street criminals and feeding a general sense of chaos in the city.

Boudin, a former public defender elected in 2019 promising long-overdue criminal justice reform, now faces a June recall election. latimes.com

'Poor Security & Hands-Off Policies' Driving Retail Crime?
Lax policies make big-box stores ‘bug lights’ for shoplifters, police chief says
Shoplifting in Gig Harbor is getting out of hand and big retail stores are chiefly to blame, the city’s police chief says.

Poor security and hands-off policies make some big-box stores “bug lights for thieves,” Chief Kelly Busey told The Gateway recently, and he wants the City Council to do something about it.

Busey went to the City Council safety committee last week to ask for an ordinance that requires big-box stores to tighten up their security. One idea: make good security a condition of a business license.

“We’d like to see them do a better job of monitoring inside the store,” Busey said. “We’d like to see them lock up their high-value items. We’d like to see them change their policies to allow prompt reporting, put uniformed loss-prevention people at the doors, maybe change some store layouts so shoplifting isn’t so easy.”

He’d also like to see eye-level video cameras. “In some stores, all you have to do is wear a baseball cap, because the cameras are all overhead,” he said.

Throughout the region, shoplifters have grown so bold, “they just pull out a garbage bag, fill it up and smile at the cashier as they walk out the door,” Busey said. “They know nothing will happen to them.”

Busey said Gig Harbor is becoming a “destination city” for teams of shoplifters working up and down the Interstate 5 corridor. Police respond to 15 to 20 shoplifting incidents a week, Busey said, mainly at the city’s five big retail stores.

Several factors are in play, including drug use, changes in state law and pandemic restrictions on jail booking, Busey said, but “the primary driver is the policy most stores have against intervening in theft.” thenewstribune.com

Big Cities See Record-Breaking Homicides in 2021
10 of the country's most populous cities set homicide records last year
More than two-thirds of the country's 40 most populous cities saw more homicides last year than in 2020, according to a CNN analysis of police department data.

Ten of those cities recorded more homicides in 2021 than any other year on record. Those are Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; Portland, Oregon; Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Milwaukee; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Tucson, Arizona. Minneapolis tied its previous record number of homicides, with 97 in the years 1997 and 2021

The rise in homicides -- mostly by gun -- happened all across the country. Thomas Abt, a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, attributed the spike to three major factors: the impact of Covid-19 on communities and first responders; fallout of social unrest after Floyd's murder; and the surge in gun sales since the pandemic started.

According to the 2020 Uniform Crime Report from the FBI, homicides rose 30% from 2019 to 2020, the largest single-year increase the agency has recorded since it began tracking these crimes in the 1960s. cnn.com

$300M to Fight ORC
CA proposes $300M in additional funding to curb retail theft and violent crime
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announced a proposal to allocate $300 million in funding over the next three years to curtail organized retail crime and other thefts and violent crime in the state.

In a speech, Newsom told the California Highway Patrol, that the money would infuse local law enforcement agencies and district attorney's offices with funding to mitigate retail and other gun, drug and violent crimes.

Part of the funding would be made in the form of grants - some $255 million - which would be available to law enforcement agencies. The grants would ultimately enable agencies to increase the number of officers they place at retail locations.

Also a part of the new proposal, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force within the California Highway Patrol will be made permanent. The task force was formed in 2019, and has since recovered nearly $20 million in stolen goods. securitymagazine.com

Leaders in Fort Myers push for more security after string of smash-and-grab robberies

US: 57.1M Cases - 848.8K Dead - 41.7M Recovered
Worldwide: 293M Cases - 5.4M Dead - 255.4M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 336  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 581
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Largest Single-Day Tally of Any Nation Ever Reported!
US sets grim COVID record with more than 1 million daily cases
The US hit a grim COVID-19 milestone Monday – with more than 1 million cases diagnosed as the highly contagious Omicron variant rages across the country.

A total of 1,082,549 COVID-19 cases were tallied Monday, a record high for the US since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The startling figure is the largest single-day tally of any nation ever reported and nearly double the previous US record of 590,000 cases set just four days ago, Bloomberg News reported.

Some 1,688 virus deaths were reported Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University data. That’s well behind the all-time high of 4,442 set in January 2021, indicating the rising rates of cases have not led to widespread deaths.

More than 56.1 million people in the US have been diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic began and 827,748 deaths have been reported. nypost.com

COVID is Surging Everywhere
Cities with mask, vaccine mandates seeing huge COVID-19 spikes anyway
Cases of COVID-19 are surging across the country, including in major U.S. cities that have mandated masks and vaccinations amid the spread of the omicron variant.

New York City averaged 36,856 reported cases per day as of Monday, which is a 517% increase from the average two weeks ago, according to government data compiled by The New York Times. New York state, which before had peaked at 251,000 daily cases last January, has been seeing an average of about 400,000 cases daily in 2022, according to The New York Times.

Washington, D.C., which reinstated an indoor mask mandate on Dec. 21, has also continued to see a surge of COVID-19. According to data compiled by The New York Times that was updated Monday, the nation's capital is averaging 2,103 cases per day, which is a 485% increase over the past two weeks and the highest one-week spike of the entire pandemic.

Other major cities that have seen large spikes of COVID-19 despite mask or vaccine mandates include Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. The average daily number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois, which has a statewide mask mandate, surpassed 16,000 for the first time last week, with Chicago boasting the highest infection rate. foxnews.com

Omicron's Retail Impact
COVID-19 Spikes Elevate Retail Concerns

Retailers are closely monitoring the global spike in COVID-19 cases in December and if any additional measures might be undertaken to safeguard employees and shoppers.

While the global spike in COVID-19 cases has not triggered widespread store lockdowns, traffic in stores has slowed and many retailers are implementing lines for social distancing.

Retailers are monitoring the health crisis closer than ever and stepping up health protocols. The rapid rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in December has changed the landscape, though retailers are better prepared now to manage through the health crisis than they were in 2020, having successfully operated with COVID-19-related health and safety protocols.

Apple temporarily shut several stores around the country Monday, however on Tuesday quickly reopened its Manhattan stores. In the teen sector, Johnson added, “American Eagle Outfitters was similarly limiting entry in many stores based on local conditions but tied as much to holiday capacity controls as much as COVID-19.”

Target continues to ask team members to do a full health screening before coming to work each day and encourages its employees and shoppers to get vaccinated, including booster shots, the spokeswoman said. Target requires face coverings for all team members and “strongly recommends” face coverings for shoppers, which Target refers to as “guests,” in areas with substantial or high risk of transmission, as defined by the CDC.

At the Neiman Marcus Group, “While we don’t have plans to temporarily close stores at this time, we will continue to maintain our focus and will remain ready to react and adjust as needed in order to ensure the safety of our customers, associates and brand partners,” a spokesperson said.

Macy’s Inc. said in a statement, “We do not have any COVID-19-related store closures to announce at this time. Presently, all stores are open. The health and safety of our colleagues and customers remain top of mind for us. We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to follow CDC and jurisdictional guidelines.”

Nordstrom Inc. indicated it has no plans to close any stores at this time. At Gap Inc., a spokesperson said, “We haven’t heard of any store employee shortages due to the spike of COVID-19.” CVS Health also has no plans to close stores due to the increase in cases, a company spokesperson said Tuesday. The retailer is not planning any changes to preventative protocols at this time either. wwd.com

Omicron threatens to mess retail up
News of the virus’s progress is creating a new wave of disruption in retail operations as workers, already in short supply in many businesses, are forced to stay home after testing positive. Consumers, themselves hit with the variant or seeking to avoid getting it, are turning to online ordering for delivery or curbside pickup in greater numbers.

The good news is that retailers are relatively well prepared to deal with this moment after nearly two years of practice responding to the ebbs and flows of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The bad news is that complicating factors, such as a lack of personnel and people dismissive of the public health threat, make it more difficult for businesses to address the current challenge and are potentially creating a scenario that may prolong the pandemic.

Retailers have responded in a variety of ways to the rise in cases.

Apple has closed some of its locations to customers and others, including Walmart, have shut stores temporarily.

Other retailers have been forced to add hours and pay overtime to keep up with demand as they find themselves short-staffed in the face of rising cases. Some have limited store hours as their personnel and systems are stressed by demand and rapid shifts in shopping behavior created as a byproduct of the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Face mask rules and social distancing have largely been left up to customers. In some parts of the country, shoppers tend to wear masks in stores but, in many locales, stores are packed with unmasked customers who remain unconcerned about getting or spreading COVID-19.

The province of Quebec, this past Sunday, began requiring businesses designated as non-essential retail to close for the day. This was the first of three planned closure days. Pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations are allowed to remain open.

Retailers objected to the action. retailwire.com

Complying With Federal Requirements
Starbucks unveils its new employee vaccine policy
To comply with the Biden administration's upcoming vaccine mandate, Starbucks is requiring its workers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo weekly testing, the company recently told employees.

In a letter from Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver, the coffee chain told its approximately 220,000 US employees they must disclose their vaccination status by January 10.

Although Starbucks strongly recommended employees get vaccinated, workers can choose not to get vaccinated and instead get tested weekly. They will be responsible for acquiring their own federally approved tests and submitting results.

"This is an important step we can take to help more partners get vaccinated, limit the spread of Covid-19, and create choices that partners can own based on what's best for them," Culver wrote. "If vaccination rates rise and community spread slows, we will adapt accordingly. But if things get worse, we may have to consider additional measures. For now, my hope is that we will all do our part to protect one another."

Starbucks sent the note to employees on December 27 and repeated the mandate details in a weekly update sent on Monday. The changes come as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently set a new date of February 9 for large employers to require either full vaccinations or weekly testing as the Omicron variant spreads quickly throughout the United States. cnn.com

Omicron Causing Widespread Disruption
The United States struggles to avoid widespread shutdowns as Omicron spreads
Officials across the United States, from President Biden on down, have been insisting that they are no longer in the shutdown business, and will not order any closures to contain the latest surge in coronavirus cases.

But Omicron may be taking the decision out of their hands. So many workers are testing positive or calling in sick that businesses, schools, government agencies and more are being crippled by staff shortages that may force them to close some operations anyway.

Airlines began canceling flights in large numbers on Christmas Eve for lack of crews, and the problems have continued into the new year. Broadway shows have been canceled because of outbreaks backstage. Major companies have delayed or entirely jettisoned return-to-office plans. Many colleges are switching back to virtual classes to start the semester.

In some cases, the very resources needed to cope with Omicron’s staffing disruptions are themselves being disrupted, from the call-center agents who rebook canceled flights to the frontline medical professionals who care for sick workers.

Infected police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and transit workers are leaving shifts unfilled. In New York City, subway lines have been delayed by staff shortages, and the Fire Department has asked residents not to call 911 except in a real emergency. nytimes.com

Staff Shortages Impacting Public Transit
Omicron Surge Stymies Public-Transit Systems

New York suspends some subway service; St. Louis and Boston grapple with worker shortages

Public-transit services in New York and other cities are being interrupted, as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to drive staffing shortages.

Service on several New York City subway and bus lines was partially suspended Monday. An MTA spokesman said hundreds of employees have been out sick in recent days.

Other metropolitan transportation agencies said they are facing staffing shortages too, resulting in service changes.

Taulby Roach, president of Bi-State Development, which operates St. Louis Metro Transit, said managers who usually work in offices were operating buses and trains because of Omicron-related staffing shortages last week.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which is responsible for Boston-area transit, said in a mid-December report that it “faces a significant workforce shortage,” which has led to delays and crowded buses.

Amtrak last week canceled some scheduled service on its Northeast Corridor route. Cancellations on some of its long-distance routes stretched into this week. wsj.com

34% of NYC Residents Test Positive
Omicron wreaks havoc on NYC, causes crippling staff shortages
Omicron is shaking the Big Apple to its core thanks to crippling staffing shortages caused by the raging COVID-19 variant.

Between vital transportation and emergency services, retailers and schools, workers are calling in sick by the thousands while grappling with the coronavirus and mandatory quarantines.

As the Big Apple continues to battle its latest surge of COVID-19 cases, the NYPD had 14 percent – or nearly 5,000 of the force’s 35,000 uniformed officers – out sick Monday.

Almost 2,000 cops had COVID, while the other 3,000 were experiencing flu-like symptoms, a source told The Post.

Meanwhile, the FDNY said 30 percent of its 4,200 EMS staff and 18 percent of its 11,000 firefighters were sick.

Nearly 34 percent of NYC residents who got tested ended up with a positive result on average in the past week.

“Fifteen thousand or 20,000 wasn’t imaginable two weeks ago. Because those numbers are so big, it’s now beginning to flood the hospitals.

“The impact on the hospitals where staff were – even before this wave – exhausted, this is a very, very difficult time,” he said.

RESTAURANTS, NIGHTLIFE AND OTHER BUSINESSES

The city’s already struggling restaurant industry has been struck hard by Omicron — with many establishments forced to shut down during the busy holiday season as staffers tested positive or were exposed to COVID.

“Restaurants are facing serious challenges, from a critical labor shortage made worse by the spike and COVID cases, to fewer customers and lots of debt,” he said. nypost.com

Omicron - Two to Four Times More Transmissible as Delta
L.A. County coronavirus transmission rate at highest point since early months of pandemic
L.A. County recorded 23,553 new cases on Saturday and 21,200 more on Sunday, far above last winter’s peak average of 16,000 cases a day; and those numbers are likely undercounts due to lags from weekend reporting. latimes.com

SCOTUS sets Jan. 7 hearing on vaccine mandates for employers, healthcare workers

Maryland Gov. Hogan institutes 30-day state of emergency amid COVID surge, grants more powers to healthcare

Worker Vaccine Mandates Go to Supreme Court
Op-Ed: Will the Supreme Court back sensible workplace vaccine mandates?

20K Security Officers Deployed Over New Year's Eve
More than 20,000 private security officers worked New Year's Eve to protect life and property
An estimated 20,000 security officers were on duty nationwide New Year’s Eve. And that figure could be double, said security manager Derrick Holmes who manages security for several properties in Philadelphia.

On-duty private security in the New York City metro area alone was estimated to be more than five thousand. Keith Franklin a former security manager in the Big Apple said that in previous years, private security often outnumbered the NYPD.

While the NYPD said that a record number of their officers are out sick, mostly due to COVID, and as of Thursday, 21% of the uniformed force – more than 7,300 officers – called in sick, thousands of other officers were deployed in Times Square and elsewhere to protect its citizens and visitors.

Meanwhile, along with hundreds and thousands of police working to protect the public in other cities such as Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere, thousands of uniform security officers and plainclothes personnel were also on the job protecting life and property.

These security officers patrolled event centers, hotels, resorts, restaurants, nightclubs and conducted patrols to keep the peace. These on-duty security officer numbers do not reflect the many other thousands of private officers who were on duty at their other regular assignments. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Surge of Fake Law Enforcement Officers
Rash of Phony Police Officers Plaguing Departments, Residents

Fake traffic stops, phone scams and a sexual assault. Incidents involving phony law enforcement officers have been occurring around the country throughout December.

Police departments across the country have been plagued by incidents involving people impersonating officers. In some cases, the imposters have just pulled over motorists, but other times, the incidents were more threatening and dangerous.

Dec. 5 - A man in Missouri was arrested in connection with impersonating a police officer and making traffic stops, as well as claiming to be a firefighter.

Dec. 7 - A person in Texas was sexually assaulted when they were pulled over by a man who was driving a vehicle that appeared to be a police cruiser with a flashing light.

Dec. 11 - Five men are accused of searching for an individual at a North Carolina while impersonating police officers.

Dec. 12 - Sheriff's deputies arrested a Florida firefighter who was accused of impersonating an officer and brandished a gun in an apparent road rage incident.

Dec. 18 - Texas deputies apprehended a man who allegedly tried to conduct traffic stops while trying to impersonate a police officer.

Colorado and Wyoming Phone Scam - Phone scammers posing as law enforcement officers is plaguing Colorado and Wyoming. Impersonating local police officers, the caller claims that victims have outstanding warrants or fines. The fake law enforcement official then asks for money in order to resolve the issue and avoid. officer.com

$2.1M Walmart Shoplifting Lawsuit
Walmart asks court to throw out $2.1m verdict in shoplifting arrest case
Attorneys for Walmart have asked a Mobile County Circuit Court judge to overturn the jury verdict in a case brought by a Semmes woman who claimed she was falsely arrested for shoplifting.

In a motion filed December 29th, 2021, Walmart says Lesleigh Nurse failed to prove the company was guilty of abuse of process by charging her criminally for shoplifting then attempting to recover money through Alabama’s civil recovery laws.

At the end of October, a jury ruled in favor of Nurse in a $2.1m verdict. Nurse claimed she had been falsely accused of shoplifting in November 2016 by a loss prevention manager at the Semmes Walmart store. The company claimed she failed to pay for 11 items found in her shopping bags. A warrant was later issued for her arrest. The criminal charge was later dropped.

Nurse claims the self-scanning machines at the store were malfunctioning and that she even asked for help from a store associate to get her groceries scanned.

After the verdict, a spokesman for Walmart said, “We don’t believe the verdict is supported by the evidence and the damages awarded exceed what is allowed by law. We will be filing post-trial motions.”

The judge in the case is now considering a motion to stop any enforcement of the jury’s verdict until the company files its notice of appeal. wkrg.com

Key Lessons from the Pandemic Accelerated Amazon Effect

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

Jeff Bezos had a few amazing tricks up his sleeve as he originally wanted to name the company 'Cadabra'. Amazon's first lawyer talked him out of it as the name sounded too similar to 'cadaver', especially over the telephone. When the company was founded on July 5, 1994, Bezos settled on the name Amazon because it started with the letter A and its association with the largest South America River.

Even though the original company focused on selling books online, Bezos' vision was always to become the 'everything store.' Fast forward to June this year, Amazon is now the most visited e-commerce website in the United States, with nearly 2.5 billion monthly visits. To put it in perspective, that is more than the next six major retailers online traffic combined.

"Beginning with booksellers, the e-commerce giant has expedited the closure of many retailers and threatens to redefine the standards of shopping in a digital world. Retailers are forced to lower prices, optimize their systems and processes, and reduce profit margins in favor of competition; meanwhile, Amazon continues its trek toward dominance. First coined in 2012 by Steve Weinberg, this is the Amazon Effect."

As we enter a new year, what is the status of the Amazon Effect? Is next year the end of physical retail? What are the key strategies to win the future of retail?  Read more here

The Great Resignation Wave Continues With 4.5 Million Resignations in November
An estimated 4.5 million workers quit or changed jobs in November according to new data from the Department of Labor, as labor shortages have helped create one of the more worker friendly job climates in years.

The report continues to show a trend of high turnover in the labor market, a sign of how profoundly the economy has been reshuffled in the nearly two years since the onset of the pandemic.

That number is up from the 4.2 million who quit or changed jobs in October, and surpassed the previous record of 4.4 million in September.

The number of people who left jobs for other opportunities in November made up 3.0 percent of the workforce, the BLS said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. And the survey also found some 10.6 million job openings. washingtonpost.com

In Memoriam
Annette G. McKeough, former VP of LP for Shopko, passes away
Annette G. McKeough, 61, passed away Thursday, December 30, 2021. She was born on March 7, 1960 in Green Bay to Edward and Audrey (Aeschliman) Gagan.

Annette was a 1978 graduate of St. Joseph Academy and continued her education at UW-Stevens Point, graduating in 1982 with her degree in Managerial Accounting. She was employed for 35 years by Shopko, starting as an auditor and working her way up to Vice-President of loss prevention and internal auditing. She ended her professional career working at Associated Bank.

She enjoyed spending time at Chicaugon Lake, Bass Lake, Big Sky MT, and her favorite place of all is Lambeau Field. greenbaypressgazette.com

39% of Workers Looking for a New Gig in 2022
 
Retail sales expected to slow down in 2022

The states raising minimum wages in 2022 are…