Security Officer Deaths & Shootings So Far in 2022
15 Security Officers Dead, 27 Others Have Been Shot in 31 Days
In just the first thirty-two days of 2022, 14 security officers and 1 private police officer have lost their lives while on duty, protecting others. 27 other security officers were shot during the month of January.

Just in the last few days, a private campus police officer, John Painter and campus safety officer, J.J. Jefferson, was gunned down on a small rural Virginia college campus during an Active Shooter incident.

In 2021, 84 security officers were murdered. An overwhelming 91.3 died from gunfire.
To some, these are just numbers. Statistics that fade away almost as quickly as they’re printed.

But to us, they were people who oftentimes just weren’t prepared for the dangers that they were unknowingly facing each day that they went to work. Their lives mattered and we will not forget them. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Retail Crime Spike Fee
Downtown Denver business owner to charge 1% fee to recover shoplifting losses
A Downtown Denver business owner says shoplifting at his stores has gotten so bad he's having to charge customers a fee to make up the costs.

"[It's called the] Denver Crime Spike Fee, and so that'll be a 1% transaction fee for all of the items that are purchased in our stores," Derek Friedman, owner of several Sportsfan and Sock Em Sock Emporium locations in the Denver metro, said Sunday.

Since 2019, he says shoplifting at his downtown and Federal Boulevard stores has tripled.

It's forced him to impose this new Denver Crime Spike Fee to help him recover thousands of dollars in losses, as originally reported by Denver Business Journal. The fee will go live in February.

"We're talking about six figures [in losses] for a really small business like us, and that is meaningful. It impacts our employees, and, more importantly, it now is going to impact our shoppers," Friedman said.

The problem has also made it harder for him to keep employees as they'd rather work at Park Meadows or Cherry Creek Mall.

Tobey Zamora, a customer born and raised in Denver, isn't too happy with the forthcoming 1% fee, but he knows the situation downtown right now is a bit rough.

"You got to do what you got to do. It sucks. It sucks that it falls back on us consumers," he said. "I'm not okay. But if I have to, I have to. I mean, I'm not gonna stop buying what I want."

Friedman says he may have to increase the fee in the future if things don't improve in the next few months. But he hopes by taking action, local and state leaders will pay more attention — and so will customers.

"My hope is that over the course of the coming months, some different approaches are taken to enforcement and police presence and attitudes towards police and the great job that they do protecting businesses like ours," he said. thedenverchannel.com

Small Online Retailers Take issue With New Anti-Theft Bills
Op-Ed: Bill to Regulate Online Sales Hurts Small Entrepreneurs
Despite recent media attention, retail crime surges are not a new phenomenon. Historically, organized retail crime tends to rise in times of domestic turbulence. According to US Court statistics, retail theft skyrocketed by 16% around 9/11 and by 30% during the 2008 financial crisis. It would be unsurprising if retail theft rose during the pandemic and its attendant economic hardship.

Captivating news coverage shouldn’t dictate public policy, but it appears to be spurring action in our state legislature at the expense of a lesser-known victim: small businesses who make their living or supplement their income by selling products online. Big Retail argues that goods stolen from their stores are then fenced on e-commerce sites, and as such, these corporations are lobbying for new, privacy invading regulations to be imposed on small businesses that sell products online.

Online marketplaces, which support American small businesses to the tune of $145 billion in economic value annually, shouldn’t be roped into fighting an in-store, big-box retail problem. But that’s exactly what legislation under consideration in Maryland’s House will do. Scheduled for a hearing Wednesday, HB 295 would classify small, home-run businesses as “high-volume sellers” based on an arbitrary threshold of just a few hundred sales or $5,000 a year. Based on this classification, these sellers would be required to disclose to the world sensitive information like their home address, email address, and personal phone number, effectively leaving sellers exposed and vulnerable to angry customers, identity thieves, and other bad actors.

The overwhelming majority of small business owners selling on these marketplaces are your neighbors, friends, and family. They are moms, not mobsters, and they shouldn’t be collateral damage in Big Retail’s ploy to regulate competitors as brick-and-mortar companies struggle to adjust to the e-commerce economy.

This is not just an issue in Maryland. Seller privacy is on the docket in states like Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Ohio. If these bills are enacted, they will create a tangled web of varying state-by-state regulations sellers will have to spend scarce time and resources navigate.

Legislation like this would disincentivize American entrepreneurs looking to leverage a roughly $768 billion e-commerce economy. We shouldn’t have to choose between preserving our privacy and keeping our virtual doors open to the nearly 2.14 billion people worldwide who shop with us. marylandreporter.com

Be on the Lookout: South American Theft Group Operating in Northern Calif.
Not a far reach for them to hit jewelry stores & high end stores

Chilean gangs responsible for dozens of burglaries target Atherton homes, police chief says

The groups hitting affluent communities in the Bay Area are headquartered in Southern California, according to McCulley, where they do similar burglaries to celebrity homes.

In San Diego, a series of high-end burglaries targeting wealthy homeowners in affluent areas of the city were found to be the work of an organized crime ring operating out of Chile, according to a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announcement Jan. 19.

The group — called the South American Theft Group by the sheriff’s office — has been well known to law enforcement in the area, and the FBI has a task force dedicated to the crime ring.

According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, more than 60 burglaries in the county have been tied to the group, with the crimes happening in communities with celebrity homeowners. In the past couple of weeks, San Diego sheriff’s officials said nearly $1 million in valuables have been stolen from homes of celebrities in the area.

McCulley said they will arrive in the area in the late afternoon, doing gate checks and doorbell checks before breaking into a house in the early evening or late at night.

“They’re in and out in 10 minutes,” McCulley said. “They know exactly what they’re looking for and where they’re going. What these folks are known for is they don’t want to encounter anybody, and if they do they’re immediately gone. In, out and gone.” mercurynews.com

LA Crime & Homelessness Could Disrupt Super Bowl
LA Democrat sounds alarm about homelessness, crime before Super Bowl LVI

LA under pressure as it prepares for massive crowds ahead of Super Bowl LVI

Los Angeles Democrat city councilman Joe Buscaino said Tuesday that the homelessness crisis is a "disaster" as officials try to address the problem in advance of the massive crowds that will arrive for Super Bowl LVI.

"It shouldn’t take a Super Bowl to connect people to services and clean our streets. We need leaders that address the homelessness crisis 24/7, 364 days out of the year," the L.A. mayoral candidate told "Fox & Friends."

Buscaino, a former police officer, vowed to take the homelessness issue to the ballot, arguing the problem needs a "FEMA-like response." "We have an emergency situation playing out on our streets, and this ballot measure offers an all-of-the-above approach to addressing it,'' Buscaino said, according to CNS.

"Open drug use, crime, enough is enough. … People are dying in our streets and half the fires the fire department is responding to are encampment-related," he said, endorsing the recall of liberal Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

"The message is being sent to the criminal element on the street: do crime and get away with it." foxnews.com

Shopper Facing More Consequences Than Thieves?
Criminals get off scot-free, you’re the one who pays
Today, it seems that criminals can get away with anything. They commit heinous crimes and often don't face any penalties for their actions. Meanwhile, you're the one who pays the price. You have to live in a world where you're constantly worried about your safety. An example is the problem of organized retail theft across the country.

Police can't and don't respond, and district attorneys drop charges of the arrested when they do. Other policies enacted to release “non-violent” criminals have proved devastating in communities from California to New York. Bail is either non-existent or so low that criminals are likely back on the street before the officer who arrested them gets off shift, even when arrested for violent crimes. These are just a few factors that have allowed this problem to grow.

As a result, some people commit criminal acts regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately, however, people across the country see the rule of law abandoned by those in all levels of public service. Many people are only law-abiding because they fear punishment.

So when theft goes unpunished, more people see it as acceptable. And when theft is okay, threatening violence against anyone who stands in your way follows. When this behavior goes unpunished, more violence follows.

Anyone who commits a crime deserves to be held accountable and treated justly as our laws require. concealedcarry.com

Wisconsin ORC Bill Update
Organized Thefts Rising At Wisconsin Retail Stores – Lawmakers Try To Take Action
Organized thefts are increasing at Wisconsin’s retail stores and state lawmakers are trying to take action to help. De Pere State Senator Andre Jacque wants to reduce the threshold for a Class-One felony theft charge. His bill would cut that from $2,500 to $1,000.

Passage would mean any stolen property valued at more than $1,000 would open the door to a felony charge – and that could mean fines up to $10,000 and 3.5 years in prison. seehafernews.com

US: 76.8M Cases - 917.6K Dead - 47.1M Recovered
Worldwide: 385.9M Cases - 5.7M Dead - 305.8M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 344  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 627
*Red indicates change in total deaths

75K More COVID Deaths Over Next 3 Weeks
CDC predicts 75,000 more COVID deaths by Feb. 26 - but boosted Americans 97 times less likely to die
As the U.S. inches up to a 64% vaccination rate for the entire population, only 42% of those eligible for a booster have gotten the extra shot, and experts aren’t sure what will move the needle, so to speak.

Fully vaccinated Americans are 14 times less likely to die of COVID-19 than those who haven’t gotten the shots. Boosted Americans are 97 times less likely. For every 100,000 people, 9.7 of those who were unvaccinated were killed by the coronavirus, compared to 0.7 of those fully vaccinated and 0.1 of the boosted.

Even though infections from the omicron variant are decreasing across the country, the CDC's national ensemble forecast predicts the U.S. will reach 933,000 to 965,000 COVID deaths by Feb. 26, the higher figure being nearly 75,000 more than the current total.

That's in part because deaths from the coronavirus typically lag infections by about three weeks, and the nation experienced an unprecedented spike in cases in January. usatoday.com

Retail COVID Exposure Lawsuits Failing in the Courts
Businesses Are Not Experiencing the Wave of COVID-19 Exposure Lawsuits Initially Predicted
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, businesses anticipated the possibility of a tidal wave of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits from employees, their family members and customers. However, as we approach the two-year mark in the pandemic, we have not seen these lawsuits materialize in the numbers anticipated.

Attempts to avoid the exclusive remedy of workers’ compensation through intentional tort exceptions or expansive public nuisance theories have almost universally failed in the courts. Further, while a handful of “take-home” exposure claims by family members and suits by customers or visitors to premises have been filed, they have thus far met mixed success in the courts given the significant challenges associated with proving causation and duty in the face of a ubiquitous and highly contagious virus.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a vast and diverse body of litigation, retailers and other businesses have not seen the tidal wave of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits that were initially predicted. This is due in large part to states’ workers’ compensation regimes, which generally bar tort claims by employees for workrelated injuries. Novel arguments raised by plaintiffs over the last two years have largely failed to circumvent that framework.

Furthermore, pleading causation and breach of duty in the context of COVID-19 has proven particularly challenging for many plaintiffs due to the pervasive nature of the virus and experts’ evolving understanding of its transmissibility. While the statute of limitations for COVID-19 lawsuits will be two to three years in most jurisdictions, and thus has not yet expired even for those claims arising at the very beginning of the pandemic, a future onslaught of lawsuits seems unlikely given the lack of early success.


With these limitations in mind, the best litigation avoidance strategy for businesses remains compliance with applicable state and federal guidance, even as it evolves and becomes more difficult to enforce in a fatigued population. Businesses should continue taking reasonable measures to protect their employees and customers from exposure to COVID-19, including by adapting protocols as necessary to track the best practices set forth in changing public health guidance. natlawreview.com

Vaccine Mandate Closure
Outrage as DC closes restaurant over vaccine mandate: 'Draconian COVID measures'

Voices on Capitol Hill point out Bowser's inability to address more pressing matters like rising crime, homelessness

The closure of Washington, D.C., bar and restaurant The Big Board due to its disobedience of COVID-19 guidelines has the public up in arms about the city’s priorities.

The Big Board in the H Street neighborhood of Washington, D.C., had its liquor license suspended Friday by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration [ABRA] after it was determined it had violated public health guidelines, such as enforcing masks for its employees and checking patrons' vaccine cards.

Republicans on Capitol Hill immediately backed the veteran-owned small business for not discriminating against non-vaccinated customers. D.C. communications alumna Natalie Johnson pointed out how crime is soaring in the nation’s capital, yet the mayor is focusing her energy on "stripping small business owners of their livelihoods."

Tablet Magazine CTO Noam Blum replied to Johnson, tweeting "obviously the car jackers are masked so it's nbd." foxnews.com

3,300 Army Soldiers Discharged Over Vax Mandate?
Army to immediately start discharging vaccine refusers
The Army said Wednesday it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, putting more than 3,300 service members at risk of being thrown out soon.

The Army's announcement makes it the final military service to lay out its discharge policy for vaccine refusers. The Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy have already discharged active-duty troops or entry-level personnel at boot camps for refusing the shots. So far, the Army has not discharged any.

According to data released by the Army last week, more than 3,300 soldiers have refused to get the vaccine. The Army has said that more than 3,000 soldiers have been issued official written reprimands, which suggests they are already identified in the disciplinary process, and some of them could be among the first to be discharged.

The Pentagon has ordered all service members — active-duty, National Guard and Reserves — to get the vaccine, saying it is critical to maintaining the health and readiness of the force. COVID-19 cases continue to surge around the country as a result of the omicron variant. yahoo.com

New Zealand announces its plans to fully reopen to the world

PD-Security 'Criminal Syndication'
4 Louisville police officers accused of fraud, working security jobs while on duty, avoid jail time with guilty pleas
Four Louisville Metro Police officers accused of getting paid for working security while on duty and on patrol for LMPD, in 2019, entered guilty pleas Monday in court.

Officers Dontae Booker, Cortez Ernest, Ashley Spratt and Roquina Yocum all pleaded guilty to theft by deception for more than $500. As part of their pleas, the officers will avoid jail time and could have the charges completely dismissed in 12 months. In addition, Ernest will resign from the police department.

The officers worked or were paid for private security work for a company created by fellow officer, Jackie Miller, during their regular patrol shifts. Their indictments allege the "criminal syndication" took place between January and December in 2018.

"They both are excellent officers," Mudd said. "They've done a lot of good work for this community prior to this, and I'm hoping they both keep their jobs and continue serving their community."

A judge dismissed charges of theft and criminal syndication against Officer Michael Abernathy on Nov. 15 of last year, according to court records. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

IFSEC Global: “Why can’t we change the face of physical security?”
 – ASIS’ Letitia Emeana on diversifying the security culture

IFSEC Global sits down with Letitia Emeana, Global Security Capability Manager at Unilever, and the ASIS International UK Chapter Chair & Board Director. We discuss the dynamism of the physical security sector, why growing your global network as a security professional is so important and diversifying the industry.

IFSEC Global (IG): Letitia, let’s kick off with why you joined ASIS in the first place. You now hold the preeminent position of the UK Chapter Chair – what is it about ASIS that means so much to you, and why would you encourage other security professionals to get involved?

Letitia Emeana (LE): ASIS at its core is a global security exchange of peer networking, partnerships and forward-thinking initiatives, and that really still holds true today. When I first joined the industry, my line manager advised me to join an association as soon as I could. At the time, there were a few options in the UK, but ASIS really stood out for me as I wanted to travel and develop a global network, and its truly an international organization. As a young female entering the security industry at the time, it was also very warm and welcoming – an organizational trait that I continue to emphasize today.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for a security or risk management professional to develop a network. For me, as I started to move into management roles, I’ve always felt pressure to be the person who ‘has the answer’. We work in a space where people want solutions to threats and problems immediately, and if you don’t have the answer, you’ve got to be able to find the answer quickly.

IG: What’s changed since you first entered the industry in terms of physical security and risk management? And what have been your biggest learnings?

LE: Security is so dynamic – everyone has a different set of perspectives and challenges. Because cyber risk has developed so quickly and alarmed executives with the ‘unknown’, physical security can be undermined a little and take a bit of a ‘backseat’. It’s important that we don’t allow this to happen – we have as much to offer in this domain as the cyber and IT teams.

IG: What do you mean by this exactly? We speak a lot about the ‘convergence’ of physical and cyber at the converged security centre at IFSEC – is more collaboration required?

LE: Exactly – there needs to be more crossover. Take the insider threat as a prime example. It’s often viewed as sitting in the IT world, because of the common techniques involved, but organisations sometimes fail to see the crossover part of this being a ‘human’ threat as well. To counteract the insider threat, someone can spot changes in behaviour from a risk management perspective, which is where the physical security department’s strengths lie. ifsecglobal.com

Verizon Network Engineer: Licking Co. man charged with committing $1M in fraud
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jeremie Adam Elkins, 44, of Newark, Ohio, was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly causing approximately $1 million in fraud while employed as a network engineer at Verizon, Inc.

It is also alleged Elkins illegally possessed a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony crime.

According to the 16-count indictment, from July to October 2020, Elkins used his company-issued credit card to pay for personal expenses like hotels/resorts, restaurants, bars, pawn shops and auction houses. Elkins had been employed as a Network Engineer at Verizon.

Elkins also allegedly used an old Verizon work order number to place multiple fraudulent orders with vendor W.W. Grainger, Inc. Grainger provides tools and equipment for Verizon service vans.

It is alleged Elkins placed 46 unauthorized orders to Grainger and personally picked up the majority of the equipment, which totaled approximately $936,000. He allegedly used the illicit proceeds to purchase two boats and a motorcycle.

Court documents detail the defendant placed an additional 20 unauthorized orders to Grainger, for items totaling nearly $954,000, but never obtained the equipment.

Elkins is alleged to have caused $24,000 in loss to Verizon and more than $936,000 in loss to W.W. Grainger.

Elkins is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, five counts of access device fraud and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime. justice.gov

Capri Holdings Versace division plots nearly 100 stores

Save A Lot names new CEO


Quarterly Results

Capri Holdings Q3 revenue up 24%
   Versace up 29%, Jimmy Choo revenue up 47%, Michael Kors up 20%

Apple Q1 revenue up 11% (New all-time record)
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director of AP job posted for Sportsman's Warehouse in Salt Lake City, UT
The Director of Asset Protection is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining all aspects of the Loss Prevention and Asset Protection within the Company. They will direct all Loss Prevention and Asset Protection activities for the Retail Stores, Distribution Center, eCommerce, and Corporate Office, responsible for strategy, policy and all related initiatives to protect human, financial and physical assets of the Company. linkedin.com

Director, Asset Protection Video Analytics & Safety job posted for Southeastern Grocers in Jacksonville, FL
The Director, AP Analytics and Safety will be responsible for managing the Remote Video Accident Investigation and evidence retention program to minimize costs associated with customer and associate accidents while supporting the Asset Protection field team in all areas of their responsibility. He/she will also design and implement the strategic initiatives designed to identify and measurably impact intentional shrink drivers in the area of internal, external and vendor theft. corporate-segrocers.icims.com

Director, Corporate Security job posted for Spectrum in Streetsboro, OH
The main purpose of this job is to plan and direct the region security function under the direction of the Sr Dir, Corporate Physical Security. Responsibilities include developing, implementing, and managing the strategic and tactical planning for the region. In addition, the Director will be responsible for developing a proactive, predictive risk environment, identifying significant security risks and developing progressive mitigation strategies. jobs.spectrum.com

Sr Supply Chain Loss Prevention Manager job posted for Ulta Beauty in Bolingbrook, IL & Jacksonville, FL
The Senior Manager Supply Chain Loss Prevention (Sr Mgr. SCLP) leads and directs a team of Supply Chain Loss Prevention Managers (SCLPMs) at the FFCs (Fast Fulfillment Center) and MFCs (Market Fulfillment Center) to coordinate efforts of shrink improvement, lead building safety initiatives and drive asset protection programs for Ulta Beauty’s Supply Chain. The Sr SCLPM is responsible for leading network supply chain transformation initiatives and leading investigations of known carrier losses in the Ulta Beauty Supply Chain. careers.ulta.com

Manager, Corporate Physical Security job posted for Spectrum in Milwaukee, WI
This role plans and directs the region’s investigative function, physical security training and tabletop exercises under the guidance of the Regional Director of Corporate Security. Accountable for planning, developing and implementing the region’s investigative programs and strategies, develope a training schedule and coordinate tabletop exercises. Directs the activities of the investigations to ensure compliance with company policies, legal and regulatory requirements. jobs.spectrum.com