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2/25/21

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Edward Turner, CFI, LPQ promoted to Manager of Fraud, Workplace Violence & Physical Security for Staples Stores
Edward has been with Staples since 2005, starting with the company as Loss Prevention Operational Auditor, a position he held for six years. Before his promotion to Manager of Fraud, Workplace Violence & Physical Security, he spent nearly 10 years as Field Loss Prevention Manager for the company. Earlier in his career, he held loss prevention roles with Shaw's Supermarkets and KB Toys. Congratulations, Edward!

See All the Executives 'Moving Up' Here

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Retail Industry Staying Strong Through the Pandemic

Building on 2020's strong retail results,
NRF projects 6.5% to 8.2% sales increase in 2021

NRF Forecasts Retail Sales to Exceed $4.33T in 2021 as Vaccine Rollout Expands

WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation has issued its annual forecast, anticipating that retail sales will grow between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent to more than $4.33 trillion in 2021 as more individuals get vaccinated and the economy reopens.

“Despite the continuing health and economic challenges COVID-19 presents, we are very optimistic that healthy consumer fundamentals, pent-up demand and widespread distribution of the vaccine will generate increased economic growth, retail sales and consumer spending,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “From the outset of the pandemic, retailers have gone above and beyond even the most conservative safety guidelines to protect and serve their associates and consumers alike. Retailers are increasingly engaged in working with federal, state and local health officials to distribute and administer the vaccine. This partnership has been key to our economic health throughout the pandemic and will continue this year.”

Early results show that retail sales in 2020 grew 6.7 percent over 2019 to $4.06 trillion, nearly doubling NRF’s forecast of at least 3.5 percent growth, which did not account for the impact of a global pandemic. This figure compares with 3.9 percent growth in 2019. Online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total figure, skyrocketed to 21.9 percent at $969.4 billion as consumers shifted to ecommerce. The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.

The 2020 November-December holiday season accounted for nearly one-fifth (19.4 percent) of overall annual retail sales. Retail sales during this period grew an unexpectedly high 8 percent to $787.1 billion. Non-store and other online sales represented $206.9 billion of total holiday sales, up 22.6 percent over the year before. nrf.com

Protests & Violence

NYC: Several arrested during Daniel Prude protest in Brooklyn
Several people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest in Brooklyn in the wake of the decision to not charge upstate New York cops in the death of Daniel Prude, according to police and witnesses.

Dozens of protesters marched through McCarren Park in Williamsburg around 7 p.m., prompting a large police response with about 300 cops. Witnesses told The Post at least nine people were arrested. Police confirmed some arrests were made.

Several protesters began attacking pedestrians and spray-painting a cab near the Williamsburg Bridge, the witnesses recalled. Videos on Citizen App shows large crowds at the scene, and a police chopper can be heard hovering over the area. nypost.com

George Floyd: Adding third-degree murder to Derek Chauvin case improves prosecution's odds, attorneys say
Prosecutors trying Derek Chauvin on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter will argue before the Court of Appeals next Monday, outlining why they should be allowed to reinstate a count of third-degree murder against Chauvin based on a ruling the court issued earlier this month.

The late development, said some local attorneys, is a strategic move to give jurors more opportunities to convict Chauvin against the historic backdrop of public deference toward officers' legal right to use deadly force on the job, and the rarity of prosecutions against officers who kill civilians. startribune.com

Rochester, NY protest held for 2nd night over Daniel Prude grand jury findings

In Tennessee, GOP senators seek to ban protests during anthem, raising legal concerns

St. Louis Park, MN: As cities ban residential protests, Minneapolis suburb considers a different approach

How Are Activists Managing Dissension Within the ‘Defund the Police’ Movement?
In June 2020, the Minneapolis city council announced plans to disband its police department following the killing of George Floyd. The council’s decision came after days of protesting and unrest in the city—and across the country—related to Floyd’s death and calls for larger-scale accountability from law enforcement. Central in many of these calls-for-action was a phrase soon to go global: “defund the police.”

Eight months later, however, and the Minneapolis' police department has not been dissolved, though a lot has happened in the interim; the city's struggle to implement meaningful reforms serves as a microcosm of how the “defund the police” movement has impacted the country. Council members who initially supported the idea have walked back their positions. In August the city charter delayed the council’s proposal to disband the police pending further review, only to reject the proposal entirely in November. (Instead, there have been some rollbacks within the department as a result of cuts to its budget.)

There are now varying (and even contradictory) takes on what the term “defund” actually means - and in what ways it should be used to foster change. Some activists use it to describe their goal of wholly disbanding police forces, others take its definition to mean the reallocation, to varying extents, of a police department’s budget. Others still believe the term can be used to describe both goals, or use it simply as a broader call for accountability.

This dissent is now apparent across the country, particularly in communities where issues of over-policing, gun violence, and systemic racism are most prevalent. Activists worry it could hamstring large-scale action to reform policing. time.com

The Most Ambitious Effort Yet to Reform Policing May Be Happening In Ithaca, NY
The mayor’s new proposal would replace the city’s existing police department with a “Department of Community Solutions and Public Safety” intended to reduce the involvement of armed officers in disputes.

Update On A Movement: How 'Defunding Police' Is Playing Out In Austin, Texas

Iowa Legislature advances penalties for 'defunding' police, holds off on racial profiling ban, increasing penalties for assault

What's New with Checkpoint Systems

COVID Update

US: Over 28.9M Cases - 518K Dead - 19.3M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 113M Cases - 2.5M Dead - 89M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 251
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Why have some states fared better than others with vaccine distribution?

The vaccination gap among states has narrowed, but key differences still illustrate why some have done better than others.

The picture nationwide showed a yawning gap in mid-January between some states that were doing well with vaccine distribution and others that were lagging far behind. But in the weeks since, that gap has significantly narrowed. While a few states are outliers on either end, the vast majority of states are now at roughly the same level, according to an NBC News analysis of state vaccination data. Of the 50 states, 44 have administered 70 percent to 90 percent of the doses that have been distributed to them.

In other words, a smaller proportion of doses are going unused on freezer shelves, and states are clustering around a national average of having used 79 percent of doses given to them.

In the states that have outperformed the average, state authorities have often taken a strong hand in organizing local efforts, moved quickly to get the public signed up to participate and leaned on nearby federal institutions for help.

The Best & Worst States

There are different ways to measure how a state’s vaccination effort is doing. One is to look at the proportion of the state’s population that’s been vaccinated, or the number of vaccines administered per 100,000 people. By that measure, a few states including Alaska, New Mexico and West Virginia have consistently been among the best in per-capita vaccinations in recent weeks. As of Thursday, Alaska had administered nearly 18,000 initial doses per 100,000 people.

A handful of other states have often traded places near the other end of the scale, and they include Alabama, Kansas, Missouri and others. Experts in those states said they believed a variety of factors were holding them back, such as a potentially higher degree of hesitancy about the Covid-19 vaccines and the decisions that state and local officials have made about both who gets prioritized and which providers are administering the shots. nbcnews.com

New California Variant More Contagious, Two Studies Confirm
A variant first discovered in California in December is more contagious than earlier forms of the coronavirus, two new studies have shown, fueling concerns that emerging mutants like this one could hamper the sharp decline in cases over all in the state and perhaps elsewhere.

In one of the new studies, researchers found that the variant has spread rapidly in a San Francisco neighborhood in the past couple of months. The other report confirmed that the variant has surged across the state, and revealed that it produces twice as many viral particles inside a person’s body as other variants do. That study also hinted that the variant may be better than others at evading the immune system — and vaccines. nytimes.com

“Covid zero” isn’t going to happen - but normal life still can
Ten years ago, a deadly infectious disease killed more than 36,000 Americans. The next year, it killed 12,000 more. And over each of the following eight years, the same disease caused between 22,000 and 62,000 deaths. That disease is influenza — also known as the flu — and it ranks among the 15 leading causes of death in the United States.

Talking about the effects of a typical flu is somewhat fraught these days. We are living through the worst pandemic in a century, one that is of a different order of magnitude from influenza. In the early months of Covid-19, some people who were trying to deny its severity, claimed that it was barely worse than the flu. That’s false:

Soon, however, the flu will become a meaningful point of comparison. In the coming months, Covid will probably recede, as a result of vaccinations and growing natural immunity. But it will not disappear. “Some people have gotten this idea that we’re going to get to ‘Covid zero,’” Dr. Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins University said. “That’s not realistic. It’s a fantasy.” nytimes.com

UK COVID Lockdowns A Lot Tougher Than U.S.
UK Retail Sales Dived 45% in the year ending February, according to CBI

Retailers also predicted a sharper decline for March, at 62%, the worst projection since records began in 1983

CBI survey’s index of internet retail sales hit a record high.
The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) latest retail survey revealed a decline in both sales volumes and orders over the past year.

It said that grocers were the only retailers to see any growth in sales volumes in the 12-month period amid Covid-19 restrictions.

The news comes after the Prime Minister laid out his road map out of current coronavirus restrictions, with non-essential retailers due to reopen from April 12 at the earliest.

“They will be looking to the government to extend support in parallel with wider restrictions when the Chancellor unveils his budget next week.” retailgazette.co.uk

Wage Growth in U.S. Will Be Historically Low Next Two Years
Pay Freezes Were Common in 2020; Employers Stay Cautious with 2021 Budgets

Only 64 percent of U.S. organizations gave base pay increases in 2020, down from 82 percent that raised salaries in 2019, new research shows.

The results were reported in February by compensation data and software firm PayScale in its 2021 Compensation Best Practices Report, and are based on more than 5,000 responses from compensation managers at U.S. and Canadian companies surveyed from November 2020 to January 2021.

For organizations still giving base pay raises, the average percentage increase in salary budgets has not changed much, with a majority of employers citing increases of 3 percent or less for 2021, although pay raises will be greater at top-performing organizations—those that exceeded revenue goals.

Bonuses were less common, as well. Organizations that offer performance-based variable pay dropped from 73 percent to just under 70 percent between 2019 and 2020, PayScale found.

Pay equity. In 2021, 46 percent organizations are pledging to conduct a pay-equity analysis to ensure employees are paid fairly regardless of race and gender, compared to 38 percent last year. In addition, 80 percent of employers said paying employees fairly is important to foster engagement and retention. shrm.org

L.A. approves ‘hero pay’ for drugstore and grocery workers
Los Angeles became the latest municipality Wednesday to support so-called hero pay for grocery store workers. The L.A. City Council voted 14 to 1 to require larger grocery stores and drugstores to boost the pay of their workers by $5 an hour for the next 120 days.

Similar mandates have passed in Seattle, Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach and for unincorporated Los Angeles County, with legislators saying that grocery store workers are risking their health to stock the shelves during the pandemic and deserve compensation. latimes.com

Target moves it's 8,500 corp. employees return to HQ from June to Fall

California has passed the 50,000-death mark, the most of any state

After months of despair, vaccines have dramatically reduced nursing home deaths

Moderna announces new version of vaccine to combat troublesome variants

Pfizer testing booster shot, developing adapted vaccine to address variant concerns

Will Amazon Open 3,000 Go Stores?
Amazon Go draws high interest from U.S. shoppers

Piplsay poll finds 59% see Go cashierless stores as threat to Walmart, Kroger

Nearly 60% of more than 30,000 U.S. adults polled online this past weekend by Piplsay would like to have an Amazon Go in their area and see the concept as a threat to big food retailers such as Walmart and Kroger. Less than a third of respondents have visited an Amazon Go location, but over half think the checkout-free format will be successful.

Amazon currently has 26 of the compact Amazon Go convenience stores powered by Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology.

Industry observers have said Amazon Go could become a major business for Amazon as it expands its physical retail footprint.

Amazon, though, continues to see inconsistent sales growth for its physical stores. For the fiscal 2020 fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, Amazon’s physical store sales declined 8% year over year to $4.02 billion. Full-year 2020 physical store sales fell 5.6% to $16.22 billion.

Amazon Physical Stores: Besides the 26 Amazon Go locations, Amazon’s U.S. physical stores include 502 Whole Foods Markets, eight Amazon Fresh grocery stores, two Amazon Go Grocery stores (which use Just Walk Out cashierless technology), 24 Amazon Books stores, 29 Amazon 4-Star outlets and seven Presented by Amazon pop-up locations. supermarketnews.com

Two Retailers Raise Minimum Wage

Costco is raising its minimum wage to $16 an hour for its U.S. store workers
Costco is raising its hourly minimum wage to $16, putting its starting wage above many of its rivals such as Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. “Two years ago, we moved our starting hourly wage to $15 everywhere in the U.S. Effective next week, the starting wage will go to $16,” said Costco CEO Craig Jelinek during a Senate budget committee hearing on Thursday. cnbc.com

Signet Jewelers raising minimum wage to $15 an hour
Signet Jewelers is raising its U.S. minimum wage to $15 an hour for all full-time and part-time employees by the spring of 2022, the Akron, Ohio company announced Thursday. beaconjournal.com

Bigger Picture: These moves come as Congress debates the $15 an hour federal minimum wage increase as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill.

Target and Amazon both pay hourly workers a minimum of $15 an hour. Walmart’s minimum wage starts at $11 an hour, but it recently announced raises for 425,000 employees that will boost the retailer’s average pay to above $15 an hour. Others have raised their minimum wage even higher, namely Hobby Lobby, which pays employees $17 an hour.

McKinsey Scandal Claims Firm's Leader
McKinsey Partners Vote Out Leader in Wake of Opioid Settlement, Other Crises
McKinsey & Co.’s partners voted to replace Kevin Sneader as the elite consulting firm’s leader, after internal dissatisfaction over steps he took following a series of crises for the firm, people familiar with the matter said.

The decision - the result of a staggered voting process that McKinsey’s approximately 650 senior partners undertake every three years to choose or reconfirm the firm’s global managing partner - marks the first time in decades that a McKinsey leader hasn’t won a second term. Mr. Sneader, who was voted global managing partner three years ago, failed to make it past the first round of voting, in part because partners chafed at changes aimed at keeping McKinsey free of scandal, but limited partners’ autonomy, the people said.

Mr. Sneader, a 54-year-old Scot and McKinsey veteran of more than three decades, has spent much of his tenure trying to move the firm past controversies around McKinsey’s previous work with clients, including this month’s $573 million settlement with states over its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug manufacturers to aggressively market opioid painkillers.

The firm has also drawn scrutiny over its work with e-cigarette maker Juul, as well as some autocratic foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia. In December, it came to a settlement with Justice Department watchdogs over how the firm discloses potential conflicts of interest. In both the opioid and disclosure settlements, McKinsey admitted no wrongdoing. wsj.com

The Home Depot Foundation Commits up to $500,000
in Response to Recent Winter Storms
In response to the recent winter storms devastating the nation, The Home Depot Foundation announced today that it is committing up to $500,000 to aid with immediate relief efforts and short- and long-term recovery for communities impacted by historic winter storms, Uri and Viola. This incremental commitment is in addition to the Foundation's annual grants of $3.6 million to disaster relief national nonprofit partners, bringing the current total commitment for 2021 to $4.1 million. prnewswire.com

Best Buy Steps Up Digital Overhaul as Slowdown Looms
Electronics retailer warns pandemic-fueled gains will end and tries to speed its digital transformation. That means new roles, fewer hours for some workers.

Victoria's Secret to close as many as 50 more stores this year

Target to roll out dedicated Apple shops inside 17 locations

Belk exits bankruptcy a day after filing for Chapter 11

DHL opens first drive-up retail store in the US

Signet Jewelers To Raise Minimum Wage To $15 An Hour For All U.S Employees

More Grocery Store Robots Coming Selling Checkout Items

Quarterly Results

Wayfair Q4 sales up 45%, FY 2020 sales up 55%
Best Buy Q4 comp's up 12.6%, revenue up 11.2%; full-year comp's up 9.7%, revenue up 8.3%
L Brands Q4 comp's up 10%, net sales up 2.4%; full-year comp's up 21%, net sales down 8.3%
SpartanNash Q4 Retail comp's up 8.7%, FY 2020 Retail comp's up 13.1%, net sales up 12.5%, FY 2020 net sales up 9.5%
Canada's Loblaw Q4 food retail comp's up 8.6%, Shoppers Drug Mart comp's up 3.7%
Rent-A-Center Q4 consolidated revenue up 7.3%

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siffron and MTI Partner to Accelerate the Retail Industry's Digital Transformation to Smart Retail

Twinsburg, Ohio and Hillsboro, Ore - Last month, siffron® and MTI (Mobile Tech, Inc.) announced they are leveraging their combined 100 years of retail industry experience and product portfolios to bring retail innovation and intelligent solutions to their customers. This partnership will enhance each brand's business with integrated products and a full suite of solutions to improve the customer experience.

The siffron and MTI partnership combine intelligent security hardware with cloud-based software to create realtime visibility into merchandised product performance. These solutions empower employees to service customers while reducing product shrinkage.

"siffron is laser-focused on innovation and providing total retail solutions," states Brent Ewing, siffron VP of Product Development and Strategic Partnerships. "This partnership with MTI will provide retailers with smart solutions that provide the insights and tools they need to grow their businesses."

"MTI's partnership with siffron creates a richer experience for retailers and their customers by drawing upon our collective deep retail expertise and complementary products and services," said Mary Jesse, Chief Executive Officer, MTI. "Our teams are completely aligned and enthusiastic about the opportunities we have to delight our customers together."

Retailers are rapidly evolving their business models as the industry adapts to new norms. Digital transformation is needed to create a Smart Retail ecosystem that drives growth and delivers an integrated, omnichannel customer experience. The siffron and MTI partnership's innovation will provide an unmatched resource for retailers to achieve these goals.

About siffron
For over 60 years, siffron has been a leader in the retail display and loss prevention industry, providing solutions designed to increase sales, improve category management, limit shrink and reduce labor at the point of sale. These products include custom product displays; merchandising and loss prevention systems; label, sign and literature holders; product merchandisers and display components; as well as fresh area merchandising products, supplies and backroom organization solutions. siffron offers start-to-finish solution delivery, including consultation, design, prototyping, production, fulfillment and purchase consolidation.

About MTI
MTI is a global solutions innovator in retail security and smart retail, serving the largest and most highly regarded global brands. Our smart IoT platform drives superior operational efficiency, employee satisfaction and customer experiences. MTI's innovative design and production capabilities, along with our unmatched field technical services, ensure success for our customers in retail, healthcare, and hospitality. Our global services organization offers 24/7/365 field support in over 90 countries, and resolves 98% of problems on the first visit. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon with offices in Hong Kong, Ireland, and London, we bring over 40 years of experience helping our customers meet their complex business needs.

Push for Federal Data Breach Disclosure Rules
Congress looks towards new data breach laws as scope
of Russian SolarWinds hack remains unknown

Companies responding to a massive Russian hack urged Congress to update laws dictating how the private sector shares information about cybersecurity breaches with the government.

“It is time not only to talk about, but to find a way to take action, to impose in an appropriate manner some kind of notification obligation on entities in the private sector," Microsoft president Brad Smith told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "I think it's the only way we're going to protect the country and I think it's the only way we're going to protect the world.”

We are just finding out more government and private sector victims who were compromised as part of the months-long SolarWinds hacking campaign discovered in December. The full scope of the victims of the Russian hack is still unknown since private companies have no legal obligation to come forward with the information.

As the White House readies sanctions against Russia for the attack and other malign cyberactivity, committee members from both parties expressed interest in boosting reporting requirements, which have failed in the past due to aggressive industry lobbying and Republican wariness over regulation.

Report: Facebook scam hits Market Basket customers
Fraudsters are reportedly trying to obtain personal information from Market Basket shoppers via fake Facebook messages. According to Boston.com, the New England grocery chain is warning customers about a phony Facebook account using its name which is sending friend requests and asking for people to submit personal information in order to participate in a promotional contest. Market Basket’s real Facebook page never sends friend requests and never asks for any payment-related information. chainstoreage.com

Automated Bots Attacks Accelerating
LexisNexis Risk Solutions Cybercrime Report Finds Young Adults & Adults Over 75 Most Vulnerable to Fraud Attacks
LexisNexis® Risk Solutions released its biannual Cybercrime Report covering July 2020 through December 2020, which details how the evolving threat landscape created new opportunities for cybercriminals around the world, particularly as they targeted new online users.

Analysis shows that the under 25 age group is most vulnerable to fraud attacks while the oldest age group is second most vulnerable and loses the most money. The stark risk at both ends of the age spectrum emphasizes the importance for companies to protect both new-to-digital and vulnerable customers when transacting online in 2021.

The report also provides a full year review which highlights how 2020 saw an overall decline in human-initiated attacks, while bot attacks accelerated. Malicious attack vectors persist despite reduced attack rates recorded across businesses as automated bot attacks offer fraudsters a cheap, quick and effective method of initial attack. The study analyzed 24.6 billion transactions July through December 2020 and found that mass automated bots used to test identity credentials remain widespread.

Likewise, new account creations continue to see high attack rates, representing a key point of entry for fraudsters looking to monetize credentials harvested from data breaches. yahoo.com

CISA releases joint cybersecurity advisory on exploitation of Accellion file transfer appliance
The cybersecurity authorities of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States have released Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-055A: Exploitation of Accellion File Transfer Appliance.

Cyber actors worldwide have exploited vulnerabilities in Accellion File Transfer Appliance to attack multiple federal, and state, local, tribal, and territorial government organizations as well as private industry organizations in the medical, legal, telecommunications, finance, and energy fields. In some instances, the attacker extorted money from victim organizations to prevent public release of information exfiltrated from a compromised Accellion appliance. securitymagazine.com

PCI Security Standards Council Publishes Version 1.1 of Secure Software Lifecycle (SLC) Standard and Program
The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has published version 1.1 of the PCI Secure Software Lifecycle (SLC) Standard and its supporting program documentation. The PCI Secure SLC Standard is one of two standards that are part of the PCI Software Security Framework (SSF). It provides security requirements and assessment procedures for software vendors to integrate into their software development lifecycles and to validate that secure lifecycle management practices are in place.

The version 1.1 update to the PCI Secure SLC Program Guide expands program eligibility beyond payment software vendors. The revised eligibility includes software vendors who develop software products for the payment card industry. This expansion of the program enables more vendors to leverage Secure SLC qualification and facilitates broader vendor adoption and participation in the Secure SLC Program. pcisecuritystandards.org

Global Cybersecurity Market Forecast to Be Worth $403B by 2027
Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% over a 5-year forecast period.

Security Measures Key to Opening Cannabis Dispensaries
Charleston dispensary visible symbol of state's recreational cannabis law

Reed said Mayor Brandon Combs talked with him before the council’s vote, with Reed providing assurance that he didn’t think security would be an issue with the dispensary. Police also toured the Zen Leaf store to review its security before it opened, Reed said.

He said they were assured by procedures that include a security guard on site and staff's seeing customers’ identification and taking their photos before they can enter the store. The store’s products are secured away from the sales area and there are security measures for the store’s parking lot as well, Reed noted.

The store’s had both recreational and medical cannabis users as customers and many say they’re grateful to have a safe, convenient source and are willing to pay taxes on the products to get them, he also said.jg-tc.com

Retail Cannabis Sales Still Months Away in NJ
Marijuana Is Legal in New Jersey, but Sales Are Months Away

Legislation signed on Monday decriminalizes the use or possession of up to six ounces of cannabis, ending an era of disproportionate arrests in communities of color.

New Jersey is now one of 14 states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults 21 and older, while also easing several penalties for underage possession and allowing for the creation of a regulated market that could provide a welcomed boost to the state’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic.

Legal sales likely remain months away at the earliest, as the state takes on its next task of creating a heavily regulated industry large enough to support public demand, with licenses still to be doled out to dispensaries.

But after years of failed legislative efforts to approve the use of recreational marijuana, Monday’s move came as a long-awaited win for supporters, including Mr. Murphy, who had long pushed for the inclusion of measures to address the disproportionate number of marijuana arrests in communities of color. nytimes.com

'Pot for Shots'
Michigan Dispensary Gives People Free Cannabis for Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
A marijuana store in Oakland County is extending its “Pot for Shots” program through March 31, giving a free pre-roll to people who can provide proof of having a COVID-19 vaccination.

Greenhouse of Walled Lake has joined with Ubaked Cannabis Company of Burton for the promotion, which started Jan. 22 and had been scheduled to end at the end of February.

Miller said the promotion is a way to reach out to existing and new customers to “raise awareness of the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccination.” theoaklandpress.com

New Jersey Stops Marijuana Arrests, Ends Pending Prosecutions

The Story of the Counterfeit Misfit
How Fraudsters Used Bots to Scrape and Deplete Inventory
A high-end luxury brand was continually targeted by various fraudster groups for several years since their e-commerce website launched. They experienced persistent bot issues: 1) fraudsters from China were scraping their website to sell knock-offs of their product, and 2) bots were depleting inventory for this companies’ most in-demand special edition merchandise during their busiest season.

These web scraping fraudsters secured multiple website domain names that were similar to the real domain (e.g. domain.outlet.com) and presented the same exact merchandise as the real site. They were also running paid ads to the counterfeit websites so they appeared legitimate and ranked high on search engines.

To entice shoppers to swiftly purchase this fake merch, they significantly reduced the prices as part of a ‘big sale.’ Unsuspecting buyers purchased rip-offs from the fraudulent website and received counterfeit products.

Counterfeit goods hurt legitimate retailers on multiple fronts. First, retailers miss out on revenue from the initial purchase. Secondly, the reputation of their brand is negatively impacted and can lead to buyers not coming back or becoming fearful of making future purchases. In some cases, the legitimate retailer is forced to compensate the purchaser to maintain their business and make the situation ‘right.’

Below is a simplified workflow of how this process works from start to finish. The tools needed to leverage malicious automation to scrape a legitimate website require very little time and not much skill. While selling the fake merchandise as original is illegal, web scraping is still technically legal. securityboulevard.com

Top E-Commerce Sites
Amazon, Rakuten, eBay Top List of Most Visited Ecommerce Sites
Amazon and Japan’s Rakuten were the #1 and #2 most visited retail websites in the world last year, with Amazon domains taking three of the top 10 spots (.com at #1, .de at #3 and .co.uk at #6).

Amazon.com received a staggering 2.6 billion monthly visits on average in 2020, with the ecommerce marketplace clocking more visits every hour than half the population of London. Amazon.com also ranks as the 12th-most-visited site globally across all sectors, beaten only by porn sites, social media sites and Google.

Fellow marketplaces eBay (both .com at #4 and .co.uk at #10), AliExpress (#5), Taobao (#8) and Craigslist (#9) also ranked, with Walmart standing alone as the only retailer with a brick-and-mortar presence to make the top 10. retailtouchpoints.com

Foolproof tips for avoiding counterfeit masks online

Davie, FL: Detectives search for burglar who stole 157 birds valued at more than $75,000
Detectives are searching for a burglar who recently cut a hole in the roof of the Birdhouse pet store in Davie and entered through the drop ceiling to steal 157 birds valued at $75,500. The burglar left some of the birds flying free and exited through the back door sometime between 6 p.m. on Monday and 9 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Davie Police Department’s report. “My heart got ripped out ... they take everything away from me, last 15 years I put my work,” said Charlie Hong, the business owner. “This is my hobby as I started it. I made a business supporting my family. Whoever is out there took my dream away.” Jeanette Chicoine is a Birdhouse customer. She said she was outraged when she learned about the burglary. She had been boarding her cockatiel named “Doeboy” at the store. He lost some feathers after fighting off the burglar. local10.com

New York, NY: Burglar steals the entire $300K inventory from Taste Wine Co. in Manhattan's East Village
A Manhattan wine business was left high and dry after someone removed the store’s entire inventory – 2,000 bottles valued at about $300,000, a law enforcement source told The Post. The owner told police Tuesday night that when he was last at the Taste Wine Co. at 50 Third Ave. in the East Village on Jan. 8 all of the inventory was in place. Prior to that date, the business had been closed for several months, he told authorities. Stolen were 1,000 bottles of wine, 1,000 bottles of liquor and 125 wine dispensers, machines designed to serve and preserve wines at the right temperatures, the source said. The owner placed the value of the bottles at $150,000 and said each dispenser is worth $1,200, according to the source. nypost.com

Brooklyn, NY: Target shoplifter sprays irritant at officer, flees with detergent
A man stealing laundry detergent from a Brooklyn Target sprayed a police officer and a security guard with an irritant as they tried to apprehend him, police said. Store security spotted the shoplifter making off with the detergent at the Gateway Center Target in East New York on Sunday evening and alerted an on-duty police officer, according to the NYPD. The officer and a security guard tried to apprehend him, and a struggle ensued around 7:15 p.m., police said. The shoplifter pulled out an unknown substance and sprayed it at the officer and guard before fleeing with the detergent, according to police. The officer suffered irritation and redness to the eyes and was treated by EMS at the scene, police said. It's unclear if the guard was hit by the substance. radio.com

Lompoc, CA: Man arrested after Surf Connection break-in, theft of $1,200 worth of jeans
A Lompoc man was arrested on suspicion of burglary after multiple pairs of jeans were stolen from Surf Connection, which he accessed by smashing out the front door's glass, according to police. Officers were dispatched to the 1300 North H Street, where an alarm was sounding at Surf Connection store after the door was shattered shortly before 2 a.m., according to Sgt. Scott Morgan. Officers noted that a stack of jeans had been stolen. Lompoc Police detectives reviewed surveillance camera footage and identified the suspect as 35-year-old Michael Limon after they spotted him running from the business to a nearby hotel. lompocrecord.com

Enfield, CT: Police seek 3 suspects following AT&T store robbery
Two employees and a customer were in the store at the time. The suspects took an undetermined amount of merchandise and fled before officers arrived. wfsb.com

Manchester, NJ: Police seeking 2 copper wire thieves hitting Lowes

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Shootings & Deaths

DeKalb County, GA: Man gunned down in parking lot of Family Dollar store
Police are investigating a deadly shooting in the parking lot of a DeKalb County Family Dollar store on Wednesday evening. It happened at the store located along Stone Mountain Lithonia Road near Rockbridge Road. DeKalb County police said officers arrived to find the body of a man in the parking lot. Investigators are calling it a homicide, but have not released details. It was not immediately clear if police were searching for a suspect. fox5atlanta.com

Little Rock, AR: Body found outside Walmart store
Little Rock Police are investigating after a body was found in a parked car at the Walmart on South Shackleford Road Tuesday afternoon. A police spokesman said officers responded to the store around 4 p.m., where a body was found in an parked car on the east side of the store property. The death is being treated as a homicide, and police say the person was not killed at the store. The victim was identified as 20-year-old Khyree Allison of Little Rock. Allison’s body has been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy. Investigators are reaching out to the public for any information leading to a suspect. kark.com

Update: Sacramento, CA: 3 Arrested For Suspected Robbery, Shooting That
Left 7-Eleven Clerk Dead
Detectives have arrested the three suspects wanted for the robbery and shooting that left a Sacramento convenience store clerk dead. The shooting happened early Monday morning at the 7-Eleven convenience store along the 1100 block of 43rd Avenue. Sacramento police say a customer had walked into the store and found the clerk had been shot. Medics soon rushed the clerk to the hospital, but he was later pronounced dead. Investigators found that the clerk had been shot after an apparent robbery. sacramento.cbslocal.com

Antioch, CA: One person shot as CVS Armed Robbers hit inside Target
The latest was reported about 2 p.m. Shoppers were shocked by gunfire as armed robbers hit a CVS Pharmacy inside a Target store on Lone Tree Way. One customer was wounded but will recover, and two teenage suspects are in custody. "Chaos erupted, people going every which way, screaming," described a customer. The two suspects are identified as Ramon Meza-Morales and Raul Garcia, both 18 and from Antioch. They were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The pair left with an undisclosed amount of narcotics, most likely opioid medication. On their way out, somehow a shopper was shot in the leg. "We don't know if there was a struggle at the door, if he just got in their way, or tried to intervene, we're still trying to piece that part of it altogether," said Lt. Joe Donleavy of the Antioch Police. The robbers made it to their car, but drove into the path of an arriving police vehicle. ktvu.com

Columbus, OH: Man critically wounded in shooting at East Side convenience store
An early morning shooting Wednesday wounded two Southeast Side men, one of them in life-threatening condition. Columbus police said the shooting was reported around 3:25 a.m. Wednesday at the Eagle Fuels Market, on Livingston Ave., on the city's East Side. When officers arrived, they found 20-year-old Marsean Kato with multiple gunshot wounds. Kato was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in life-threatening condition. Police determined that 19-year-old Davon Johnson, who walked into a local hospital with a gunshot wound, was shot during the same incident that resulted in Kato's injuries. Johnson remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition. dispatch.com

Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Morris County Pharmacy Employee Charged with $1.9 Million Kickback & Bribery Scheme
A pharmacy employee was charged for conspiring to offer and pay bribes and kickbacks in exchange for having prescriptions steered to the Morris County, New Jersey, pharmacy where he worked, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced yesterday 2/24/21.

Srinivasa Raju, 49, of Haskell, New Jersey, was arrested today and charged by complaint with conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Magdalena Jimenez, 56, of Newark, New Jersey, was previously charged with a parallel bribery and kickback scheme involving the same pharmacy. Those charges remain pending.

Raju had various responsibilities at the Morris County pharmacy, including coordinating prescription deliveries and soliciting business. From at least January 2019, Raju worked with other pharmacy personnel to pay kickbacks and bribes to a doctor’s employee in exchange for receiving numerous prescriptions from that doctor’s Jersey City office.

Raju first paid the kickbacks and bribes using gift cards, but soon switched to cash and checks. He typically handed the kickbacks and bribes to coworkers inside the pharmacy and directed them to deliver the payments to the doctor’s employee. To conceal the true nature of some of the illicit payments, Raju had approximately $8,000 worth of checks made out to the employee’s relative, under the guise of paying for IT services. In truth, Raju never met or communicated with the relative, and no actual services were performed.

The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the offense, whichever is greater. justice.gov

Houston, TX: Police looking for robbery suspect that held employees at knife point
The HPD Robbery Division and Crime Stoppers of Houston is looking for a robbery suspect that could be responsible for a series of aggravated robberies. Investigators say the suspect is responsible for stealing merchandise at several West Houston stores and then pulling a knife on employees in the process. cw39.com

Philadelphia, PA: Man will be charged with raping a woman in the Center City Macy’s bathroom

Puyallup, WA: Shoplifting Suspect Pepper Sprays Walmart Loss Prevention

Fire/Arson

Brownstown Township, MI: Dollar General burns down in early morning blaze
A Dollar General department store in Brownstown Township was completely lost after a fire tore through the structure early Thursday morning. Fire crews are still investigating the cause, but suspect stray cardboard outside the building may have caused it. fox2detroit.com

● AT&T – Enfield, CT – Armed Robbery
● Boost Mobile – Roxborough, PA – Robbery (2nd in a week)
● C-Store – Essex County, MA - Armed Robbery
● C-Store – Chicago, IL – Burglary
● C-Store – Chicago, IL – Burglary
● Clothing – Lompoc, CA – Burglary
● Dollar General – Grafton, OH – Armed Robbery
● Jewelry – Duluth, MN - Robbery
● Jewelry – Concord, NC – Robbery
● Jewelry – Kansas City, KS – Robbery
● Jewelry – Chattanooga, TN – Robbery
● Liquor – New York, NY – Burglary
● Pet – Davie, FL – Burglary
● Target – Brooklyn, NY – Robbery
● Walmart – Puyallup, WA - Robbery

Daily Totals:
• 10 robberies
• 5 burglaries
• 0 shootings
• 0 killed

Click to enlarge map

Grant Danby promoted to Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Ulta Beauty

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Featured Job Spotlights

Sr. Manager, Retail Asset Protection
Baltimore, MD - posted Feb. 23

The Senior Manager, Retail Asset Protection is responsible for implementing strategies and training to ensure the effective execution of Protect Retail initiatives. This position will be responsible for leading a team that executes core programs and strategies relating to safety and security, theft and fraud mitigation and operational excellence in retail stores...

Regional Manager LP, Audit & Firearms Compliance
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The Regional Loss Prevention Manager is responsible for the control and reduction of shrinkage at the stores in their Territory. Investigate and resolves all matters that jeopardize or cause a loss to the company’s assets...

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The Manager of Asset Protection & Safety Operations is responsible for the control and reduction of shrinkage and safety compliance for Party City Holdings, by successfully managing Asset Protection (AP) Safety programs and reporting...

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As a Loss Prevention Auditor and Fraud Detection Analyst for Staples, you will conduct LP operational field audits remote, virtual and in person, within a base of 60 retail stores to ensure compliance to operational standards to drive operational excellence and preserve profitability....

Leader, Asset & Profit Protection
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As the leader of the Data/Analytics & Investigations strategy, you should have strong analytical/investigation skills, the drive to innovate, and the ability to build strong partnerships to lead through the influence of others. They will be personable, open to learning, collaborating with others...

Customer Success Specialists
Multiple Locations - posted October 9

The role of the Customer Success Specialist is to engage, empower, and excite our community. As a Customer Success Specialist, your primary responsibility is to ensure both retailers and law enforcement, who make up our community, have great experiences and achieve real crime reduction outcomes from using our platform. Apply Here

Sales Representatives
NuTech National - posted October 13

NuTech National, an established and rapidly growing 40+ year electronic security company is expanding our National Sales Team. Seeking motivated, driven and successful sales reps to expand our national retail and governmental vertical markets. Top pay, benefits and signing bonus available. Please apply to melissa@nutechnational.com

Latest Top Jobs

Vice President, Loss Prevention
San Francisco, CA
The Vice President of Loss Prevention reports to the Company's General Counsel and is responsible for leading the organization's global asset protection and security efforts. You will collaborate effectively across the Company. linkedin.com

Executive Director, Asset Protection
Rosemead, CA
The Executive Director, AP is responsible for the company’s AP function, protecting the company’s integrity, people, processes, and assets from harm and loss. This position serves as the subject matter expert on a broad range of security standards and disciplines. pandarg.referrals.selectminds.com

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The Senior Director of Loss Prevention is responsible for setting and championing the Loss Prevention strategy for the enterprise, including retail stores, distribution centers, corporate offices and quality assurance labs. sjobs.brassring.com

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Responsible for developing and implementing department strategies and integrating efforts with division and company strategies, emphasizing product availability, inventory productivity, and cost productivity. jobs.walgreens.com

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The Sr Manager Asset Protection is responsible for ensuring that Asset Protection programs are fully implemented and are being executed per expectations within assigned distribution centers. careers.homedepot.com

BJ's Wholesale Regional AP Rollout - 8 New Positions
The Regional AP Manager oversees AP, security, theft, fraud, investigations, and related procedures within the field. The RAPM supports and continuously interacts with club management to analyze shrink, identify profitability gaps and address issues related to protecting company assets. See all the job listings

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Vice President
Vice President	Mobilelink	Houston, TX	January 5
VP, LP	Williams Sonoma	San Francisco, CA	January 19
Director
Dir., Enterprise Safety & Security (International)	Adtalem Global Education	Miami, FL	January 28
Dir. AP	Albertsons Companies	Boise, ID	February 18
Director, Asset & Revenue Management	Caleres	St. Louis, MO	February 3
Dir. Field AP	Chipotle	Columbus, OH	January 13
Associate Dir. AP & Inventory Control	Crate & Barrel	Northbrook, IL	January 20
Dir. AP	Express Stores	East Brunswick, NJ	February 12
Dir. Risk & Analysis	Genesco	Nashville, TN	November 17
Dir. Safety/Risk Mgmt.	Goodwill of SE Louisiana	New Orleans, LA	April 2
Sr. Dir. LP	Harbor Freight Tools	Calabasas, CA	January 28
Sr. Dir, LP	HearingLife	Somerset, NJ	February 12
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Dir. Physical Security	Netflix	Los Angeles, CA	January 5
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Dir. of Loss Prevention	Parker's C-Stores	Savannah, GA	June 3
Dir. Security	Pictsweet Company	Bells, TN	February 12
Sr. Dir. AP	Rite Aid	Camp Hill, PA	January 21
Director, AP Finance & Analytics	Rite Aid	United States	January 26
Sr. Dir. Environmental Health & Safety	Ross Stores	Dublin, CA	October 9
Dir. Safety & LP	Trinity Logistics	Milford, DE	February 2
Dir. Corporate Security	Veritiv	Atlanta, GA	January 7
Dir. AP Solutions	Walgreens	Deerfield, IL	January 28
Corporate/Senior Manager
Sr. Manager, AP Operations	Bath & Body Works	Columbus, OH	February 16
Mgr. Corp. Security	Constellation Brands	San Francisco, CA	February 12
AP Operation Manager	Follett Corporation	Westchester, IL	January 7
Sr. Mgr AP	Home Depot	Atlanta, GA	January 28
Sr Manager, Security	JB Hunt	Lowell, AR	February 8
Group Investigations Manager	JCPenney	Plano, TX	January 19

View Featured Jobs | Post Your Job

Individual growth is an overly used phrase for something that is extremely difficult to truly accomplish. Corporate America tends to force it faster than many can absorb. Out of necessity or by design it requires a mental investment and a conscious effort on the part of the executive to truly grow beyond their current capabilities. Consequently, growth is oftentimes as a result of direct force or life-changing events. But it is a necessity if one expects to advance and stay current with the industry. Technology represents the Loss Prevention industry's biggest opportunity for growth and if one expects to be a leader tomorrow it would be wise to grow your technology education.

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