Interface "Ask Our Expert" video series

What Are Video Verified Alarms?

Sean Foley, SVP Enterprise Security, Interface Systems explains the benefits of video verified alarms when compared to traditional alarm monitoring. With video verification of alarm events, enterprises can secure their locations more effectively and avoid paying false alarm fines.

To learn more, read this case study.

 

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March 22-25 in Las Vegas, NV

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Click here to see the full list of ISC West exhibitors

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

U.S. Shoplifting Surge Gets Global Coverage
Losses skyrocket as wave of shoplifting sweeps US
Shoplifting and retail crimes have been soaring throughout the United States for the past five years, forcing retailers to bulk up on security. National chains like Rite Aid are closing hard-hit stores, locking up aisles of seemingly mundane items like deodorant and toothpaste. A video of rib-eye steaks locked behind wire mesh in Florida recently went viral.

Rampant shoplifting at chain stores in New York City also led to another Rite Aid store on Manhattan's Upper East Side to close its doors on Feb 15.

The NYPD reported that it has not seen shoplifting levels this high since 1995. From Jan 1 through Sept 12, 2021, police reported that there were more than 26,000 shoplifting complaints compared with the same time period in 2020, which was over 20,000.

John Catsimatidis, owner and CEO of the Gristedes, a grocery chain in Manhattan, told the Daily Mail that the thieves are not hungry vagrants, but "professional criminals" who often travel to the city from other states, where they cannot get away with such crimes.

Store closures

Walgreens, a drugstore chain and parent of Duane Reade, cited shoplifting as the reason it was planning to close five stores throughout the city in November. Seventeen stores had already been closed. It has already closed 10 stores in San Francisco since 2019.

The CEOs of nearly two dozen retail companies wrote a letter to US congressional leaders in December to pass the INFORM Act, which would require online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Facebook to verify sellers and provide contact information to buyers.

Brian Dodge, president of Retail Industry Leaders Association, told news site Axios that thieves today can sell products to unsuspecting customers. The offenders are "hiding behind fake user names and untraceable email addresses rather than legitimate kinds of business information that any other operating business would have to provide－like a name," he said.

Up to 15 percent of retailers now use using radio frequency identification technology to track shoplifters, reported NBC News citing retail security experts. The practice has raised privacy concerns. chinadaily.com.cn

Indiana's Lack of ORC Law Making it a Shoplifting Epicenter?
Multi-million dollar shoplifting rings under investigation in Indiana
Law enforcement confirms they are battling a $70 billion organized theft problem nationwide that is affecting the state of Indiana. People are stealing products en masse from retail stores and reselling those items online. “These are people that steal from a dozen stores a day, sometimes $10,000 per store,” Ben Dugan, president of the National Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, said. “They’re stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars a week and they travel state to state, county to county and funnel that product through these online fences.” Dugan and other law enforcement professionals describe the criminals as “professional thieves.”

According to investigators, the thieves map out which stores to hit. They target low-cost hardware stores, beauty supply stores and big chain retail stores like Walmart and Kroger. In some cases, they’ll store products in a warehouse until they’re able to sell them online. Often, they sell products at a discount online, but make a good amount of money doing it.

“When you’re making an income of $5,000 to $7,000 a week, tax free, that’s pretty attractive,” Jerry Biggs, manager of major investigations for Sally Beauty, told CBS4 Consumer Investigations. “They work seven days a week, and they’ll travel throughout Indiana, then go back home to perhaps Chicago or Cleveland,” Dugan added.

Each law enforcement official CBS4 spoke with confirmed the same thing: There are currently several multi-million-dollar investigations underway in Indiana. They cited the fact that Indiana is so centrally located. “We follow these guys for weeks at a time and watch them steal the product. Eventually, they get arrested, but we’re always trying to track that product. That’s how we know, for a fact, that it originated in Indiana,” Dugan confirmed. “Because we were there.”

Often, investigators said, the thieves know exactly how much to steal so that they aren’t charged with a felony. Furthermore, Indiana doesn’t have an organized crime law on the books.

“I have done groups — even years ago back in Texas — when it was $1,500, they would steal $1,400. And so, they do that all day long knowing they’re committing misdemeanors,” Biggs explained. “Every state that surrounds Indiana has some type of organized crime law. Indiana doesn’t. We have tried to push one for the last few years, but we have struggled with getting it through.”

Biggs may have been referring to HB 1323. In 2019, Republican State Rep. Sharon Negele introduced that legislation. Had it passed, it would have enhanced penalties for those involved with organized retail crime. The bill passed the House but died in the Senate. It was referred to a committee but never heard. cbs4indy.com

C-Stores Under Siege by Robbers
Philadelphia convenience store operators fed up with increased crime
Convenience stores across Philadelphia have increasingly become a target for robbers. In some cases, they're entering the stores in broad daylight, and store owners say they want more help from police.

"The city is under siege, that's what I see," said store owner Vincent Emmanuel.

At a Shell Gas station, burglars recently broke a large window to make their way into the store. Surveillance footage shows as many as three men in the store. One of them is seen swinging an ax, trying to break into an ATM.

Store operator Sukhbir Singh says the burglars ransacked the place using a sledgehammer and were able crack the bulletproof glass to gain access to the cashier cage: "It is not good at all. They have to be stopped. They have to be put in jail," said Singh.

"People are just simply afraid of working in the city because stores are getting busted, machines are getting broke into, stores are getting robbed and the police responding are taking too long," said Emmanuel.

There was no immediate response from a police spokesman, but last week, Commissioner Danielle Outlaw acknowledged that it was taking police much longer to respond to 911 calls for help. Outlaw pointed to the shortage of 911 dispatchers and that the department was roughly 600 police officers down from staffing levels in 2015.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel says some store owners are closing in the wake of all the robberies: "The 7-Elevens are closing. There's a 7-Eleven store on Oxford Avenue that got robbed nine times in one month. How could a store owner operate a business like that?" said Emmanuel. 6abc.com

Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Retail Criminals
Assembly OKs Mandatory Jail Time for Shoplifters

The state Assembly has approved a Republican-authored bill that would create a mandatory minimum jail sentence for habitual shoplifters.

Judges would be required to sentence habitual shoplifters to at least 180 days behind bars under a Republican-authored bill the state Assembly sent to Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday.

Under current Wisconsin law, the severity of a shoplifting offense varies from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on the value of the merchandise stolen. Punishments vary from nine months to 10 years behind bars. Under the bill, judges would be required to sentence anyone convicted of a third or subsequent shoplifting offense within five years to at least 180 days behind bars.

The bill's chief sponsors, Sen. Duey Stroebel and Rep. Janel Brandtjen, argue mandatory sentences will deter shoplifters and send a a strong anti-crime message. Opponents, including the state public defender's office and the Wisconsin Counties Association, counter that the legislation will do little to deter crime and lead to overcrowded jails.

The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday. The Assembly followed suit Thursday afternoon. The bill goes next to Evers, who can sign it into law or veto it. usnews.com

Flood of Anti-Theft Legislation Continues
Virginia legislation targets organized retail crime
Major retailers in the Commonwealth and across the country report an increase in organized criminal activity. State lawmakers are now considering legislation they hope will address the problem.

Goods stolen from stores are resold quickly online.

“Organized retail crime is not petty shoplifting,” said Mike Combs, Director of Investigations for The Home Depot. “We’re talking about people who are stealing and making money by selling it for a living. That’s their job. Those are the groups of people we are going after.”

The legislation would require online marketplaces to verify the authenticity of high-volume sellers. The measure won approval in the State Senate. It will soon reach a House of Delegates committee that killed a similar measure earlier in the session. wdbj7.com

Indianapolis residents call for new anti-crime strategy

With shootings up, carjackings down, St. Paul officials talk safety approaches

Long Beach shootings rose to start 2022, but gun violence has eased

US: 80.4M Cases - 969.6K Dead - 52.6M Recovered
Worldwide: 432.3M Cases - 5.9M Dead - 361.6M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 348  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 670
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Still 2,000+ COVID Deaths Per Day
Covid-19 is killing more people now than during most of the pandemic
Plummeting Covid-19 case counts across the United States are leading to lifted mask mandates and more conversations about steps toward normalcy -- but more people are dying of the coronavirus now than during most points of the pandemic.

More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the United States each day for the past month. Average daily deaths are falling, but from a very high point. They dipped just below that mark in recent days, to about 1,900 on Monday; the federal holiday may have delayed reporting.

Before Omicron became the dominant coronavirus strain in the US, there were only about 100 other days when there were more than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The only other time that deaths have been this high for this long was during the first winter surge, before vaccines were available. The Omicron wave has also been deadlier for longer than the Delta surge: In September, when Delta was dominant, average daily deaths topped 2,000 for half as long. cnn.com

Law Enforcement COVID Deaths
COVID-19 Related Line of Duty Deaths: 2022 Analysis Update
An analysis of the line of duty deaths (LODD) based on data compiled by the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) found that COVID-19 killed 221 law enforcement officers in the line of duty from March through December 2020.* This represented 68% or more of all the LODDs in 29 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. A majority of these officers were 50 years of age or older, in line with general population trends. As of February 15, 2021, ODMP recorded 346 total LODDs in 2020, a 131% increase from the previous year – COVID-19 being the single highest cause of 2020 LODDs.

ODMP's numbers are based on public submissions to their page, which are evaluated against their criteria for inclusion using information compiled from user submissions, media accounts, and correspondence with the officer’s agency. These statistics include any law enforcement officer who dies as a result of COVID-19 as a direct result of the officer’s law enforcement duties.  policefoundation.org

New Federal Mask Guidance
CDC expected to relax indoor mask guidance for states on Friday

The updated recommendations come as Covid case numbers continue to fall across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to relax its mask guidance Friday, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

The new guidance — which will most likely loosen indoor masking requirements — will come as most states have already lifted or announced plans to lift their indoor masking mandates as the omicron-driven wave of the coronavirus subsides.

It's the first change to the agency's indoor mask guidance since July. Amid last summer's surge of the delta variant, the CDC recommended universal indoor masking in areas with substantial or high transmission after it said vaccinated people could stop wearing masks.

Covid case numbers continue to decline across most of the country. The seven-day average of daily new cases is around 75,000, down by 38 percent from the previous week, according to CDC data. nbcnews.com

LA Joins Chicago, D.C. and More in Lifting Mask Mandates
Los Angeles County removes mask mandate for indoor public places
Los Angeles County will no longer require people to wear masks at indoor public places as long as they can show proof of vaccination, county officials said on Wednesday, as the number of new coronavirus cases continued to plunge.

The order, which is set to take effect on Friday, will allow customers to skip wearing masks if they provide proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test taken in the previous two days, the county, which is home to 10 million people, said in a news release.

Many states and local governments across the United States have eased coronavirus mandates as cases of the Omicron variant have fallen steeply in recent weeks after a devastating spike that began in December.

Connecticut and Massachusetts will lift some mask mandates starting Monday. Washington, D.C., will end a city-wide mask mandate and Chicago will end a mask mandate for some public places on that day. nytimes.com

Google Preps for Return to Office
Google relaxes mandates, opens amenities as it prepares for workers to return
Google is no longer requiring its US-based workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to CNBC. “We’re not enforcing vaccination requirements as a condition of employment for US office workers at this time,” Google spokesperson Lora Lee Erickson said in a statement to The Verge after we first published this article. “We’re continuing to implement our vaccination policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or approved accommodations for any individuals accessing our sites, because it’s one of the most important ways we can keep our workforce safe and keep our services running.”

However, a policy that requires staffers to be vaccinated to return to the office is still in effect. “Google’s original vaccination policy announced last July remains in place, which requires COVID-19 vaccinations or approved accommodations for anyone accessing our sites,” according to Erickson. In addition, only employees at Google’s Santa Clara County facilities will have to wear masks in the office, Erickson says. theverge.com

Santa Clara County plans to end indoor mask mandate next week

New Covid vaccine shows 100 percent efficacy against severe disease

Poland will lift most remaining restrictions on March 1