LPRC: Humans + AI three times more accurate

Latest research reveals humans assisted by face matching technology more likely to correctly identify a subject's face

ICYMI: Humans assisted by AI face matching technology are three times more likely to correctly identify a subject's face than without AI, according to new research.

The Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) provides evidence-based solutions addressing retail loss, safety, and fraud prevention. Dr. Cory Lowe, LPRC senior research scientist, presented his research results October 4, 2022, during the annual IMPACT conference hosted at the University of Florida.

In a presentation titled "Face Off: Examining the Role of AI in Reducing Bias and Improving Decision-Making," Lowe explained how he pitted unaided research participants against those using AI face matching technology. LPRC selected FaceFirst software for the tests. Researchers installed the software in the LPRC lab and conducted the tests independently.

Lowe showed a diverse array of fictional offender faces to 155 research participants; 78 unassisted, 77 assisted. Among the unassisted group, 77 percent misidentified the fictional subjects in a photo lineup just minutes after seeing the fictional subject image. The assisted group got it right 63 percent of the time. "The assisted group did nearly three times better," Lowe said. "There was a 2.7 times improvement in accuracy when assisted by facial recognition."

For context: Humans were only correct on their own 23 percent of the time, even with a small sample of faces they had been shown just minutes earlier. No technology is 100 percent accurate in the wild, but humans alone are demonstrably prone to error. Lowe noted the participants were not told of the AI's accuracy alone (100 percent accurate in this study), so individuals may have discounted the solution's accuracy.

Watch for more details from the LPRC research, including how facial recognition can be used to reduce error and bias, and how it can narrow the LP focus to those individuals who are most likely to offend in retail locations.

FaceFirst considers use of AI with human oversight vital for retailers. Consider the risks of being caught unaware when a known offender enters your store. If you knew there was a proven solution to keep your valued customers and associates safer from violent offenders, would you implement it? The real risk is answering no. FaceFirst's solution is fast, accurate, and ethical-learn more today at facefirst.com.
 

Crackdown on Big-Ticket Shoplifters
House approves retail crime bill that could lead to stiffer sentences on 62-3 vote
An attempt to crack down on retail crime by making it easier for New Mexico prosecutors to charge brazen, big-ticket shoplifters with heftier offenses is headed to the Senate.

The House voted 62-3 to approve the bill late Wednesday, though concerns were raised about the bill’s drafting — and whether it would be enforced in Albuquerque. But legislators largely agreed on the need to take action in response to a recent trend of shoplifters hitting a string of stores, sometimes while flashing weapons to deter employees from intervening.

“If we don’t do something, all of our retail shops are going to be shut down,” Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, said at one point during the debate.

The legislation, House Bill 234, has brought together an unlikely coalition that includes Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce and top Albuquerque city leaders.

In its current version, the legislation would create a new organized retail crime offense that could be charged in cases involving the theft of at least $2,500 in merchandise from one or more retailers over the course of a year.

It could also be applied to individuals who receive or possess such stolen merchandise, or to those involved in organizing retail theft rings. If convicted of organized retail crime, offenders could face up to nine years in prison.

During Wednesday’s floor debate, Matthews said the bill would plug “gaping holes” in the state’s current shoplifting laws and better protect local businesses and state residents alike. abqjournal.com


More Cities Enact Cart-Locking Technology Ordinances
Glendale will require stores to implement anti-theft resources for shopping carts
The city of Glendale is putting new rules on businesses requiring them to secure their shopping carts. City council members voted unanimously last night to require some technology or services to keep shopping carts from leaving store property. “They’re disappearing from all these parking lots,” Glendale resident Andrea Luna said. “Yeah, something needs to be done.”

With the new ordinance, Glendale is following the lead of neighboring cities like Peoria, Avondale, and Phoenix. “It would be nice if they kind of put lock and key on everything,” Luna said. “It’s just sad that you have to lock everything down now.”

The ordinance will go into effect on March 30. Glendale Deputy City Manager Rick St. John says it’s a response to an increasing number of shopping carts in unsheltered communities over the last year. “The shopping carts were being taken from retail establishments, and eventually being discarded in public places,” St. John said.

These anti-theft resources could mean locks on shopping cart wheel, or it could mean cart retrieval services. If a shopping cart is taken from its business, a person could be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor. But St. John says the goal isn’t to punish but encourage other options. “We understand that a lot of the reasons that people use shopping carts to move their property around it’s a need,” he said. “It’s not a want. They’re not trying to do anything nefarious. They’re just trying to survive.”

St. John also says the city is not paying for the changes and knows it will cost money for business owners. St. John says any new store owners with shopping carts must include these anti-theft resources starting April 1. Existing stores will have until the beginning of October to transition to new technology or services. azfamily.com


Crime Spreading Like COVID from Big Cities
Crime turned Portland into a ‘hollowed out shell.’ Its neighbors are trying to keep it from happening to them

Counties near Portland are trying to prevent the crime surge from reaching them

Public safety officials across Oregon have complained of rising crime in their communities, but, according to police data, crime is spiking much more dramatically in Portland than the statewide average.

"Each area has different challenges, but what we're seeing in the metro area is absolutely rising crime," Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton told Fox News.

"What's happening is with our de-carceration and elimination of bail culture, we've got all these people running around," said Kristin Olson, a trial attorney and host of the Rational in Portland podcast. "And it's really scary because we also have this anti-police culture."

Oregon State Police data through November 2022 shows overall crime leveling off in all three counties. But the trend has not been mirrored within Portland city limits where crime increased another 9% last year, according to police data. The City of Roses also set a new homicide record for the second year in a row.

Portland's crime problem can be partially attributed to the 2020 efforts to defund police, according to Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth.

The Portland Police Bureau currently includes 801 sworn members, building back from a low of 773 in September, according to the bureau. The city ranked 48th out of 50 big cities for officers per capita, according to a Willamette Week analysis last fall.

"Why do you think the criminals are out there doing this? Because they know even if the person calls the police, the police aren't going to show," said Kevin Dahlgren, an addiction counselor who chronicles Portland's homeless crisis on Twitter. "Cities that are softer on crime, of course crime is going to go through the roof." foxnews.com


More Active Shooter Training Pops Up Across the Country
Community group hosts active assault community training as mass shootings rise across the United States
The number of mass shootings nationally has been steadily increasing in the past years. Many groups have been organizing community trainings on what to do if one takes place. The West End Improvement Group hosted an active assault community training demonstration to address this issue.

According to the Gun Violence Archive there have already been 93 mass shootings in the United States since the start of the new year, that’s more mass shootings than days in 2023.

The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that tracks gun violence using police reports, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people were killed or injured. The number of mass shootings have been steadily rising. From 2014 to 2019, the average was 349 while from 2020 to 2022 alone the average was 649. With rising violence groups have been organizing trainings on what people can do in order to survive.

“You never know where or when something like that is going to happen," said Tom Owens, corporal at Stonycreek Township police department. "The important thing is to educate people on being aware of where they’re at, being aware of exit routes no matter where they’re at. Whether they’re at church, at the mall, a concert, these things can happen anywhere.”

Experts warn that anywhere where there’s a large gathering a mass shooting can occur. Community leaders like Rose Howarth from the West End Improvement Group are emphasizing the importance of organizing trainings.

The most important thing you can do is always be aware of your surroundings and remember to either run, hide, or fight. If you’d like to organize an assault training in your organization you can contact the Cambria County SERT team or your local police department. wjactv.com


Record-Breaking Number of Mass Shootings
Countless mass shootings and counting, the American reality we live in
The Gun Violence Archive keeps records of gun-related fatalities and injuries in the U.S. in January has seen the highest number of mass shootings on record in the country this year, whereas the average number mass shootings over the last few years during this month has never exceeded 25. But in 2023, 52 mass shootings were reported in January, breaking the previous record of 34 last year.

Over the past month, California, Iowa, and Washington encountered a series of five shootings resulting in 24 casualties. This tragic loss left many families and communities in an empty state of grief and heartbreak.

After California experienced three horrific shootings in the span of 72 hours that took 19 lives, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered some remarks in an ABC News conference: “Only in America do we see this kind of carnage and chaos of gun violence that destroys our communities,” Newsom said. “America is No. 1 in gun ownership, and we surpass every developed nation in gun deaths.”

According to a White House statement released on Jan. 24, President Joe Biden urged Congress to “act quickly” and pass legislation that would outlaw assault weapons and raise the legal buying age for firearms to 21.

“The scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action,” said President Joe Biden. “I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk.” theprospectordaily.com


Biden Crushes D.C. Criminal Justice Reform Effort
The measure would have ended mandatory minimums and lower penalties for certain crimes

How a criminal justice reform effort collapsed in D.C. — with Biden's help
31 Democrats in the House of Representatives to vote against a congressional bill that would allow Washington, D.C. to revise its criminal code, which the district cannot do without approval from Capitol Hill. The revisions were supposed to end mandatory minimum sentences, lower the maximum number of years people can be sentenced for certain crimes and bring back jury trials for suspects in misdemeanor cases.

Democrats usually support such policies — but not this time. The defections to the GOP side were an astonishing development at a time of stark partisan divisions on social issues like policing and education.

An even bigger surprise came on Thursday, when President Biden indicated that he would not support the revisions to D.C.’s criminal code, which the Senate is preparing to consider. Democrats there have a narrow majority, but at least one of them — Joe Manchin of West Virginia — had been expected to endorse the Republican proposal blocking the revisions.

Still, criminal justice reformers expected that Biden would veto the congressional measure, allowing D.C.’s revisions to stand. yahoo.com


Retail Theft Losses in the News
Target, other companies suffering billions in ‘organized retail crime’ losses
At Yahoo! Finance Brian Sozzi says, “With all due respect to Walgreens CFO James Kehoe, inventory shrinkage mostly at the hands of organized retail crime is still worth crying over if you are a retailer. Take Target, for example. ‘It [inventory shrinkage] was certainly a headwind [last year],’ Target CFO Michael Fiddelke told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday. ‘We know we’re not alone in seeing elevated levels of shrink and organized retail crime driving some of that theft.’ … Goods stolen from stores, which contributes to inventory shrinkage, led to $94.5 billion in losses in 2021, up from $90.8 billion in 2020, according to a late 2022 study by the National Retail Federation (NRF). About 32.8% of retailers surveyed called out organized retail crime as becoming ‘much more’ of a concern in the last five years.”  minnpost.com


California grocery store implements anti-theft doors

Drastic times call for drastic measures: America’s mass shooting problem

Could the COVID Remote Work Shift Pave Way for a Big City Revival?
Forget the 'Death of Downtowns': America could be on the verge of experiencing a Big City Renaissance

America's great cities are in a precarious spot.

As the workforce adapts to the pandemic-jumbled future, millions of people across the country are still not going into the office five days a week. In January, 41% of Americans were working from home for some or all of the week. Fewer people commuting into the office means fewer people spending on lunches and happy hours or stopping by retailers in downtown areas. It also means less property- and sales-tax revenue that cities depend on to fund important programs like schools and public transit. Add it all up, and the remote-work shift is costing downtowns a lot of cash. A recent analysis found that the shift to working from home cost the borough of Manhattan over $12 billion a year.

This hollowing out has in turn triggered concerns about an "office apocalypse," the "death of downtown," and an "urban doom loop" that will send major cities into a protracted downward spiral. Comparisons have been made to the decline of Rust Belt cities such as Detroit and Pittsburgh in the 1970s when they failed to pivot in the face of shuttering manufacturing plants. Those cities took decades to recover from the downward spiral as unemployment increased, local rents declined, poverty rates increased, and the tax base shrank.

But this bleak future is not set in stone. Cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago can use the short-term challenges of the remote-work shift to reinvent themselves, enhance their quality of life, and attract footloose residents. The emerging competition between regions triggered by working from home will strengthen the nation, allow cities to reinvigorate themselves for a century to come, and give Americans a larger menu of livable, affordable cities to choose from. Far from being the death knell for cities, the remote-work revolution could pave the way for a new urban boom. businessinsider.com


87% of Job Seekers Want Hybrid or Remote Roles
Research Finds Remote Work Will Continue Post-COVID-19
It’s been nearly three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of many people working from home. Remote work is going to continue, according to research by Robert Half staffing firm.

“Remote jobs are here to stay. 87% of people considering a job change are interested in hybrid or fully remote options,” according to Robert Half recruiting manager Shannon Edlinger.

She says 28% of new job postings this year were advertised as remote. Their research also found work flexibility can lead to greater happiness, with some willing to sacrifice salary for more remote time. moodyonthemarket.com


Going After COVID Fraudsters
White House pitches $1.6 billion plan to combat Covid relief fraud

The proposal aims to provide more resources to investigate and prosecute fraud related to Covid funding while also providing support for victims of identity theft.

The White House on Thursday laid out its plan to target pandemic fraudsters and recapture stolen relief funds distributed under both the Trump and Biden administrations.

A top White House official said the goal was to provide $600 million to investigate and prosecute systemic pandemic fraud, a similar amount to bolster fraud prevention and $400 million to help victims of identity theft.

While at least $2 billion has been recovered so far, according to Government Accountability Office data, some experts have estimated that Covid relief fraud could be more than a quarter of a trillion dollars. The Trump and Biden administrations distributed about $5 trillion in Covid relief funds. nbcnews.com


Watercoolers become return-to-office measure as remote-work debate rages

Remote working and rise of casual workwear is killing the shoeshine economy