'Category 5 Hurricane' of Theft
Lawmakers approve retail theft crackdown despite objections to felony penalties

One bill sponsor says retail theft is headed to Florida like a Cat. 5 hurricane.

The Legislature has passed a bill to crack down on organized retail theft, a move House Democrats say would penalize low-income Floridians. The bill (SB 1534), which passed the House 80-36 on Tuesday, stiffens penalties against thieves who steal multiple items from multiple stores in a short period of time.

Bradenton Republican Sen. Jim Boyd and Newberry Republican Rep. Chuck Clemons filed the legislation following a rise of organized retail theft across the country last year.

“I’m telling you, it’s coming. It’s like a Cat. 5 hurricane and you’ve got Jim whatever-his-name-is. He is out there on the shore and the wind’s blowing. It’s going to come to Florida,” Clemons told House members.

Under the measure, theft of 10 or more items from at least two different locations is deemed a third-degree felony if committed within 30 days. The theft of 20 or more items, meanwhile, would be a second-degree felony.

Additionally, stealing more than $750 of merchandise from one or more stores within 30 days would be a third-degree felony, and stealing $3,000 or would constitute a second-degree felony. Businesses would need to tabulate their losses within those 30 days.

Islamorada Republican Rep. Jim Mooney told members he comes from a background in retail and was once punched by a shoplifter. Shoplifting rings are nothing new, and not cracking down on them would send a message that stealing is OK, he continued.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is also supporting the bill. The bill next heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. If approved, the increased penalties would take effect in October. floridapolitics.com

3rd Year of NYC's New Crime Wave - Honeymoons Don't Last Forever
Stick to your promise and have cops’ backs, NYC Mayor Eric Adams
During the city’s mayoral campaign last year, Eric Adams promised that fighting crime would be his top priority.

Last Friday, amid fresh reports that crime is leap-frogging to new highs, Adams insisted the city is on the right track. “We’ve got to get it right,” he said then. “Two months in, we’re executing our plan and we’re going to defeat crime. I’m clear on that.”

On Monday he announced that the first of his anti-gun squads will hit the streets next week after a “very thorough, well-organized training.”

So Adams is correct that he has been clear about his plans and he continues to say all the right things. His determination to win the war against crime and disorder remains refreshing.

But no honeymoon lasts forever and the fact that crime is still taking parabolic leaps suggests the perps aren’t intimidated and maybe aren’t convinced Adams means what he says.

The NYPD reports that major crimes in the five boroughs spiked by an extraordinary 58% in February compared to last year. In response, former top cop Bill Bratton tweeted “Staggering doesn’t begin to describe the crime increase in New York City.”

For the year through last Sunday, the department recorded a 47% increase in overall major crime, with huge leaps in robberies, grand larceny and auto thefts. Fortunately, there was just one more murder than a year ago.

And remember, too, that 2021 saw big increases in nearly every major category over 2020, and 2020 saw big increases over 2019.

For example, there were 318 murders in 2019, 468 in 2020 and 485 in 2021.

Thus, the city is now in the third year of a new crime wave.

When shoplifting is ignored in one store, copycats assume they are free to fill bags full of stolen items at other stores — and do. nypost.com

Big City Mayors Feuding with Progressive DAs Over Crime Surge
Op-Ed: The Real Reason Democrats Can’t Agree on How to Address Rising Crime
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the rise in shootings and homicides that began amid the turmoil of 2020 has undermined support for progressive-leaning criminal legal reform. But the apparent schism within Democrats—with many moderate Democratic leaders, including the president, calling for fairly conventional policing responses to the rise in violence—may be more unexpected.

Notably, the break within the Democrats runs alongside a fault line across institutions. The divide isn’t just between “moderate” and “progressive” Democrats. It’s between moderate mayors and progressive prosecutors. It’s Eric Adams vs. Alvin Bragg in New York City, Lori Lightfoot vs. Kim Foxx in Chicago, London Breed vs. Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, LaToya Cantrell vs. Jason Williams in New Orleans.

Yet this fracture exposes a long-running but underappreciated tension within the movement to address both the scope of and the disparities within the justice system, one that makes political sense but also raises serious policy problems.

Policing is just one component of our sprawling criminal legal system. And there is a real and underappreciated cost of prosecutors, instead of mayors, being the leading proponents of progressive reforms. Progressive prosecutors, by and large, can minimize some criminal legal system harms, but they have no ability to push for solutions that fall outside of the justice system.

The split between progressive prosecutors and more punitive mayors is rooted in real schisms permeating the criminal legal morass, but it comes with real costs for advancing reforms. Those with the greatest ability to put forth empirically supported alternatives to policing appear to be least willing to do so. slate.com

'Operation New Day' Crime Crackdown
Seattle's crime crackdown continues after announcement last week
Three days after top city officials and police announced a stepped up operation to combat crime in Seattle, the effort -- dubbed Operation New Day -- continued Monday with several suspects now facing charges.

“We've arrested dozens of people suspected of felonies,” Diaz said, adding that among those taken into custody were "arrests for illegal trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin."

"It's a combination of narcotics dealing and firearms, (which are) always going to be a priority for the federal government," he said Monday. "That is a really dangerous combination and we've seen a rise in shootings across our city."

Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecutors' Office, said: “I think we all see what's going on downtown. Everybody in that teamwork that was in Operation New Day on Friday has the same concerns. We want Seattle to look better than it is now.”

McNerthney spoke about worries, that certain suspects arrested in these areas, are getting out of jail, given either a low bail, or sent on their own recognizance as granted by a judge. komonews.com

San Diego PD releases 2021 crime statistics

US: 81M Cases - 987.6K Dead - 55.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 450.2M Cases - 6M Dead - 384.4M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 353  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 700
*Red indicates change in total deaths

'Return to Normal': 90% of People No Longer Need Masks
Cautious Covid experts start to lower guard as Biden urges return to normal

The CDC says 90 percent of people no longer need masks. Experts who've been very careful thus far are starting to shift their approaches — but just a little.

In recent weeks, governors across the United States, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and even President Joe Biden have all offered a new, hopeful message about the pandemic: "Covid-19 need no longer control our lives."

That's how Biden put it in his State of the Union speech March 1, in front of a nearly maskless House chamber: "It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again. People working from home can feel safe to begin to return to the office," he said.

The day before Biden's address, California, Oregon and Washington announced that school mask mandates would lift this Saturday, and many cities, including New York and Minneapolis, have recently ended proof-of-vaccination requirements. Then on Thursday, the CDC released data showing that, according to its new safety criteria — which is based primarily on Covid hospitalization rates and local hospital capacity — more than 90 percent of people in the U.S. no longer need to wear masks. nbcnews.com

Europol: 5.8% of ALL Imports are Counterfeit - Reinforced by the pandemic & widespread online consumption

Counterfeit & pirated goods get huge boost from pandemic, new report confirms

● Criminal networks have quickly adapted to new opportunities and demand for products generated by the pandemic.

● Fake cosmetics, food, pharmaceutical products, pesticides and toys all pose a serious threat to consumers’ health.

● Counterfeiting now relies heavily on the digital domain to source components and distribute their products (both tangible and non-tangible) to consumers via online platforms, social media and instant messaging services.

● Most counterfeit goods distributed in the EU are produced outside the EU.

The latest Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment, produced jointly between Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), reveals that the distribution of counterfeit goods has been thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, based on EU-wide data and Europol’s operational information, confirms that counterfeiting and piracy continue to pose a serious threat to the health and safety of consumers, as well as to the European economy. Imports of counterfeit and pirated goods reached EUR 119 billion in 2019, representing 5.8 % of all goods entering the EU, according to the latest data from OECD and EUIPO.

Counterfeiting has become more professional and sophisticated, with some counterfeiters covering the whole supply and distribution chain.

The report also shows some key trends in various product sectors primarily targeted by counterfeiters. Clothes, accessories and luxury goods remain among the most popular product categories for counterfeit goods, sold both online and in physical marketplaces. They are one of the top categories of the approximately 66 million counterfeit items seized by authorities in the EU in 2020.

IP crime has been included as one of the EU’s priorities in the fight against serious and organized crime from 2022 to 2025 as part of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). europa.eu

Russia-Ukraine crisis replaces Covid as top risk to global supply chains, Moody's says
Covid-19 drove global supply chains to the breaking point, causing shortages and sending prices skyrocketing. Just as the pandemic has calmed down, Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens to further scramble those fragile supply chains.

Russia is a major producer of commodities, everything from oil and natural gas to palladium and wheat. Ukraine is also a major exporter of wheat as well as neon. The crisis is casting doubt on the availability of a sizable chunk of those vital supplies.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict also could pile further pressure on the worldwide computer chip shortage, which began during Covid and has been at the heart of the spike in new and used car prices. cnn.com

Covid-19 vaccinations decline to new lows

Will RFID Finally Take Off?
Retailer Mandates Are Like Dominoes

BY RICH HANDLEY, RFID Journal

With first Walmart and now Nordstrom telling suppliers to tag goods, the RFID industry as a whole will benefit—and other companies will hopefully follow suit.

Much has been written about Walmart's history with RFID, both here and elsewhere. Two decades ago, the retailer required that suppliers add tags to all goods supplied to stores throughout its chain. After launching that effort in 2005 with 100 suppliers, the retail giant then expanded that number to 500 (see Walmart Draws Line in the Sand, Walmart Spells Out RFID Vision, Walmart Expands RFID Mandate, Walmart Details RFID Requirement, Walmart Relaunches EPC RFID Effort Starting With Men's Jeans and Basics and Does Walmart Use RFID?). Many viewed this as a positive sign for the future, predicting other retailers would follow the example and issue tagging mandates of their own.

But by 2007, Walmart had begun to step back after facing unexpected hurdles. Not only was RFID technology in its infancy, but industry standards had yet to be established, forcing suppliers to learn best compliance practices on their own while taking a financial risk by investing in costly and untried technologies. Since then, however, both the RFID and retail sectors have matured, and Walmart announced in January of this year that it was embracing RFID once more (see Walmart Recommits to RFID and Walmart Tries RFID Again). That announcement was a cautiously exciting one, leading many to speculate about which retail chain would be the next to take the plunge.  Continue Reading

Women in Security
SIA Reveals the 2022 Women in Security Forum Power 100 List
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has revealed the inaugural honoree list for the SIA Women in Security Forum Power 100. New in 2022, this initiative presented by the SIA Women in Security Forum honors 100 women in the security industry each year who are role models for actively advancing diversity, inclusion, innovation and leadership in the community.

“The SIA Women in Security Forum is thrilled to present the women of the 2022 Power 100 – an accomplished, impactful group who are modeling leadership, inspiring others and shaping and transforming the security industry,” said SIA Women in Security Forum Chair Kasia Hanson. “We applaud the 2022 honorees for their meaningful contributions to the industry and the larger community and look forward to celebrating their achievements at ISC West.”

The Power 100 announcement came on March 8, International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and presenting a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. SIA supports International Women’s Day and launched the SIA Women in Security Forum on this day in 2018.

See the full list here: securityindustry.org

More Russia Store Closures
McDonald’s, Coke, Starbucks and Burger King Join Others Quitting Russia
Add McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Burger King to the list of American companies quitting operations in Russia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, after days of criticism for failing to act quickly since the late-February attack on Ukraine, fast-food chain McDonald’s announced it is temporarily closing all 850 of its restaurants in Russia and will pause all operations in the market.

In addition, Coca-Cola announced it is suspending its business in Russia, and Starbucks, which operates 130 cafés in Russia, all owned and operated by franchisees, is suspending all operations there, including shipments of Starbucks products.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an email to employees and franchisees that it was “impossible to predict” when those restaurants in Russia could reopen. The burger giant said it will continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia “who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand.”

A growing number of companies in the West, including oil majors Shell and BP, as well as financial services companies such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express, and big tech companies such as Apple, Netflix and Microsoft have all stopped operations there. washingtonpost.com  barrons.com

“It is ... the tightest labor market ever,” Zip Recruiter Chief Economist
4.3 million people quit their jobs in January

Employers reported 11.3 million job openings amid a tight labor market that’s made it increasingly difficult to find and keep workers

Some 4.3 million Americans quit or changed jobs in January, edging down a bit compared to December but still in record-high territory in yet another sign that workers continue to have the upper hand in a tight labor market.

Employers hired 6.5 million people in January, while reporting 11.3 million job openings that month, as the omicron variant picked up speed in many parts of the country, according to a new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. washingtonpost.com

West Coast dockworkers to Russian cargo: Nyet!
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing about 20,000 dockworkers at West Coast ports, said last week it will not load or unload any Russian cargo imports or exports.

Target: $5B Investment - 30 Stores - 200 Remodels - Digital - Fulfillment & Supply Chain

Amazon opens 25th store with "Just Walk Out" cashierless tech in Naperville, IL

Dollar Tree to Open 590 Stores - Remodel 800


Quarterly Results

Costco Q2 comp's up 14.4%, E-commerce saes up 12.5%, net sales up 16.1%

Ross Stores Q4 comp's up 9%, net sales up 19%, FY 21 comp's up 13%, net sales up 18%
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Dir. Of Global Corporate Security job posted for Steelcase in Grand Rapids, MI
Your goal in this position is to lead Steelcase’s enterprise-wide Corporate Security, including employee and premises protection, emergency preparedness and response (including crisis management), traveler and event security as well as executive protection. You are someone who has experience developing and implementing policies, frameworks and processes to achieve proactive risk assessments and deploy preventative risk mitigation measures within a large organization. careers.steelcase.com

Dir. of Safety & Security job posted for Benore Logistic Systems in Greer, SC
The Director of Safety Security will lead the company’s safety & health programs. This role is responsible to ensure compliance with applicable local, state and federal environmental, health and safety regulations and guidelines. This role provides overall leadership and expertise to support safety processes for all operational business units to meet expectations through employee development, technological advancement, policy management, and the implementation of control measures. indeed.com