D&D Daily Partner	Booth Number
	20019
	21130
	14051
	13114
	7108
Click here to see the full list of ISC West exhibitors

'Smash & Grabs' & Workplace Safety
Addressing The Rise Of 'Smash And Grab' Crime As Part Of Workplace Safety
A spike in organized retail theft has been making headlines across the country, from San Francisco and Chicago to Minneapolis and others. These attacks are often called “smash and grab” or “flash mob” crimes because they consist of coordinated groups who force their way into a business, grab as much merchandise as possible and escape in waiting vehicles. Even worse, it seems these attackers are willing to use violence against employees, customers or bystanders if they intervene.

So, what can businesses do to protect themselves, their property and, most importantly, their people to address not only this troubling trend, but workplace safety in general?

Prioritize Employee And Customer Safety

The number one tip to remember is simple: No amount of merchandise is worth someone's life. Employees need support from their leadership to understand what to do, and what not to do, in the event of a smash and grab or any other type of attack. With the popularity of these attacks spreading, it is also a possibility that they expand from retail settings to more generic corporate targets. While corporate offices may not think this issue pertains to them, it is important to consider the possibility and remember that employee safety is paramount and represents far more exposure than physical property.

Have A Plan In Place

Panic buttons and mass communication tools are particularly useful in these situations, since the attacks happen so rapidly. Rather than having to call and speak with 911 operators, panic buttons can send law enforcement directly to the scene for a quicker response. Mass notification systems can be set up in advance with templates for different types of emergencies so that if something occurs, relevant stakeholders can be kept up to date with minimal effort and time. Being proactive with these preparations can save companies time in an emergency, which ultimately means less impact on the people and the business.

Strategic Collaboration Is Critical

After many cities saw a decline in property crimes during the first year of the pandemic, those numbers are on the rise again with people returning to public settings. With these smash-and-grab stories making the news, we are likely to continue seeing copycat thieves who try these methods for themselves. Businesses must be prepared for these types of events with strategies for collaboration between security professionals, employees and law enforcement to mitigate damage and keep everyone safe. forbes.com

Retailers Demand Federal Action, Law Enforcement Cooperation
Why has shoplifting been ‘out of control’ since the pandemic began?

What shoplifting costs retailers and how they are fighting back

CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis tells Axios that the company has “experienced a 300% increase in retail theft from our stores since the pandemic began.” There are a lot of possible contributing factors including a shortage of workers, which leaves more sections of stores unsupervised. Retailers say it is easier to sell stolen stuff online these days because people are shopping online more often.

The retail industry is pressing Congress to pass the INFORM Act, which would require online marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay and Facebook) to verify sellers and provide contact information to buyers.

Attorneys general in states like California, Arizona and New Mexico are setting up anti-shoplifting task forces and looking at stricter laws on bail reform and felony thresholds. District attorneys in cities like Chicago and New York are considering harsher measures against shoplifters.

The cost of shoplifting

A National Retail Federation survey found 75 percent of loss prevention executives at a cross-section of large and mid-sized retail companies said ORC activity had increased in the past year, up from 68 percent last year. The increase comes as many states have raised the threshold of what constitutes a felony, allowing criminals to steal more before being subject to stronger penalties than a misdemeanor.

Retailers are looking for more support from law enforcement, with only 64 percent saying they were satisfied with help received from local police (down from 84 percent last year), 55 percent with state authorities (down from 75 percent) and 50 percent with federal agents (down from 69 percent).

(Organized retail crime) often crosses state lines, and around 70 percent of those surveyed each of the previous three years had said a federal ORC law is needed. Those in favor said a federal law is needed to influence response to major ORC problems not addressed by local police and to allow federal law enforcement to become involved without having to find other laws to fit the issue.

Retailers fight back: poynter.org

Legislation Tackles Online Fencing
Ohio bill seeks to stop criminals selling stolen items online

An Ohio bill aims to stop criminals from stealing items from retail stores and selling them on online marketplaces.

Ohio House Bill 272, which is co-sponsored by former Montgomery County Sheriff and current representative Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., requires high-volume online marketplace sellers to identify themselves to the platform in which they are selling. The bill will combat crime and protect consumers, Plummer said.

“There are organized crime rings that do nothing but steal this stuff, then they put it up on the marketplace,” Plummer said. “Tools, you name it, they are stealing it.”

Plummer said locally, there have been pockets of people from out of state stealing from local stores. People stealing from retailers is part of the reason businesses close and prices go up for honest consumers, he said.

The bill will impact high-volume sellers, Plummer said, so most people will be able to continue to sell their items online as normal.

The Coalition to Protect America’s Small Sellers (PASS) is an advocacy coalition that is made up of platforms like eBay and Etsy. It originally was an opponent of the Ohio bill and executive director Chris Lamond said while the bill is a product of compromise, there are still issues with the timeline of requirements. He said PASS is also focused on advocating federal legislation.

The coalition said requiring disclosure of a seller’s identifiable information will harm privacy, but also said that bad actors are not welcomed on their websites. The Ohio bill has passed the house and now the Ohio senate is considering it. A senate committee hearing for the bill was held last week.

“This is a problem for a lot of our communities,” Plummer said during the hearing. “We have businesses closing down because of constant theft. A for-profit business, they are in it to make money and not to lose their profits through theft where people sell these items online at a discounted rate.”

He said that fencing used to imply people selling stolen items out the back of their trunk or at a pawn store, but that’s not the case anymore. springfieldnewssun.com

Different State, Same Data - Crime is Surging
Crime is rising in Colorado. This state data shows by how much and where
New statewide data on Colorado’s crime rates puts hard numbers to what many in law enforcement have been saying for the past 14 months: Crime in almost all categories started going up before the pandemic and continues to rapidly rise.

Violent crime, which counts homicides, aggravated assaults, sex assaults and robberies, is up 17 percent between 2019 and 2021. Murder is up 47 percent in those two years. Property crime is up 20 percent and auto theft is up 86 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

A one-year analysis done by the FBI between 2019-2020 found Colorado had the fourth-highest increase in all crimes in the country — just below Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah.

More statistics, according to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation comparison between the years 2019 and 2021 include:

● Juvenile aggravated assault with a firearm is up from 29 percent of all aggravated assaults in 2016 to 44 percent of all aggravated assaults in 2021.

● Burglary rates fell between 2016 and 2019 but climbed back up in 2020 and have flattened since.

● Identity theft rates have more than doubled from 121 crimes per 100,000 people in 2019 to 396 crimes per 100,000 people. cpr.org

Milwaukee PD: To solve violent crime, “we have to tackle motor vehicle theft problem”

US: 81.1M Cases - 991.2K Dead - 55.6M Recovered
Worldwide: 453.9M Cases - 6M Dead - 388.2M 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: 703
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID Double Whammy?
There may be a new COVID variant, Deltacron. Here's what we know about it.
A potential new COVID-19 variant, a combination of the delta and omicron variants – you can call it "deltacron" – has been identified.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the new COVID-19 combination has been detected in France, the Netherlands and Denmark. It's also been found in the U.S., according to a new report soon to be published on research site MedRxiv, and viewed by USA TODAY.

Researchers found two infections involving different versions of deltacron, resulting from the combination of delta and omicron genetic material. Twenty other infections had both the delta and omicron variants, with one case having delta, omicron and Deltacron.

Experts say it's too soon to worry about deltacron. Compared with earlier variants, such as delta and omicron, this new variation – researchers have not adopted the "deltacron" name officially – appears unlikely to spread as easily, said William Lee, the chief science officer at Helix. usatoday.com

Retail Body Cams to Fight COVID-Era Abuse
UK: Body cameras are moving into British retail

The pandemic saw a rise in customers harassing staff

Once used largely in law enforcement, body-worn cameras, or body cams, have become de rigueur for employees who meet the public at their worst: ambulance-drivers, litter-enforcement officers, ticket inspectors and security guards. Now they are coming to retail, where abuse by customers was rising before the pandemic and escalated during lockdowns. According to Usdaw, a shopworkers’ union, 90% of workers were verbally abused in 2021 and 65% were threatened with violence, up from 68% and 43%, respectively, in 2019. Customers got angry when shop workers enforced mask mandates, social-distancing or limits on purchases of toilet paper. Delivery workers suffered too. The pandemic boosted online shopping—and rage when orders were late or incomplete.

In law enforcement, body cams protect police from spurious complaints and citizens from abusive officers. In retail, they are largely a deterrent. Threatening to turn one on is often enough to calm an irate customer, says Claire, who used to work as a store manager. Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, says the number of serious violent incidents has fallen by more than a fifth since it equipped staff with body cams during the pandemic.

But critics say bodycams are more invasive than cctv. The camera is closer and the image resolution higher. Body cams record audio, unlike most cctv. Companies could use them to monitor staff. They could dip into footage for marketing analytics, or an employee might share footage of a celebrity customer—both privacy violations, says Robin Hopkins of 11 kbw Chambers, which specialises in commercial law. Abuse of retail staff is a pressing problem, says Sarah Gold of Projects by if, a data firm. But increasing surveillance, and allowing private firms to hold the data, is a high price for customers to pay.

Pandemic restrictions are now being lifted. But companies are emphasising employee well-being more than before covid-19 hit, says Marc Curtis of Fujitsu, an electronics group that sells bodycams for law enforcement and is eyeing the retail sector. Retailers are struggling to lure workers back to the storefront, with Brexit-induced labour shortages an added complication. Body cams may be an invasion of customers’ privacy—but the trade-offs have tilted in shopworkers’ favour.  economist.com

Another Month of Airplane Mask Mandates
TSA to extend COVID mask mandate for another month
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending its COVID-19 mask mandate until April 18, according to an administration official.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other mass transit next month.

"At CDC’s recommendation, TSA will extend the security directive for mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs for one month, through April 18th," the official told Fox News. foxnews.com

Australia: COVID, floods mean retail workers are abused regularly, unions want the law to better protect them

Putin Panics Amid Russia's Retail & Bank Exodus
Russia considers nationalizing Western businesses that close over Ukraine invasion

Move to preserve jobs reflects growing alarm in Russia as lines form at shops and banks

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday endorsed a plan to nationalize foreign-owned businesses that flee the country over its invasion of Ukraine, reflecting the Kremlin’s alarm over job losses and other economic pain the exodus is inflicting.

Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo and U.S. chain Victoria’s Secret also joined the list by announcing they will temporarily close Russian stores, prompting long lines as shoppers queued for what might be their last chance for months to purchase the goods. Similar lines have formed at Ikea, McDonald’s and other departing companies as Russians grow anxious about losing access to consumer products.

During a meeting with government officials Thursday, Putin said Russia must “introduce external management” on departing companies “and then transfer these enterprises to those who want to work,” endorsing a legislative proposal that would create a pathway for the government to take over and eventually sell businesses that quit the country.

Putin’s remarks are another sign of the economic distress hitting Russia in the wake of unprecedented Western sanctions. The ruble has lost more than 40 percent of its value since the invasion began two weeks ago, prompting Russia’s central bank to restrict trade of the currency to try to halt its fall. washingtonpost.com

Russians Flock to Stores Ahead of Mass Retail Exodus
Russian shoppers flock to Victoria's Secret stores to stock up before closures hit

Dozens of western brands are temporarily closing doors in Russia because of the war in Ukraine.

A video shared online this week by Belarusian news site Nexta shows long lines forming outside Victoria's Secret stores as Russians flocked to stock up before closures hit. Nexta is a Poland-based news channel mostly distributed through Telegram and YouTube and known for its reporting critical of the Belarus government and its rigged presidential election in 2020.

The video was published by Nexta on Wednesday, the same day as a note appeared on Victoria's Secret's Russian website informing shoppers that its stores would close from 15.30 p.m. local time that afternoon.

Victoria's Secret is among the major Western brands to be pulling out of Russia as the conflict with Ukraine heightens. While some brands initially resisted closures, experts say it has become increasingly challenging to do business in Russia as logistics companies halt shipments there and sanctions imposed by the US and European countries make it more difficult to process international financial transactions. businessinsider.com

Uniqlo closes its stores in Russia, days after its CEO pledged to keep them open

Burger King pulls support from its Russian locations