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LA's Armed Robbery Epidemic - Up 60% Since 2019
Violent Crimes Up 60% in LA According to Latest LAPD Data Since 2019

There has been an increase in the levels of violence and and firearm use during robberies

During a Los Angeles Board of Police Commission meeting earlier this week, LAPD Chief Michel Moore revealed that violent crimes have risen exponentially in the past year, moving the city closer to San Francisco in terms of the highest crime rates in the country.

According to the LAPD, citywide robberies are up 18% compared to this time last year, and up 5% compared to 2020. City wide robberies with a firearm also went significantly up, climbing 44% from this time last year, 57% from 2020, and 60% compared to 2019. While 36% of robberies and 74% of all robberies as part of the increase from last year used a firearm, the LAPD also got into specifics, such as noting that those who wore expensive jewelry in public have been targeted more often in armed robberies.

“Over the course of this year, the Department has experienced an increase in robberies taking place in various communities in the City of Los Angeles,” the LAPD said in a press release on Tuesday. “Most concerning is that there has been an increase in the levels of violence used during these robberies and the frequency in which a firearm was used.”

Chief Moore also said, “Numerous arrests have been made and federal and state prosecutions are being pursued. There’s been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry, as well as just other individuals whether they’re at commercial stores such as mini markets, convenience stores, gas stations, or on the street.”

Multiple factors are cited as the reason for the uptick in crimes ranging from cuts made to the LAPD following the George Floyd incident in 2020 to ongoing economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the largest cited factor has been LA County DA George Gascon. Since being elected in 2020, Gascon has instituted several “criminal justice reforms,” including ending policies that had juveniles tried as adults, many crimes being reduced to misdemeanors or having jail time reduced, and the removal of cash bail for most crimes despite California voters voting to keep it in 2020 in Prop 25. californiaglobe.com

Retail Association Sponsors Bill to Strengthen Prop 47
California Retailers Behind Bill to Address Theft Under Prop 47
The California Retailers Association and the California Hotel and Lodging Association have partnered with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D – Torrence) to propose Assembly Bill 2390, with the intent of strengthening Proposition 47.

Passed by California voters in 2014, Prop 47 increased the dollar amount by which theft can be prosecuted as a felony from $400 to $950. AB 2390 would allow separate instances of retail theft to be counted in aggregate towards the $950 felony threshold.

“Property theft is a major problem in California,” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi. “My bill, AB 2390, would hold criminal offenders accountable while providing diversion programs to address the root causes of the crime, such as poverty, mental disorder, or childhood trauma.”

This bill would open the door for past offenders to be eligible for diversion programs established by Proposition 47, deterring repeat offenders and providing individuals in need with an alternative to incarceration, opting for life-changing diversion and job training programs, according to a news release.

“We need to strengthen and reform California’s underutilized diversion programs to create viable alternatives to jail through rehabilitation that diverts repeat offenders — helping them grow and change. Assembly Bill 2390 (Muratsuchi) prioritizes diversion and job training and provides the tools for repeat offenders to make better life choices,” said California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin. “This is truly a policy all stakeholders can get behind.”

The California Retailers Association is co-sponsoring this legislation and has also taken the lead of Californians for Safe Stores and Neighborhoods, which also supports AB 2390. The bill must also be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bill is scheduled to be brought before committee on April 5. thebusinessjournal.com

Another Progressive DA Facing Possible Recall Over Crime Surge
Mounting Bid Against LA District Attorney Gascón Mirrors DA Recall Effort in SF
Soon after taking office, Gascón proposed a sweeping package of criminal justice reforms that emphasized rehabilitation over punishment.

But following last year’s spike in homicides, and amid ongoing concerns about rising rates of violent crime in the region, a campaign to recall Gascón from office is now gathering steam, with a growing number of local officials calling for his ouster.

It’s an effort that closely mirrors the drive to unseat DA Chesa Boudin, Gascón’s progressive successor in San Francisco — a recall measure that goes before that city’s voters in June.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the anti-Gascón campaign needs to gather more than 560,000 signatures by July 6 to get its recall measure on the ballot — a threshold it failed to reach in a similar push last year.

“I want George Gascón to be replaced as district attorney because he is functionally, with his policies, endangering the public,” said Steve Cooley, a former DA in the county, who has emerged as one of the key leaders in the current recall effort. “He does that through his many, many directives that basically show great empathy and sympathy for criminals, especially violent and serious criminals, murderers.”

To turn public opinion against Gascón, recall backers are highlighting recent violent crime statistics, like LA’s 397 homicides in 2021, a 15-year high. Some of those incidents received an enormous amount of media coverage, like the December slaying of prominent philanthropist Jacqueline Avant — the wife of legendary music producer Clarence Avant — during a robbery attempt at her Beverly Hills home. kqed.org

New ORC Bill Continues to Make Headlines
Illinois proposal would create agency to combat organized retail theft gangs
Illinois is one of only three states that do very little to help local police and prosecutors combat organized retail theft. A bi-partisan proposal to change that is pending in the General Assembly. It comes after a series of well-planned attacks that stole merchandise worth millions of dollars from stores in suburban malls and downtown Chicago.

"The Chicago Police Department tries to monitor social media," said Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. "DuPage County tries to monitor social media. Everybody's doing it independently. Everybody's got their own investigation, ’ok, I’ve got this event.’ And they're not connecting the broader dots, which organized retail crime requires."

After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Democrats and Republicans support House Bill 1091. It would allow the Illinois Attorney General to seat a statewide grand jury that could issue indictments for organized retail theft.

A state's attorney in one county could indict organized criminal ring leaders for retail theft in multiple counties, and a new agency would be created specifically to combat organized retail theft gangs.

State Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) — whose district includes Oak Brook Center — said her constituents are fed up with the organized robbery rings. She and State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) indicated lawmakers may approve $5 million in first-year funding for a proposed new agency intended to coordinate the fight against organized retail theft. fox32chicago.com

Retail Crime & Violence Surging Across the Pond
Home Office figures show rise in crime for local shops during Covid

Official figures show the link between the Covid-19 pandemic and crimes against retailers and wholesalers.

The Home Office data shows nearly half (46%) of retailers felt there had been an increase in levels of violence and assault between April 2020 and March 2021.

Key findings of the Commercial Victimisation Survey include:

● 38% of wholesale and retail premises in England and Wales experienced crime between April 2020 and March 2021.

● 61% of those surveyed reported that they had experienced verbal abuse, 22% threats or intimidation, and 13% physical attack without injury, all incidents which they believed were related to the pandemic.

● More than a quarter (27%) of premises reported installing crime prevention measures as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

● Less than one third of premises impacted by crime reported every incident to the police.

These findings correspond with those of the ACS 2022 Crime Report, published earlier this month, that estimated 35,000 violent incidents in convenience stores in the last 12 months. On average, each store in the convenience sector spent more than £5,000 on crime prevention measures including security staff, CCTV and intruder alarms, the ACS report found.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We know from our own research that criminals repeatedly targeted convenience stores throughout the course of the pandemic and these findings from the Home Office have confirmed this harsh reality. ... However, we also know that retailers have been investing in crime prevention measures in their businesses to send a clear message to perpetrators that these incidents will not be tolerated." talkingretail.com

How San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin ended up facing a recall

US: 81.7M Cases - 1M Dead - 65M Recovered
Worldwide: 487.2M Cases - 6.1M Dead - 422.5M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 354  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 741
*Red indicates change in total deaths

New Omicron Variant Already Taking Hold
The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron accounts for over half of new U.S. coronavirus cases, the C.D.C. estimates
The highly contagious Omicron subvariant known as BA.2, which led to a surge of coronavirus cases in Europe, is now the dominant version of the virus in new U.S. cases, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

BA.2 was first identified in the United States in December, and it accounted for about 55 percent of new U.S. cases in the week ending Saturday, according to C.D.C. estimates on Tuesday. The figures are rough estimates subject to revision as more data comes in, as happened in late December, when the agency had to significantly decrease its estimate for the nationwide prevalence of the BA.1 Omicron variant. Before that, the Delta variant had been dominant since July.

While BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, it has not been shown to cause more severe illness and vaccines continue to protect against the worst outcomes. Many U.S. health officials have said they expect case numbers to rise without a major surge caused by BA.2, but other scientists worry that the nation isn’t doing enough to prevent another possible surge. nytimes.com

The Pandemic Has Fueled Dark Stores
Demand for dark stores, in-city fulfilment centres rises after 3 waves of COVID-19

Quick-service e-commerce, COVID-19-induced lockdowns and demand spike from companies have led to the emergence of warehousing fulfilment centres in cities.

The empty stores in the mall, which would otherwise have been a liability, have turned out to be a business opportunity for retailers and the owner. This segment, called dark stores or micro-fulfilment centres, are on a rise across cities. And there are scores of examples of such locations, with successive lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the shutting down of several offices and businesses in malls.

As a result, vacant spaces are being used for warehousing, a trend that is fast becoming a common feature in urban areas, experts said. "Both commercial office space and retail were severely impacted by the pandemic and had little choice but to shut down or terminate their lease contracts. ... As a result, we saw many vacant office spaces." The rise in e-commerce and online delivery platforms has a direct impact on the space taken up by retailers.

"The market is shifting towards on-demand solutions, further increasing the demand for faster delivery. COVID-19 has catalysed the e-commerce market, compressing delivery timelines to as low as 30 minutes, ensuring zero compromise in product quality. However, to meet this increasing e-commerce logistics in cities, there is an increased demand for micro-fulfilment centres and the need to reduce high last-mile transportation costs. This has reinvigorated the market for small to medium-sized storage space as a new-age in-city warehouse within the city catering to the last-mile delivery." moneycontrol.com

COVID's Impact on the Role of Store Pharmacists
Walgreens turns to robots to fill prescriptions, as pharmacists take on more responsibilities

Walgreens Boots Alliance is opening robot-powered micro-fulfillment centers across the U.S. to fill customers’ prescriptions as the role of stores and pharmacists change

Bright yellow robotic arms are becoming a bigger part of Walgreens’ workforce. Inside of a large facility in the Dallas area, they fill thousands of prescriptions for customers who take medications to manage or treat high blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions. Each robot can fill 300 prescriptions in an hour, the company said — roughly the same number that a typical Walgreens pharmacy with a handful of staff may do in a day.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is opening the automated, centralized hubs to keep up in the fast-changing pharmacy industry. The pandemic has intensified the drugstore chain’s need to stay relevant as online pharmacies siphon off sales and more customers have items from toilet paper to toothpaste delivered to their doorstep. The global health crisis has also heightened demand for pharmacists, as hospitals and drugstores hired them to administer Covid vaccines and tests.

That has forced Walgreens and its competitors, CVS Health and Rite Aid, to rethink the role of their stores and pharmacists. cnbc.com

U.S. Running Out of COVID Funds Ahead of New Surge?
Biden calls on Congress to increase Covid funding as he gets his 4th vaccine shot
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the US government won’t be able to afford to provide Americans with the Covid-19 booster shot he received on-camera Wednesday if Congress doesn’t step up to allocate more funding for vaccines, tests, treatments, and other Covid-19 needs.

Warning that the US has reached a “critical turning point” in the fight against the coronavirus, Mr Biden said legislators’ failure to include Covid-19 funding in the 2022 fiscal year appropriations bill he signed earlier this month has already resulted in negative consequences.

He explained that the federal government has had to scale back purchases of life-saving monoclonal antibody treatments and cut the supplies distributed to states. “Without more funding, we’ll start to run out of them by the end of May,” he said. independent.co.uk

CDC Recommends Additional Boosters for Certain Individuals