In Case You Missed It

Interface Systems Named Retail Dealer of the Year at ISC West

LAS VEGAS - As is its tradition, Digital Monitoring Products (DMP) held its annual ISC West pre-show Owners Forum event at the Keep Hope Alive Event Center at the Las Vegas Cleveland Clinic yesterday.

Perhaps the highlight for integrators was when the company honored its top dealers from the past year. Among them was Interface Systems, which was recognized as 'Retail Dealer of the Year'.

See the pictures below of Interface CTO Brian Garavuso, SVP of Sales & Strategic Alliance Will Kelso, and VP of Product Jim Mack receiving the award:

Last Day to Apply for Vector Security Networks’ 2023 LPF Scholarships

Scholarships support LPQ & LPC certification for LP professionals & hopefuls

Loss prevention professionals, as well as those who aspire to work in loss prevention in the United States and Canada, can apply for Vector Security Networks' annual Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) scholarships now through March 31, 2023.

The scholarships provide financial support to loss prevention professionals or hopefuls seeking to obtain LPQ and LPC certifications. Vector Security began awarding the scholarships in 2009 in support of career development and continuing education for professionals in this important and rapidly-evolving industry.

A total of 327 scholarships valued at more than $323,500 have been awarded since the program began. The scholarships cover all course and examination fees for LPF's Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ) or Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) certifications.

This year, 10 LPQ and 10 LPC scholarships will be awarded to U.S. based professionals, while another five LPC scholarships will be awarded to those based in Canada. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2023.

Click here for details & application information


6 ADT Leaders Named to Women in Security Forum Power 100 List

On March 8, the Security Industry Association announced the Women in Security Forum Power 100, a recognition program that honors 100 exceptional women in security who are raising the bar, changing expectations and breaking barriers. ADT is proud to have six winners this year.

More than 1,300 companies are members of the Security Industry Association, a trade association for global security providers. These companies determine the future of the security industry, and it’s a tomorrow with women fully integrated at every level of the business. ADT is proud to be one of the companies promoting that vision across the industry.

Read about the 6 ADT leaders in the Vendor Spotlight column below
 

Take action now against active shooter threats

How one retailer's proactive face matching led to ID, arrest without violence

Active shooter attacks spiked by 52.5 percent in 2021, according to the FBI. Most happened in "commerce" areas, such as shopping malls and grocery stores. In response, retailers are quickly adopting technologies, including face matching, that offer advance warning of threats.

Not all violence is preventable, but retailers can increase their chances of stopping attacks before they start. Here's how one retailer's fast, proactive reaction to a real-life threat led to an arrest with no violence or injuries-and most importantly, before the threatened attack happened.

The retailer became aware of a potential active shooter threat on a popular social media platform. An unknown and unverified individual made a direct threat of gun violence in his post, and he suggested that customers with children avoid the retailer's store.

Minutes after the threat was posted, the retailer ran the profile photo through the FaceFirst Visitor Search Investigation tool. Had the person of interest visited any of the retailer's stores in the past 45 days? Within seconds, the search revealed two face matches at two locations, one from two weeks back and another just one day prior.

The retailer's asset protection team reviewed the matched events and security camera video, then collaborated with local law enforcement. Officers confirmed the man was a known offender, with a record of violent crimes against another retailer and a history of mental illness. Using face matching technology, the retailer formed a threat profile for the man in less than two hours.

Eight days later, the man returned to the retailer's store. As he entered, the FaceFirst system matched his face and immediately generated a match notification. The store management team confirmed the notification and followed the retailer's policy on the notification: "Do not approach-call LE." Law enforcement officers responded quickly and arrested the man nearby. The incident was resolved without violence, and a restraining order was issued soon thereafter. The man has not returned to any of the retailer's stores since his arrest.

Calculate 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-take action today at facefirst.com.
 

Click here to see the full report


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15-Year Prison Terms for ORC Convictions in Minnesota?
How Lawmakers In One US State Are Cracking Down Hard On ORC

Minnesota lawmakers are cracking down on organized retail crime proposing up to 15 years of jail time.

According to Fox9, one could face up to 15 years of jail time if convicted. Fox9 reported that Minnesota experienced a surge of organized retail crime in November 2022 with groups of people raiding stores like Best Buy. The groups take and move things very quickly.

Organized Retail Crime can take the form of various activities. These crimes are often highly organized. Members will specialize in specific roles such as theft, transportation, and sales.

Sometimes, these crimes can be violent. Perpetrators can engage in cargo theft where merchandise from trucks, warehouses, or shipping containers are stolen. Another common tactic is smash-and-grab thefts, where the group breaks into the store and takes as much merchandise as possible with a prompt exit.

Apple Stores have become a popular target for Organized Retail Crime. Fox News reports on these incidents, which are often smash-and-grab thefts. Thieves break into the stores to steal iPhones, iPads, and other products, sometimes even twice in the same day!

Forbes suggests that the industry loses almost $100 billion each year from theft and fraud. These losses can lead to store closures, job losses, and reduced investments in technology and infrastructure.

Retailers often pass on the costs of crime to consumers through higher prices for goods and services.

To mitigate this, Minnesota lawmakers are proposing this bill due to the negative impacts of organized retail crime. The jail time does seem very lengthy in comparison to more severe crimes, however, lawmakers are intent on cracking down. tellmebest.com


Towson Town Center Mall Driving City's Crime Increase

Property Crime Increase in Townsend, Md., Up 40%
"Driven By Surge in Shoplifting in area of Towson Town Center mall"
Overall crime in central Towson rose in 2022 to just above 2019 levels, and was up 29% over 2021.

Last year, drug offenses and other crimes against society jumped 35%, but crimes against people only ticked up 3%.

Assaults, however, rose faster than other crimes against people. Aggravated assaults, in which someone is seriously injured or could have been, surged 25% from 43 in 2021 to 54 last year.

Some other serious offenses, including robbery and auto theft, reached four-year highs in 2022.

The mall, which has a requirement on weekend nights for adult chaperones, is a popular destination for teenagers.

Chemelli said Baltimore County Police officers work closely with the Towson Town Center management and the mall’s private security to deal with criminal issues. Police arrested eight people earlier this year after what they described as a “large and unruly crowd” caused property damage near the mall.

According to The Sun’s analysis, offenses recorded in the mall area last year represented about 40% of the crimes in downtown Towson. In 2022, that meant 87% of shoplifting offenses, nearly half of all robberies and more than a third of burglaries downtown were reported in the mall retail zone.

The mall area also saw about one in every four aggravated assaults in downtown Towson and about 16% of simple assaults last year, according to the police data.

Lindsay Kahn, a spokesperson for mall owner Brookfield Properties, said the mall has a “state-of-the-art” security program across the property, including 24/7 security guards, parking lot surveillance, closed-circuit TV monitoring, and a partnership with county police that includes off-duty officers on-site.

The mall requires kids under 18 to be accompanied by a “parent or supervising adult” 21 or older after 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, a policy recently extended to Brookfield Properties’ other Baltimore-area mall, The Mall in Columbia, after an uptick in fights and disruptions by teens there.

Chemelli said county police don’t routinely patrol the mall because it hires its own security, but off-duty officers wear their Baltimore County Police uniforms when they moonlight there. baltimoresun.com


'Like a War Zone'
Faced with relentless crime in downtown Oakland, Businesses are Struggling to Stay Alive

Bay Area restaurants say crime is worse than any time in memory: ‘It’s like a war zone’

Faced with relentless crime in downtown Oakland, restaurant and bar owners say they’re struggling: spending thousands of dollars to fix broken windows; installing security gates, door barriers and alarm sensors; telling customers not to leave anything visible in their cars; and reminding each other to be safe.

They say they feel demoralized and helpless, unsure how to fix what feels like the issue of the moment for restaurants and bars in parts of the Bay Area — particularly in Oakland and San Francisco.

While the number of reported crimes related to theft and vandalism in downtown Oakland dropped dramatically in 2020, probably because of a pandemic-era slowdown in commercial activity, reported rates of these crime types soared starting around last April. The city reported a monthly average of 100 to 120 crimes related to theft, commercial burglary, robbery or vandalism throughout most of 2022, higher than any period in 2019 through 2021. But as of late 2022 and early 2023, these kinds of crime appear to be falling once again. (Oakland Police Department data includes only crimes reported to police and may not accurately capture month-to-month changes in crime rates, especially for specific types of crime.)

Last week, Oakland Police Capt. David Elzey announced that the department would respond to a spike in commercial burglaries — over a dozen reported citywide in five days — by deploying additional officers to the affected neighborhoods.

Downtown business owners say crime feels more frequent and brazen than at any time they can remember. About a month ago, Farley’s East, Asha Tea House, the Melt and Parche, all within a few blocks of each other, were broken into on the same day.

Popular cocktail spot Low Bar on Webster Street was burglarized five times in five weeks between Christmas and mid-January, sfchronicle.com


Retail Workplace Crime & Violence Across the Pond
UK: HSE violence at work guidance updated
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the national independent regulator for health and safety in the workplace, has updated its guidance for employers on violence at work. The HSE’s guidance defines violence and aggression at work, how to prevent it and how workers can be protected from it. 

It highlights the importance of risk assessment, reporting and learning from incidents and remaining updated on relevant legislation. The update removed outdated content and reminded employers that violence includes verbal abuse or threats, both online and via the phone.

The guidance also gives specific advice for sectors including retail, which has experienced a rise from 450 cases of violence and abuse per day before the pandemic, to 850 in 2022, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Risk assessment

The regulations say employers must perform a risk assessment to identify significant risks to its workers and implement effective control measures. This includes how to prevent and manage violence. Fiona McKee, founder of HR consultancy The HR Practice, said employers have a duty to protect workers and should undertake proactive steps to prevent violence at work.

Control measures

The main control measures recommended are implementing a considered work space (for example, suitable queueing systems and signage) and training staff to prevent and de-escalate violence. McKee said: “Employers should invest in training for staff particularly around how to defuse a violent or aggressive situation.

Recording and reporting

Employers must report dangerous occurrences to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Workplaces must also record incidents and be sure to adequately support victims. The HSE’s full updated advice is available to read here.  hrmagazine.co.uk


Would New Assault Weapons Ban Bring Down Mass Shootings?
Did assault weapon ban correspond with drop in mass shootings? Here is what the data shows
The shooting deaths of three children and three adults inside a Nashville school has put further pressure on Congress to look at imposing a ban on so-called assault weapons. Such a prohibition would be designed cover the types of guns that the suspect legally purchased and used during the March 27 attack.

That ban was limited – it covered only certain categories of semiautomatic weapons such as AR-15s and applied to a ban on sales only after the act was signed into law, allowing people to keep hold of weapons purchased before that date. And it also had in it a so-called “sunset provision” that allowed the ban to expire in 2004.

During the 1994-2004 ban:

In the years after the assault weapons ban went into effect, the number of deaths from mass shootings fell, and the increase in the annual number of incidents slowed down. Even including 1999′s Columbine High School massacre – the deadliest mass shooting during the period of the ban – the 1994-2004 period saw lower average annual rates of both mass shootings and deaths resulting from such incidents than before the ban’s inception.

From 2004 onward:

The data shows an almost immediate – and steep – rise in mass shooting deaths in the years after the assault weapons ban expired in 2004.

Breaking the data into absolute numbers, from 2004 to 2017 – the last year of our analysis – the average number of yearly deaths attributed to mass shootings was 25, compared with 5.3 during the 10-year tenure of the ban and 7.2 in the years leading up to the prohibition on assault weapons. oregonlive.com


Using AI & Facial Recognition Tech to Curb Mass Shootings
‘Shark Tank’ star offers AI solution to prevent mass shootings: ‘Monitoring the output of disturbed people’

‘Shark Tank’ investor suggests utilizing artificial intelligence to monitor social media posts, messages linked to potential mass shootings

As the Tennessee community continues to heal in the aftermath of the Covenant School mass shooting, one prominent investor and entrepreneur suggested a modern way for the government to track and monitor for potential tragedies.

While arguing the unlikelihood of legislating "guns out of America," O’Leary called for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by law enforcement to monitor for indications or disturbing content relating to potential mass tragedies.

"All of these shooters generally post hours before they do the deed on some social media here or there. In China, for example, a combination of face recognition with AI scraping of all the social media would identify this individual hours before they did their move into the school, and they could have been apprehended," O’Leary said.

"Are you willing, in America, to allow AI to scrape social media and target you to law enforcement?" he posited. "If we said yes to that, those people wouldn't be dead." foxbusiness.com


NYC Law Enforcement Prepares for Unrest & Possible Violence
NYPD officers deploy across NYC following Trump indictment
In the wake of the Manhattan grand jury's indictment of former President Donald Trump, all NYPD officers are expected to be deployed across the city in uniform Friday morning, police sources told ABC News.

"They don't have a playbook they can pull out and go, 'oh ex-president indicted we're going to do A, B, C, and D,'" ABC News contributor Rich Frankel said. "This is going to be something completely new."

Frankel spent a career in federal and state law enforcement, and even he said he has no clue how things will play out in Manhattan when the former president surrenders for his arraignment, likely next week, to his likely release on his own recognizance.

The NYPD, US Secret Service, US Marshals and New York State Court Officers will meet Friday to coordinate next week's surrender of former President Trump, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Representatives from the agencies will also conduct a walk through of the criminal courts building, known colloquially by its address, 100 Centre Street.

"This is going to cause a logistical nightmare for the city because of the protests and because this is going to have to keep him not contained but protected," Frankel said. "I'm sure the FBI is working on any threats they're going to look at any intelligence coming in towards the president and threatening everybody else." abc7ny.com


'Dangerous' New Crime Trend
NYPD issues warning about ‘dangerous’ TikTok car theft challenge
City officials on Thursday issued a new warning about a “dangerous” TikTok trend that encourages teenagers to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles. The nationwide “Kia Boyz TikTok Challenge” has hit the Big Apple, with thefts of the popular makes jumping last year, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference with Mayor Eric Adams.

“As a result, Kia and Hyundai set rules rapidly in communities nationwide, including here in New York City,” she said. “In response, the NYPD took immediate steps to educate the public about the problem and to provide New Yorkers with resources to address it.” nypost.com


House GOP pans DC Dems claiming 'crime is down'

Richmond, KY: Active shooter training held in Richmond Mall