Chicago Cubs Partner with Genetec to Modernize Security at Wrigley Field

The upgrade to the iconic park extends security to neighboring venues, parking lots and the Chicago Cubs front office.

Genetec recently helped the Chicago Cubs’ security and technology departments undertake a massive upgrade to modernize security at the iconic Wrigley Field ballpark. Based on Genetec Security Center, Omnicast and Streamvault, the new solution extends security to neighboring venues, parking lots and the Chicago Cubs front office.

Today, the Cubs’ security team works 24/7 from the JOC, using Genetec Omnicast to manage more than 1100 camera views of the ballpark and community. They also integrated an existing access control system within Security Center and deployed 22 Genetec Streamvault appliances. With Security Center and Omnicast up on their monitors, the team now has an all-encompassing picture of the ballpark’s security.

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Crime & Progressive DAs Blamed for Big City Store Closures
Chicago, New York, Portland and California have 'effectively legalized shoplifting'

All the big box shops - from Macy's to Target - that have closed due to theft losses

In 2021, companies lost a combined $94.5billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss

Major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country.

This week, Walmart announced it will shut down four of its stores in Chicago just weeks after America's biggest employer shuttered its only stores in Portland.

It comes as shoplifting reaches alarming levels and other large retailers, including Target, Macy's and Best Buy, are now making good on threats to shutter outlets if petty crime was not lowered.

In 2021 retailers lost a combined $94.5billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss. And organized retail crime incidents soared by 26.5 per cent in the same year, according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey.

Along with brazen daylight thefts, self-checkouts have also made it easier for people to walk out without paying for items.

Progressive district attorneys in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shoplifting with either not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist.

Here DailyMail.com lists all the big box stores which have been forced to close their doors after being savaged by rising theft: dailymail.co.uk


Portland's Crime Closures Continue to Pile Up
REI to close only Portland store, citing break-ins, theft
The outdoor retail giant REI Co-op announced Monday that it plans to close its store in Portland’s Pearl District early next year, citing an increase in crime and theft.

In in email to its members Monday, REI said its store in Portland “had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades, despite actions to provide extra security.”

The company added that it has “outgrown” the Pearl District store. A spokesperson added that the building needed “significant investment” to address unspecified “issues.”

The outdoor and recreation retail giant opened its Pearl District store nearly 20 years ago. REI’s first Oregon store opened in Jantzen Beach in 1976 and moved the store to the Pearl District in 2004.

It’s unclear if REI plans to open a new Portland store in a different location. The company said it was “evaluating opportunities.” oregonlive.com


Alabama's New ORC Bill in the News
New legislation in Alabama targets retail theft
A new bill championed by state prosecutors, mayors and law enforcement would elevate charges for retail theft to a Class B felony were at least two people involved, regardless of the value of the item stolen.

Sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, House Bill 288 would not only increase penalties for retail theft committed by individuals in some cases, but introduce a new criminal statute of organized retail theft.

The bill was promoted by the Alabama District Attorneys Association at the State House during a press conference Thursday, where Montgomery District Attorney Daryl Bailey called for lawmakers to support the piece of legislation.

The retail theft portion of the bill would increase penalties for those who shoplift items valued between $500 and $1,500.

Under the new bill, shoplifting items valued between $500 and $1,500 would instead constitute theft in the second degree, a Class C felony, which can carry a sentence between one and ten years in prison.

The bill also introduces new criminal charges for those shoplifting in groups, or with the intent to resell the stolen items.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth spoke in support of increasing penalties for retail theft: “When the bill is signed into law, every time two or more people conspire to commit the crime of theft, they will fall under the retail theft bill and will be prosecuted as organized criminals."

The bill defines the term “organized retail theft” as either “obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over retail merchandise with the intent to deprive the owner or retail merchant of his or her property,” or shoplifting with the intent to resell the stolen items.  aldailynews.com


The Heated Debate Over NYC's Crime & Progressive DA
Lawmakers take fight to Bragg's backyard with hearing on NYC crime

The Manhattan district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump highlights new police data that shows murders and other violent crimes have fallen in the borough since last year.

Donald Trump's congressional allies took the fight to Manhattan Monday, hosting a field hearing to attack District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, as weak on crime — all part of the Republican strategy to undermine the historic prosecution of the former president.

Led by Chairman Jim Jordan, the powerful House Judiciary Committee heard from victims of violent crime, as Republicans argue that Bragg has dropped the ball on keeping the public safe in order to focus on prosecuting Trump. Bragg's office has defended the Trump probe and points to new data showing that crime has significantly fallen in Manhattan.

The high-profile hearing represented yet another escalation in the ongoing battle between Bragg and Trump and his top allies on Capitol Hill.

Bragg’s office pushed back on Republicans, calling New York City “the safest big city in America” and highlighting New York Police Department data that showed violent crime had dropped in the first quarter of 2023 compared with a year ago in Manhattan. Murders are down 14%, shootings dropped 17% and burglaries fell 21% in the borough, per the NYPD.

“In D.A. Bragg’s first year in office, New York City had one of the lowest murder rates of major cities in the United States (5.2) nearly three times lower than Columbus, Ohio (15.4),” Bragg’s office said.

Witnesses downplayed the statistics, saying a feeling of unsafeness in New York permeated the citizenry, with residents fearful of taking the city’s expansive subway system or walk its streets.

Jim Kessler, co-founder and senior vice president for policy of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think thank, noted in his opening statement that the murder rate in New York City is lower than that of states such as Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. During questioning, Kessler noted that crime rates for a series of violent crimes were higher in Ohio, Jordan’s home state, than in New York City. nbcnews.com


NYC's #1 Crime - Grand Larceny 

A must read for anyone tracking New York City
Fact Check: The Facts on Manhattan Crime
Looking at the seven major felonies tracked by the New York City Police Department, the number of crimes rose by nearly 26% in Manhattan compared with the year before. Nearly two-thirds of the increase was due to a 34% increase in grand larceny. But six out of seven of the major felony categories were up in 2022. The exception, as we said, was for murder, which saw a 15% drop, from 92 in 2021 to 78 in 2022. factcheck.org


Big City Police Departments Losing More Officers

NYPD down 8% - Philly down 9% - Chicago down 11% - LA down 8%
City council's pushing to fund alternatives - Mental health teams & unarmed responders

LAPD has lost nearly 1,000 officers. Mayor Karen Bass wants to rebuild the force

The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it.

Within a three-year span, the gains of a seven year campaign to reach 10,000 officers have been erased. The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it. Police Chief Michel Moore reported last week that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103, down nearly 1,000 from 2019, the year that preceded the outbreak of COVID-19.

Mayor Karen Bass is looking to confront the issue head on by ramping up hiring and lifting barriers to recruitment. Her proposed budget, which will be released Tuesday, will call for the city to restore the department to 9,500 officers — an extremely tall order, given the ongoing staff exodus.

If the city fails to fix its recruitment and retention problems, the LAPD could easily fall below 9,000 officers in the coming months, Bass said.

The call to rebuild the LAPD will almost certainly generate pushback from groups such as La Defensa, which advocates for alternatives to prisons and policing

On another level, however, getting to 9,500 would be an incredibly tall order. The department is expected to lose about 600 officers in the coming year due to retirements and resignations. To reach Bass’ target, the LAPD would need to hire 1,000 officers over the next fiscal year, at a time when Police Academy classes are frequently half or two-thirds full.

The LAPD is not the only big-city law enforcement agency facing a shrinking workforce. According to FBI data, police department ranks in New York City and Philadelphia have decreased 8% and 9%, respectively, since 2019, while Chicago experienced an 11% drop.

That phenomenon can be traced, in part, to a shrinking labor pool and growing public scrutiny after a spate of high-profile police killings, said Niles R. Wilson, senior director of law enforcement initiatives for the Center for Policing Equity, which studies ways to reduce racism in policing. Many big-city agencies are losing officers to smaller, suburban departments that offer better pay and fewer risks get a hiring bonus of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars,’

Wilson said younger people are less likely to go into a profession with longer hours and a high risk of injury. At the same time, he said, cities have begun sending mental health teams or other unarmed responders to calls once fielded by police.

Union leaders said officers are experiencing low morale caused by rising anti-police sentiment, insufficient pay and difficult working conditions created by staffing shortages. latimes.com


Seattle Mayor Plans to Increase Policing - Crack Down on Dealers & Offer Drug Diversion Treatment
Harrell announces plan to revive downtown Seattle
As part of a larger plan to “activate” Seattle’s depleted downtown, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Monday he will sign an executive order to increase policing and treatment around drug use.

The first stages of Harrell’s downtown activation plan will also focus on restoring business and foot traffic to the central business district.

In an executive order, Harrell will direct the Seattle Police Department to collaborate with local and federal law enforcement partners to crack down on the distribution of drugs like fentanyl, which has boomed in areas of the city’s core since the start of the pandemic.

Harrell also says he will explore funding for a post-overdose diversion facility to stabilize and provide resources for people who experience non-lethal overdoses. The order also commits Harrell to forming a Public Health Work Group and Law Enforcement Task Force, and to increase the availability of overdose reversal drugs, especially in high-use areas.

“I don’t know why we have so many drug dealers who can operate with impunity without any pushback,” District 7 Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis added. “But I’m glad we have a mayor who’s focused on rebuilding our downtown.”

According to the mayor’s office, the activation plan will also aim to lure people back downtown by making it more attractive to businesses and consumers. Included in the plan is the reopening of City Hall Park in June, filling 20 vacant storefronts downtown by early summer, adding additional ambassadors in the Metropolitan Business Improvement District, and improving sidewalks and lighting downtown. seattletimes.com


Seattle Prosecutors Double ORC Cases in 2022
Seattle: King County prosecutors renewed focus on organized retail theft and wage theft crimes.
The two newest divisions at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office officially have their leaders.

Patrick Hinds has been put in charge of the economic crimes and wage theft division. Since 2019, Hinds has been the chair of the economic crimes unit, which will be folded into the new division.

In 2022, the prosecutor’s office filed more than double the number of organized theft cases than it did the year before. Prosecuting those can take time, Hinds said, as smaller charges against one defendant are compiled into one felony charge. seattletimes.com


More Mass Shootings Than Days in 2023
Vast majority of Americans believe mass shootings preventable
More than three-quarters of Americans believe that the nation's scourge of mass shootings can be stopped if real effort is made to do so, according to a new CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday.

Why it matters: The first months of the new year have already been marred by dozens of mass shootings — including in Monterey Park, California, Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee.

State of play: About 76% of Americans surveyed said they believed mass shootings are something "we can prevent and stop if we really tried," and not something that must be accepted "as part of a free society." 62% of those surveyed said they support a nationwide ban on AR-15s.

Zoom out: So far, there have been more mass shootings than days in 2023. As of Monday, there have been at least 162 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive.

A recent survey revealed that one in five U.S. adults has been personally threatened with a gun, and one in six have witnessed someone being shot, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. axios.com

RELATED: 2 More Mass Shootings Occur in America Over the Weekend


From Philadelphia to Baltimore: Malls, Cities & Regions Implement Youth Curfews

Center City Tries to Stop Teen Raids With Curfews
Philly: New age restrictions set to began at Fashion District on Monday

The management of the Fashion District said that it would implement age restrictions in response to problems caused by teens converging on the mall.

The Fashion District in Center City will require minors who want to enter the mall to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult after 2 p.m. starting Monday, management said.

The management of the Fashion District said on April 6 that it would implement age restrictions in response to problems caused by teens converging on the mall after school and during spring break.

The new rules will be enforced until further notice. inquirer.com


Five Malls & Baltimore City & Baltimore Region's Public & Commercial Spaces Implement Youth Curfews

Baltimore City leaders double down on youth curfew amid violence against teenagers. Will it work this time?

Under the policy, kids aged 13 and under are barred from staying outside after 9 p.m. Teens aged 14 to 16 can stay out until 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, except during the summer when the they can stay out until 11 p.m. every day. The curfew offers numerous exceptions such as when a minor is accompanied by a parent or going to and from work.

The use of youth curfews has been rising in some of the Baltimore region’s public and commercial spaces. Although teens complain the policies limit where they can hang out unsupervised, adults say they are necessary to protect young people from violence — or to penalize them for unruly behavior.

Several of Maryland’s malls have rolled out bans on unaccompanied teens following disturbances attributed to large groups of young people in recent years. The policies can be found at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore, Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall and The Avenue at White Marsh in Baltimore County and, most recently, at The Mall in Columbia in Howard County. baltimoresun.com


In Case You Missed It: NYC's 'Professional Shoplifters' Fueling Theft Surge

Protests after Kansas City teen shot for going to wrong address