NRF Retail Converge sessions address "the new normal" in LP & security

Experts at NRF Retail Converge will tackle a number of issues that have arisen
in light of COVID-19

Every sector of the retail industry has undergone a massive transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and loss prevention and asset recovery are no exception.

Today, these teams are dealing with much broader security issues than tracking down and recovering stolen merchandise. They're trying to navigate new threats such as fraud, cyber attacks, civil unrest, workplace violence and organized retail crime.

The loss prevention track at the upcoming NRF Retail Converge is specifically designed to showcase retail experts' insight on how they've tackled these new and increasing threats against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Several NRF Retail Converge sessions are specifically aimed at LP and security professionals:

● Securing the store when unrest mounts
● Handling workplace violence in the age of COVID-19
● Spotting scams before they happen
● Fighting ever-evolving ORC threats
● Prioritizing loss prevention when the budget isn't there
● Focused cybersecurity content

To learn from LP and security leaders at NRF Retail Converge, register for the event, to be held virtually June 21-25.
 

Protests & Violence

The Retail Impact of George Floyd's Murder
Target CEO Brian Cornell says George Floyd's murder pushed him to do more about racial equity, diversity

Target CEO Brian Cornell said George Floyd's murder, which took place not far from the company's headquarters, felt personal.

When George Floyd was killed a year ago, Target CEO Brian Cornell said he was shaken by the murder. He was troubled it happened so close to the company's headquarters in its hometown.

"That could have been one of my Target team members," he said, recounting his thoughts as he watched the video of Floyd taking his final breaths.

"I recognize that it's time to take it to another level, and that as CEOs, we have to be the company's head of diversity and inclusion," he said. "We have to be the role models that drive change and our voice is important. And we've got to make sure that we represent our company principles, our values, our company purpose on the issues that are important to our teams."

Last May, in the days that immediately followed, Cornell said Target put together a special committee to look at steps the company could take to make its workforce, C-suite and business practices better reflect the country's diversity. He said Target considered how it could support and provide advancement opportunities for Black employees, play a role in communities and "use our voice on a national level, as we impact civic discussions and policy."

Target is one of many companies that have pledged to do more to advance racial equity after Floyd's murder prompted protests in major cities and across the globe. Among its commitments, the big-box retailer said it would increase representation of Black employees across its workforce by 20% over the next year.

The company created a new program to help Black entrepreneurs develop, test and scale products to sell at mass retailers like Target. And it promised to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025, from construction companies that build or remodel stores to advertising firms that market its brand.

Cornell touted the diversity of Target's workforce of more than 350,000 employees, including its board and leadership team. Over half of its approximately 1,900 stores are led by female store directors and over a third are led by people of color, Cornell said.

He said he wants the retailer to be a leader and was particularly aware last week during the trial's verdict that "the eyes of America, and the eyes of the world were on Minneapolis."  cnbc.com

Washington Post Investigation
Police and politicians undermine citizens' efforts to rein in officer misconduct

Civilian oversight is undermined by politicians and police, who contend citizens are ill-equipped to judge officers

Police nationwide have frequently defied efforts to impose civilian oversight and, in turn, undermined the ability of communities to hold law enforcement accountable, according to a Washington Post review of audits, misconduct complaints, emails, lawsuits and interviews with dozens of current and former officials.

More than 160 municipalities and counties have implemented some form of civilian oversight through review boards, inspectors general and independent monitors. Another 130 localities are trying to do so, according to officials from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, or NACOLE, though this represents a fraction of roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The issue has gained new traction as part of the push to overhaul policing in the United States after the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, both unarmed and Black. Their deaths last year sparked massive demonstrations and reignited long-held skepticism about law enforcement's treatment of Black people and its tolerance for misconduct.

Those high-profile deaths, however, also reveal the limits of civilian oversight: In Louisville, the civilian board had no standing to investigate Taylor's death. In Minneapolis, the current and former civilian oversight entities had fielded 12 complaints of alleged misconduct about former officer Derek Chauvin before he killed Floyd by pressing a knee into his neck. Last week, a jury found Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.

While many hailed the verdict as long-overdue justice, they also said much more needs to be done to address a systemic lack of accountability for police misconduct. An examination of civilian review boards shows that well-meaning reform attempts often end in failure and frustration. washingtonpost.com

LAPD Protest Response Overhaul
LAPD says it needs $67 million, dozens more officers to complete protest response reforms
The Los Angeles Police Department is setting the price tag for improving its response to massive protests and chaotic city crises at nearly $67 million, officials said Tuesday in a report outlining the potential reforms.

They also say they need dozens more police officers to lead new training regimens for every sworn LAPD employee. Thousands of rank-and-file officers would be trained every two years and the department's command staff would get yearly trainings in crowd control and emergency response.

The plans, presented in Tuesday's Police Commission meeting, come after three different after-action reports castigated LAPD's handling of the George Floyd protests of May and June 2020 as disorganized and often violent.

Police arrested thousands of protesters for infractions like failing to disperse, then held them on buses for hours with no access to bathrooms or water. Riot police firing less-lethal projectiles at crowds of people had little idea of who they were supposed to be targeting.

Chief Michel Moore, who has acknowledged the failures of last year's response, vowed to make changes to the department. Still, he said most officers behaved professionally even as violence flared at some protests, only cracking down when they saw threats to public safety. dailynews.com

FBI launching investigation into Brown shooting in NC
The FBI is launching an investigation into the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr., which happened in North Carolina on April 21.

Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office deputies pulled Brown over to deliver a search warrant and two arrest warrants due to Brown selling cocaine and methamphetamine to a police informant in March. Body camera footage has not been released yet due to North Carolina law requiring a judge to sign off on footage being released. The hearing in front of a judge will happen Wednesday.

The attorneys for Brown's family said that Brown died from a bullet to the back of the head.

"We commissioned a private individual autopsy report ... because we don't have access to anything that's official," Wayne Kendall, the family attorney, said. "What our preliminary autopsy report shows is that there were five penetrating bullet wounds to the body of Andrew Brown Jr."

Brown attempted to drive away from the officers when he was shot in the back of the head, Kendall said. Family members were allowed to see the video unedited on Monday, but they were only shown a small portion that did not explain what led up to the officers shooting Brown.

The city is still under curfew as activists demand the footage be released. thehill.com

Dozens of NC protesters arrested, many defy curfew over Andrew Brown Jr. shooting
Crowds were ordered to disperse and arrests were made as protests continued for a seventh straight night Tuesday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, following the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. last week.

Dozens of protesters remained out on the streets in violation of the city's curfew that went into effect at 8 p.m. Police issued multiple unlawful assembly warnings for the crowd, which they said was "blocking officers and is continuing to violate North Carolina General Statutes."

The protests come after the FBI launched a civil rights probe into the death of Brown, a Black man killed by deputies in North Carolina. His family also released an independent autopsy claiming he was shot five times, including in the back of the head. The state's autopsy has yet to be released. foxnews.com

Starbucks employees' ultimatum: We won't work if there are police present
Employees at a Minnesota Starbucks refused to open the store if a police officer was directing traffic in the parking lot, so the company shut down the busy drive-through window.

Posthumous pardon request for George Floyd submitted in Texas


Mass Shooting Prevention Measures

American Military University
A 35,000 Feet Perspective: Mental Health Issues Driving Active Shooters
We Need a Comprehensive Plan for Active Shooter Incidents
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has two important policies that most emergency management offices follow: The five phases of emergency management include prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Many academics, however, have added another important piece to the intricate web of emergency management: community resilience. Essentially, community resilience involves the notion that communities can create networks and systems to help them bounce back quickly from a disaster.

In essence, community resilience is a particularly important factor for emergency management. It creates the opportunity for communities not only to become more resilient following an active shooter incident, but also to create mitigation plans and strategies for managing such incidents.

Mitigation and Policy Considerations

Active shooter incidents are a major cause for concern in the United States. They shake communities to the core and rob families of their loved ones. It has also become increasingly more apparent that comprehensive plans are needed to effectively mitigate active shooter incidents.

Jonathan M. Metzel and KennethnT. MacLeish argue that mental health issues are often at the core of active shooter incidents - more so than other criminal activity. In essence, mental health care needs to be strengthened and counselors need to recognize the warning signs of an individual who may go on a shooting rampage. Further, healthcare costs and insurance premiums need to be revised drastically so individuals who may be at risk of committing such crimes can receive the mental health care they need. And, it should also be noted that healthcare disparities in the United States are so problematic they prevent equal care of individuals based on where they live. These policy problems in the United States are certainly not all-encompassing, but they do highlight a number of the points that contribute to the overall problem of active shooter incidents.

As a result, it is going to take a comprehensive mitigation plan at all levels of government to effectively work to end active shooter incidents. More importantly, however, a comprehensive plan should not be viewed as a federal edict, but rather as a local plan that communities can embrace.

Certainly various policies will become part of this equation, but it will take much more for communities to effectively mitigate these kinds of incidents. It will mean better mental health care, correcting health disparities and many other policy facets that will work to prevent future active shooter incidents. amuedge.com

New Security Measures at FedEx?
Victims' families call on FedEx to bolster security in wake of mass shooting

Company will still ban most employees from having cell phones in its sorting and packing plants

He knows that the likelihood of another mass shooting at a FedEx facility is very low, but it's hard to beat back those anxious thoughts. When he returned to work Saturday, he said he saw no changes, though the security guards seemed more alert.

Reeves is one of many employees who are uneasy about returning back to work. However, FedEx declined to say if the company is re-evaluating or changing its security measures.

"While we do not publicly disclose information about our security processes and procedures, the safety of our team members is our top priority at FedEx," a spokesperson said via email. "FedEx Ground has a policy regarding employee conduct as well as a workplace violence awareness and prevention procedures."

While FedEx did not say if they were changing any security practices, the company released a statement that grief counselors were available to Indianapolis employees. FedEx did release one policy that won't change, despite criticism after the shooting: The rule banning most employees from having cell phones in its sorting and packing plants.

Some family members of those who were killed called on FedEx to improve its security Sunday.

"To FedEx - we want to know why is there no security at the gate?" asked Ramandeep Chohan at a vigil at Monument Circle. "Why was no one looking at the security footage while this was occurring? Why do you have more security to protect your merchandise than the people that actually work there?" securityinfowatch.com

'Gun Violence Epidemic'
Biden to urge Congress to pass anti-gun violence bills in Wednesday address
During his remarks, Biden will reiterate his characterization of gun violence as an epidemic, both in the drumbeat of recent mass shootings and a spike in homicides and gun violence in communities across the country, a White House official told USA TODAY. Biden will again urge Congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines - a measure he helped pass as a senator in 1994.

He will repeat calls for Congress to pass two House bills to strengthen background checks for gun buyers and close the so-called Charleston loophole, which allows gun sales to proceed without a completed background check if three business days have lapsed, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the president's remarks. The bills, which have broad public support, have languished in an evenly divided Senate where Democrats would need to maintain their razor-thin majority while also finding 10 Republican votes. usatoday.com

UCLA faculty, students discuss effectiveness of Biden's plan to curb gun violence
 

COVID Update

232M Vaccinations Given