TMA Releases Updated Operator Online Level 2 Training Program
Six new modules deliver advanced operator skills in areas of leadership, conflict resolution, advanced call handling, industry standards, telecommunications and enhanced technology, and cybersecurity.

The Monitoring Association [TMA] is pleased to announce its newly updated Operator Online Level 2 training program is now available for purchase. The new course builds upon TMA’s popular Operator Online Level 1 training program by offering six, advanced modules that support skills and standards of professionalism needed to be an effective contributor in the monitoring center. The course is highly relatable and challenges operators to expand their knowledge through a focus on critical-thinking exercises associated with team-building, conflict resolution and more impactful customer care. tma.us
 

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Coronavirus Tracker: May 20

US: Over 1.5M Cases - 94K Dead - 365K Recovered
Worldwide: Over 5M Cases - 327K Dead - 2M Recovered

U.S. Law Enforcement Deaths | NYPD Deaths: 41
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 110+
 

America is Open For Business and They All Want You
All states are partially reopen leaving Americans to weigh the risk of venturing out again
All 50 states have now partially emerged from coronavirus lockdowns, but with only a handful of states showing significant improvement in infection rates, some experts caution it could be too soon.

On Wednesday, Connecticut became the final state to begin lifting restrictions, allowing retail shops and restaurants to reopen their doors.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released 60 pages of detailed guidance Tuesday on how to reopen the country -- including road maps for schools, restaurants, transit and child care facilities. In the guidance, the center advised that the first phase of reopening should begin after a state has seen a downward trajectory in cases over 14 days.

"The only thing that was keeping this very contagious virus in check was each of us keeping that physical distance." cnn.com

D.C. Think Tank
Seattle - Denver - NYC - Houston Leading the Nation in Crime

Amid pandemic, crime dropped in many U.S. cities, but not all

Houston and Denver saw big increases in violent crime

According to statistics from 30 large and midsize cities and counties gathered by the Police Executive Research Forum. Some saw spikes in violent crime and auto theft, however, and police said closed businesses were more frequently targeted for burglaries.

The Washington-based think tank compared crime statistics from March 16 to April 12, roughly the outset of the coronavirus shutdown in America, with the same period in 2019. Of the 30 jurisdictions, 18 saw decreases in violent crime — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — as the pandemic hit the United States, which included a 33 percent drop in San Francisco, a 25 percent drop in New York and a nearly 25 percent decline in Los Angeles.

Washington and Baltimore both saw an 8 percent decrease in violent crime. Prince George’s County, Md., the only suburban Washington jurisdiction in the study, experienced a 24 percent drop in violent crime in the month after the coronavirus crisis struck. Overall, the 30 cities and counties surveyed experienced a combined 11.5 percent drop in violent crime, and 23 percent drop in property crime.

But 12 cities saw increases, which included a 21 percent jump in Denver and a nearly 12 percent increase in Houston. Austin and Nashville were among the cities that saw smaller rises in violent crime.

Property crimes, for example — burglary, larceny and auto theft — declined dramatically, with 25 of the 30 jurisdictions reporting drops in the March-April period this year. Baltimore saw a 43 percent decrease, Washington a 36 percent decrease and San Francisco a 46 percent decrease. Larcenies dropped in 28 of the 30 jurisdictions, the forum’s data show.

Police chiefs report business burglaries are surging as thieves target shuttered establishments and fewer cleaning crews are working in office buildings at night. He said commercial burglaries drove the overall burglary rate up nearly 44 percent in Seattle, 41 percent in Denver and 17.5 percent in New York. Total burglaries fell 23 percent in Washington and 36.5 percent in Baltimore.

Wexler said police officials wonder whether the drop in arrests, as well as a pullback on community policing because of social distancing, will eventually lead to more crime.

Police are also on alert for increases in crimes related to the pandemic’s effect on unemployment, family financial troubles and domestic violence. washingtonpost.com

17% Of All Fraud Losses is at These Pumps
Mastercard Agrees to EMV Delay at Gas Pumps, Announces New
Fraud & Security Tools
Mastercard joined American Express, Discover and Visa in pushing back the deadline for the EMV liability shift at the pump, but took it a step further.

They also unveiled a new consumer protection program to address the fraud vulnerabilities on the forecourt at fuel pumps terminals that have yet to be upgraded.

Mastercard rolled out the program as it delays the EMV automatic fuel dispenser (AFD) to April 16, 2021. Many retailers and associations, including NACS, have urged the four major financial networks to push back the date from October 2020 as many fuel retailers struggle with implementation challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Convenience Store News previously reported.

According to the company, fraud has been migrating to AFDs at an accelerated pace, with 17 percent of all U.S. card present fraud losses reported to Mastercard occurring through transactions at these merchants as of the fourth quarter of 2019.

In addition, the company will give those fuel retailers with high-fraud rates its Merchant Fraud Insights to provide additional details into the transactions and a more comprehensive view into the safety of the purchasing environment at their individual locations.

The company will also develop a compliance program for some fuel merchants who have experienced high fraud at their locations to ensure they have a remediation plan in place to preempt and mitigate fraudulent transactions at their locations. csnews.com

Trump Administration Steps In - Keeping Food Facilities Open
USDA, FDA strengthen U.S. food supply chain protections during COVID-19 pandemic

The following statement is attributed to Mindy Brashears, Ph.D., USDA under secretary for Food Safety, and Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for Food Policy and Response:

As the COVID-19 pandemic response continues, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been working around the clock on many fronts to support the U.S. food and agriculture sector so that Americans continue to have access to a safe and robust food supply. As a next step in carrying out Executive Order 13917, the USDA and FDA today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help prevent interruptions at FDA-regulated food facilities, including fruit and vegetable processing.

The MOU creates a process for the two agencies to make determinations about circumstances in which the USDA could exercise its authority under the Defense Production Act (DPA) with regard to certain domestic food resource facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods, as well as to those that grow or harvest food that fall within the FDA’s jurisdiction.

While the FDA will continue to work with state and local regulators in a collaborative manner, further action under the DPA may be taken, should it be needed, to ensure the continuity of our food supply. As needed, the FDA will work in consultation with state, local, tribal and territorial regulatory and public health partners; industry or commodity sector; and other relevant stakeholders (e.g. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to chart a path toward resuming and/or maintaining operations while keeping employees safe. prnewswire.com

Clovis, CA: ORC Suspects Mock Police after $0 Bail Release
Hitting Dick’s Sporting Goods for over $14,000 in merchandise
To lower the jail population in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of California set bail at $0 for misdemeanors and so-called low-level felonies. In early April, the California Judicial Council said that it was done “to safely reduce jail populations.” But Clovis Police Lt. Jim Munro says, “Zero dollar bail has been very frustrating. Our officers work hard to keep Clovis safe every day. It becomes harder to do when those you arrest for felony crimes are back out on the street within hours.”

A recent high-profile case involved teenagers arrested on charges of stealing about $14,000 in Nike clothing since May 1 in five trips to Dick’s Sporting Goods in Clovis. Schirell Cummings,19, Michael Ivory, 18, and a 16-year-old juvenile were cited and released. Clovis police believe the same three-person crew is also responsible for thefts at Dick’s Sporting Goods locations in Fresno. Two of them mocked police and law enforcement supporters on the Clovis PD Facebook page after their $0 bail release. Some of the comments can’t be re-posted due to language, but they read in part; “Nanana, boo boo bail.” The other, “I’m reading the comments wit my feet kicked up out on bail.”

Clovis Police are undeterred. “Although zero dollar bail has been frustrating, our officers are more motivated than ever to locate and arrest repeat criminals,” Munro said. “Crime is not tolerated in Clovis and we will continue to be proactive in keeping our city safe.” gvwire.com

Cargo Theft Rings expected to be ‘extremely active’ over Memorial Day
Cargo theft recording firm SensiGuard is warning trucking companies and drivers of “extremely active” cargo theft rings in the coming days due to shipments typically being left unattended for longer periods of time over the long Memorial Day weekend. The firm says it has recorded theft rates up to 71% higher and average values up to 292% higher during Memorial Day weekends than on non-holiday weekends. Since 2014, Memorial Day weekends have seen an average theft value of $324,403 totaling more than $12 million. SensiGuard recommends trucking companies make sure security protocols are up-to-date, while also confirming receivers’ hours for the holiday weekend to mitigate the time a truck is parked unattended. Covert GPS tracking and active monitoring of high-value shipments is also recommended, the firm says.

Notable Memorial Day weekend cargo thefts in recent years include:

• Pilferage of medical supplies worth $624,000 in California in 2019
• Theft of full truckload of electronics worth $1 million in Kentucky in 2018
• Theft of full truckload of apparel worth $5.7 million in Kentucky in 2018  ccjdigital.com

Workers Call McDonald's 'Public Nuisance' In Virus Safety Suit
Lax safety standards at several Chicago-area McDonald's restaurants during the novel coronavirus pandemic have created a public health risk, a group of workers said in a class action Tuesday, citing a dearth of clean protective gear and a lack of safety training as among the biggest problems.

The unsafe practices allegedly include workers being forced to work in close quarters with colleagues and customers who might be asymptomatic carriers, having to reuse dirty masks or gloves if they were provided with such protective gear at all, and being directed to stay mum if workers were absent or suspected of being sick.

Besides a lack of safety equipment, the workers claimed that the stores where they work didn't provide hand sanitizer and didn't offer safety training to employees. In some instances, workers were accused of stealing gloves if they asked for new ones and managers directed them to not talk about colleagues who were infected or who were absent, according to the suit. law360.com

Protecting privacy, preventing bias in facial recognition essential, RAND study says

‘Identifying privacy and bias issues … as early as possible enables the mitigation of future risks’

How society can benefit from and use biometric facial recognition while still protecting privacy is one of the two central questions addressed in the new RAND Corp. study, Face Recognition Technologies: Designing Systems that Protect Privacy and Prevent Bias. The other problem considered is what “methods can be used to mitigate the disparate impact of inaccuracies in the results from using face recognition.” biometricsupdate.com

Retailers Phase Out Coronavirus Hazard Pay for Essential Workers

Kroger and Rite Aid are among the firms paring back, as unions and employees say they still face risk

Amazon.com, Kroger and Rite Aid are among the major companies that have ended or plan to stop paying higher wages for tens of thousands of workers in stores and warehouses and on the road.

Workers and union groups are calling for retailers to extend the hazard pay, saying they are risking their health to be at work and will remain in risky roles throughout the pandemic. UFCW local union groups, which represent more than 20,000 grocery workers in Southern California, are calling on Kroger to maintain bonus pay and improve safety practices.

“As long as we are wearing gloves, as long as we are wearing masks and social distancing, it seems obvious to me that we are working in hazardous circumstances,” says UFCW president, “It is manifestly unfair to eliminate the hazard pay at this point.” wsj.com

J.C. Penney to reopen 153 stores
J.C. Penney is reopening stores in Texas, Florida, Indiana and Ohio on Wednesday as the clock is ticking in its bankruptcy, the largest so far since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown the economy.

A total of 153 of its 846 stores will be open this week, including 34 stores in Texas, 12 in Florida, 7 in Indiana and 11 in Ohio.

Also, Penney proposes in its plan to sell a 35% stake in a separate new real estate company to raise cash. That’s actually part of its lending agreement. It also said it’s going to sell and lease back distribution centers to raise more cash. dallasnews.com

Centric Brands Licensing To Walk From Dozens of BCBG Stores Full of Inventory

Sephora to Open 70 Stores on May 22 With Lots of Safety


Quarterly Results
Lowe's Q1 U.S. comp's up 12.3%, digital sales up 80%, net sales up 11%
Target Q1 comp's up 10.8%, digital sales up 141%, net sales up 11.3%
Home Depot Q1 U.S. comp's up 7.5%, digital sales up 80%, net sales up 7.1%
Urban Outfitters Q1 sales down 32%