Three Minnesota ECCs go live with TMA’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol

May 24, 2022, McLean, VA – The Monitoring Association (TMA) welcomed three new U.S.-based PSAP/Emergency Communication Centers (ECC) to its ASAP-to-PSAP service in early May. The City of Bloomington, MN; Dakota County, MN; and Rice-Steele Counties, MN respectively became the 105th, 106th, and 107th Emergency Communications Centers in the United States and the 3rd, 4th and 5th agencies in the state of Minnesota to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP-to-PSAP). The City of Bloomington went live on Tuesday, May 3, 2022; Dakota County went live on Wednesday, May 4, 2022; and Rice-Steele Counties went live on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, TMA’s ASAP service is designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of calls for service from alarm companies to Emergency Communication Centers (ECCs).

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America's Mass Shooting Epidemic in the News After Texas Massacre

FBI's Active Shooter Report
Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2021

For the period 2017-2021, active shooter incident data reveals an upward trend; the number of active shooter incidents identified in 2021 represents a 52.5% increase from 2020 and a 96.3% increase from 2017.

A breakdown of the number of incidents within the five-year period 2017-2021 is as follows:

2017: 31
2018: 30
2019: 30
2020: 40
2021: 61

Read the full report here

61 Active Shooter Attacks in 2021 - Highest on Record
FBI: US ‘active shooter’ incidents jumped by 52 percent in 2021

The numbers were released days after a gunman killed 10 in a in a racist attack in Buffalo, New York and before a mass shooting left 15 dead in Texas

There were 61 “active shooter” incidents in the United States in 2021, according to newly released FBI data – a 52 percent increase from the previous year and the highest on record.

Last year’s attack spread across 30 states, leaving 103 people dead and 140 wounded, the report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Monday.

In contrast, the department counted 40 active-shooter attacks in 19 states in 2020 that killed 38 people and wounded 126. That year coincided with the height of restrictions on social and economic life due to the coronavirus pandemic. The FBI had recorded 31 such incidents in 2017, and 30 in both 2018 and 2019.

The department defines an “active shooter” as someone engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a public space in a seemingly random fashion. About one in five “active shooter” incidents in 2021 were also mass killings.

The report was released just over a week after a gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people. The racist attack drew attention to increasingly mainstream white supremacy ideology and renewed calls for increased federal gun control in the US.

The incidents counted in the FBI report included the killing of 10 by a gunman at the Kings Soopers Grocery Store in Boulder, Colorado, in March 2021; an attack on three spas in Atlanta, Georgia, that same month that killed eight; and an attack on a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana in April of that year that also killed eight. nytimes.com aljazeera.com
 

212 Mass Shootings So Far in 2022

Prevent the Next Mass Shooting from Happening at Your Workplace
Shootings in Buffalo and Laguna Woods Exemplify Alarming Workplace Trend
On May 14, a gunman opened fire at a Tops Friendly Markets store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, N.Y., killing 10 people and injuring three others. Eleven victims were Black.

The next day, a man opened fire during a lunch reception at a church in Laguna Woods, Calif. One person—an Asian-American man—died, and five senior citizens were wounded. Police later said the shooter was targeting Taiwanese people.

The shootings are part of a rise in workplace violence in the U.S. over the past decade. More than 150 people were either injured or killed in mass shootings at workplaces from 2015 to May 2021, according to consumer data company Statista.

Rise in Violence Against Asian-Americans

Mass shootings against minorities are just one form of workplace violence. Physical assaults, such as pushing or punching, have become increasingly common against people of color at work—particularly against Asian-American workers.

More than 6,600 documented hate incidents against Asian-Americans occurred from March 19, 2020, to March 31, 2021, according to the organization Stop AAPI Hate. Physical assaults made up the third-largest category of total reported incidents, and about 1 in 3 occurrences happened at U.S. businesses.

Do You Have a Threat Management Team?

Mike Hodges, a security expert who works predominantly in the health care space, said workplace violence has become a constant, ongoing and growing concern in the U.S.

"It's happening in every industry over the last couple years," he said. "You see reports of issues everywhere from airplanes to supermarkets. Any time you have potential stress points and interactions with the public, you will have an opportunity for violence."

Hodges emphasized the importance of training employees to identify escalating, erratic behavior and teaching them to de-escalate the situation. It is also critical for workers to know who to contact to report a concern. shrm.org

Rage after second mass shooting over failure to tackle gun violence

After mass shootings in 2018 & 2019, Texas lawmakers made it easier to get guns

Retired MA State Police trooper says mass shootings are 'difficult to stop'

Retail's Theft & Violence Wave

Retail is at the Center of America's Crime Wave
Amid Surging Crime Rates, Make Sure Your Business Is Protected

Unprecedented crime rates nationwide portend looming risks, especially property crime, requiring innovative coverage strategies.

They’re not alone. For many growing businesses, during what formerly were known — pre-pandemic — as “normal” years, insuring for risk typically did not include such a deep, overt focus on the full-spectrum of potential criminal acts. But now, crime waves nationwide are surging, gripping headlines with smash-and-grab robberies and cargo heists as shipping ports face major backlogs. Now businesses are seeing these emerging risks that can be challenging and complex to protect against and require innovative solutions.

Crimes against property

Crimes against property constituted an overwhelming 60.5% of the overall 8.9 million crimes reported in 2020, according to a December 2021 report by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. This form of crime typically includes larceny-theft, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and vandalism and costs companies $17.2 billion in losses annually.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), organized retail crime (ORC) has gone “multichannel,” as the pandemic environment has led criminals to expand their attacks across multiple channels, including smash-and-grabs and other “brazen in-store attacks.” In 2021, ORC gangs exhibited greater levels of violence and aggression than they have before, 65% of retailers said in an NRF survey. The NRF’s 2020 report on the issue showed ORC resulted in an average loss of $719,548 per $1 billion in sales in 2020, marking the fifth year in a row the figure has surpassed $700,000.

Supply chain crime

Similarly, property crime impacting the supply chain cannot be overlooked. Stalled, stationery cargo fleets loaded with backlogged inventory provide “sitting ducks” to some criminals, who physically break into shipping containers to raid their wares. Roughly $57.9 million in cargo thefts were reported in 2021, according to CargoNet. That compares with $49 million in cargo theft in 2019, pre-pandemic.

To prevent supply chain crime, businesses can increase surveillance measures and security staffing while also pinpointing weaknesses in processes. Yet as criminals become increasingly advanced and adept, it creates new obstacles.

Given these emerging risks as crime is on the rise, companies must take a fresh look at business property, infrastructure, inventory and innovative, cost-effective protections. Businesses should start with a risk assessment to determine the most likely crimes and review their insurance policy to pinpoint the risks that may be under-insured or uninsured — including any gaps or exclusions. It’s also helpful to develop a security plan and to review and update your business continuity plan. entrepreneur.com

Crime is #1 Issue in Record-Setting DA Recall Race
Voters, investors and crime experts have eyes on bid to recall San Francisco DA

The effort to recall San Francisco's DA — in office just over two years — has raised millions despite being on its face a local issue.

Ahead of the June 6 primary election in California, San Francisco residents and special-interest groups are witnessing a record-setting influx of money in a bid to recall progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Voting has already begun in the primary and the recall effort has garnered national attention, having reportedly raised about $5 million. However, coalitions opposing the recall and Bay Area criminal law experts paint the effort as a conservative-backed attempt to change the city’s approach to criminal justice and politics that is not likely to succeed.

Recall backers claim Boudin is not prosecuting criminals as much as his predecessors, and cite policies such as alternate convictions for fentanyl drug dealing to prevent deportations, according to court data and news sources like San Francisco Standard.

The police union has repeatedly denounced Boudin’s policies. Police Chief Bill Scott attempted to end a memorandum of understanding holding the DA’s office as lead investigating agency on use-of-force incidents, in-custody deaths and police shootings. Boudin has also been at odds with the department, including revealing that officers used DNA from a woman’s rape kit to implicate her in a property crime according to San Francisco Chronicle.

Greenberg, the political commentator behind the recall, said, “The country is watching. This is a national issue and national topic.” courthousenews.com

Biden to Issue New Executive Order on Policing
White House to issue policing order on anniversary of Floyd’s death
President Biden is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday aimed at bolstering police accountability, a move that could reenergize federal reform efforts as the nation marks the second anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd, according to multiple people briefed on the announcement.

The White House has scheduled a signing ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday at which the president will be joined by Floyd’s family members, civil rights advocates and law enforcement officials. Biden will call for the creation of national standards for the accreditation of police departments and a national database of officers with substantiated complaints and disciplinary records, including those fired for misconduct, the people briefed on the matter said.

The executive order also will instruct federal law enforcement agencies to update their use-of-force policies. Advocates have been urging the White House to take such action for months, ever since a sweeping police-reform bill failed in Congress last fall. The bill was named for Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died under a police officer’s knee on a street corner in Minneapolis. The officer was convicted of murder.

Biden’s executive order also will authorize the Justice Department to use federal grant funding to incentive local police to follow the federal government’s lead in tightening restrictions on the use of choke-holds and no-knock warrants. It will set new restrictions on the sale of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, said the people familiar with the document, some of whom requested anonymity because the order had not yet been issued. washingtonpost.com
 
Dozens of Chicago aldermen call special meeting on violent crime surge

US: 85.2M Cases - 1M Dead - 81.7M Recovered
Worldwide: 529.1M Cases - 6.3M Dead - 499.7M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 358  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 773
*Red indicates change in total deaths

U.S. Averaging 100K New COVID Cases Per Day
Another Omicron subvariant, known as BA.2.12.1, has become the dominant form among new U.S. virus cases
Another form of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has become the dominant version among new U.S. coronavirus cases, according to federal estimates on Tuesday, a development that experts had forecast over the last few weeks.

There was no indication yet that the new subvariant, known as BA.2.12.1, causes more severe disease than earlier forms did. BA.2.12.1 made up about 58 percent of all new U.S. cases, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ending May 21.

As Americans approach their third Memorial Day weekend of the pandemic, the country is averaging more than 100,000 new confirmed cases per day for the first time since February, according to a New York Times database. Newly reported cases have been rising in nearly every state, many infections go uncounted in official statistics, so the true number of infections may be higher. As of Monday, there were an average of more than 24,700 people with the virus hospitalized nationally, an increase of 28 percent over the last two weeks. nytimes.com

Downtown COVID Closures Turned into Suburb Openings
Covid closed downtown D.C. businesses. Many reopened — in the suburbs.

D.C. business owners left downtown, major corridors for survival, flexibility

Morton’s business was one of thousands that left downtown and other major retail corridors since the pandemic hit, according to a Washington Post analysis of U.S. Postal Service address-change data.

From February 2020 to March 2022, more than 2,300 businesses moved away from downtown D.C., The Post’s analysis shows. Another few hundred more left major commercial corridors that include Shaw, Logan Circle and Georgetown.

The data includes a combination of businesses that may have closed their doors permanently or simply relocated. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show more than 1,000 establishments in the region closed in the first part of 2020. Many of those fell into such sectors as food services, construction, entertainment and wholesale trade. And while the city is trying to revive its downtown, the malaise has serious implications for its budget — revenue from general sales and use taxes, which fund services like health care and road construction, was down almost $400 million over fiscal 2019 to 2021, according to data from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.

But the pain hasn’t been felt across all parts of the region. Data shows many businesses relocated to less densely populated areas of the region — many to Maryland and Virginia. washingtonpost.com

Mass Exodus Over Return to Work Policies?
The workers quitting over return-to-office policies
In early May, one high-profile worker put his money where his mouth is: Apple's director of machine learning, Ian Goodfellow, resigned over the Silicon Valley giant’s return-to-office policy. The company had started bringing back workers one day per week starting 11 April, then two days 2 May, with a ramp-up to three required days starting 23 May.

A recent survey of more than 650 Apple employees on third-party anonymous polling site Blind revealed 76% of respondents were dissatisfied with the company's return-to-office plans; 56% said they'd consider resigning over it.

Goodfellow is just one highly visible example of a worker choosing to quit, instead of reluctantly accepting an undesirable work policy. Yet there are plenty more workers itching to leave who haven’t yet. However, some recruiters and analysts believe a prominent professional’s much-talked-about move could be a sign that more resignations will follow as RTO policies start to sink in – and workers begin to bite back. bbc.com

See where death rates rose the most during the pandemic

U.S. Travelers More Concerned About Costs Than Covid for First Time Since Pandemic

Retail Leaders Prioritize Tech Amid Supply Chain Crisis
CIOs Stress Supply Chains, Efficiency as Recession Risks Rise

Tech leaders at Walgreens, Carhartt and other companies say they are monitoring markets, inflation and supply-chain uncertainties

Amid threats of recession, chief information officers say they are prioritizing technology that drives efficiency, mitigates ongoing supply-chain struggles and contributes quickly to the bottom line.

Tech leaders at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Carhartt Inc. and other companies say they are monitoring a number of factors, including the financial markets, inflation and supply-chain uncertainties as they continue making tech investments.

“During times of economic uncertainty, companies look for ways where technology can drive growth and create more economic value faster,” said Juan Perez, chief information officer at Salesforce Inc. “When budgets are under significant scrutiny, companies tend to place more emphasis on shorter-term solutions that can drive efficiency and productivity,” said Mr. Perez, who spent 32 years at United Parcel Service Inc., including six years as CIO.

Those solutions can run the gamut from simply planning further ahead to the use of automation and artificial intelligence to minimize supply-chain bottlenecks that drag on profits, CIOs said.

Across the tech sector, from startup founders to public- and private-market investors and corporate executives, a new mentality is emerging in which productivity and profitability play a bigger role.

The magnitude of widespread supply-chain backlogs hit home this month when he ordered a $5 million piece of semiconductor equipment with an estimated delivery time of about 18 months, longer than what is typical. Confronted with the risk that profits will become harder to achieve in a weakening economy, companies need to focus on minimizing costly delays, according to Mr. Burns, also a partner with private-equity and venture-capital investor Murray Hill Group in New York.

Therefore, he said, technology and services that make the supply chain more efficient are increasingly important. wsj.com

FTC Officially Investigating Formula Crisis
Federal Trade Commission Launches Inquiry into Infant Formula Crisis

Agency Seeks Public Comment on Attempts to Deceive Families and Factors that May Have Contributed to the Ongoing Shortage of Infant Formula

Today, the Federal Trade Commission staff launched an inquiry into the ongoing shortage for infant formula that has caused hardship for countless American families. The inquiry seeks information about the nature and prevalence of any deceptive, fraudulent, or otherwise unfair business practices aimed at taking advantage of families during this shortage. It also aims to shed light on the factors that have led to concentration in the infant formula market and the fragility of the supply chains for these crucial products. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan released a statement in conjunction with the public inquiry committing to a series of actions to confront this crisis.

"We have been monitoring and will continue to monitor the ongoing infant formula shortage, which is causing enormous anxiety, fear, and financial burden for American families," said Chair Lina M. Khan in her statement. "The FTC is launching a public inquiry to identify the factors that contributed to the shortage or hampered our ability to respond to it. Learning from this experience can help determine how we can minimize the risk of similar shortages in the markets for other life-sustaining products."

The Request for Information seeks public input on whether the FTC itself or state or federal agencies may have inadvertently taken steps that contributed to fragile supply chains in the market for these crucial products for many American families. Comments should be submitted to regulations.gov and must be received no later than Friday, June 24, 2022 by 11:59pm ET. ftc.gov

More National Fallout Over Baby Formula Crisis
Whistleblower report on baby formula didn’t reach top FDA food safety official

A report alleging safety failures at a plant took four months to reach Frank Yiannas, the top food safety official

When a whistleblower sent a 34-page report to the Food and Drug Administration in October alleging a host of unsanitary conditions at an Abbott infant formula factory, the top official in charge of food safety didn’t see it.

In fact, Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, didn’t learn about the complaint until four months later, according to Yiannas and others knowledgeable about the case.

By that time, one infant had already died and two others were hospitalized after consuming formula from the plant — all while other top FDA officials less-versed in food safety had elected not to send new inspectors to the plant in Sturgis, Mich. As another infant death was linked to Abbott-produced formula, the plant closed down and a recall was issued, sparking a critical national shortage of baby formula.

“It wasn’t sent to me and it wasn’t shared with me internally. How does this happen?” Yiannas, who previously ran the food safety program for Walmart, the nation’s largest grocer, told The Washington Post. “There were early signals and in any safety profession you want to take those seriously to stop the domino effect. That didn’t happen.”

The national fallout over the Abbott case has exposed a fractured structure at an agency that has long prioritized drugs and medicine over food safety, experts say — a problem exemplified by its handling of the whistleblower complaint and other warning signs of problems at the plant. washingtonpost.com

Retail Reputation Rankings
Trader Joe’s, H-E-B lead Axios-Harris Poll 100 reputation list

Wegmans, Publix and Kroger also among the top 25 companies

Trader Joe’s and H-E-B finished atop this year’s Axios-Harris Poll 100, an annual ranking of the reputations of the most visible U.S. companies across industry sectors.

For the 2022 Axios-Harris Poll 100, three supermarket chains — Trader Joe’s, H-E-B and Wegmans Food Markets — were ranked in the top five, while two other supermarket retailers — The Kroger Co. and Publix Super Markets — came in among the top 25 on the list.

Overall, a dozen food, drug and mass (FDM) retailers made the 2022 Axios Harris Poll 100, led by Trader Joe’s at No. 1, H-E-B at No. 2 and Wegmans at No. 5. Amazon — which sells groceries under its brand via Amazon.com as well as its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go store banners — came in at No. 7.

Next among retailers in the FDM channel were Publix at No. 19, Kroger at No. 25, Costco Wholesale at No. 26, Walgreens at No. 30, Target at No. 32, CVS at No. 36, Dollar Tree at No. 74 and Walmart at No. 77. supermarketnews.com

What the CFOs are Reading
Compliance costs to surge, straining tight budgets: Accenture
Nine out of 10 compliance executives forecast that the cost of compliance will surge as much as 30% during the next two years, yet only six out of 10 expect an increase in operational funding during the period, Accenture found in a survey.

Similarly, 93% of respondents believe that advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing will streamline compliance, yet 37% said their companies invest too little in technology and 72% said their technology budget did not change during the past 12 months, Accenture said.

“Compliance executives are facing a dual challenge of needing to invest in people, processes and tools while evolving in an ever-increasing, cost-pressure environment,” Accenture said, describing the global survey of 860 compliance leaders in 10 sectors. “The cost equation is a growing challenge for the compliance function.”

Money laundering, illicit digital payments and other wrongdoing pushed up financial crime compliance costs in the U.S. and Canada to $49.8 billion last year, a 58% increase compared with 2019, according to LexisNexis. cfodive.com

Court Rules Job Applicants Don’t Have Right to Explain Accurate Background Checks Under FCRA

Still best practice to provide notice, chance to respond to adverse action

Employers covered under the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are not necessarily required under federal law to provide job applicants with criminal convictions a chance to explain a negative background check report before rescinding a job offer.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the court ruled May 3 that while the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) does give job applicants the right to dispute the accuracy of background checks, it does not confer a right to argue accurately reported convictions before losing a job offer.

"The act doesn't give applicants the right to explain negative but accurate information in a consumer report before the employer can make an adverse employment decision," he said. shrm.org

Retail sector is telling us things are getting ugly
Economic indicators are telling us there’s rough sledding ahead. Retail is speaking loudest.

Warby Parker on track to open 40 stores this year; takes Omicron hit

Amazon Style Opens Its Very First Store Powered by Technology

Best Buy’s CEO says she isn’t planning for a ‘full recession’


Quarterly Results

Dick’s Sporting Goods comp's up 8.4%, net sales up 41% versus Q1 2019

Nordstrom Q1 Digital sales flat, Nordstrom Rack net sales up 10.3%, net sales up 18.7%

Caleres Q1 Famous Footwear down 3.4%, Brand Portfolio up 46.1%, net sales up 15.1%