San Francisco Police Ramp Up Retail Sting Operations
Dial-a-sting: For San Francisco stores plagued with shoplifting, undercover cops just an email away
In recent years, San Francisco’s reputation has been tarnished by viral videos of “takeover-style” retail thefts. Buut as the cops crack down on organized shoplifting crackdown with what they’ve been calling “blitz operations,” the San Francisco Police Department will now set up stings at any business with the space to hide a cop in. All the owners have to do is send an email to sfpd.retailtheft@sfgov.org.

The operations began in the fall and were immediately hailed as successful, racking up around 200 arrests by the end of 2023. Last week, Chief Bill Scott said the department had arrested “well over 400 people this year alone.” Police were asked for firm data on the number of arrests and a breakdown of operations by store size but did not respond by publication time.

The department funds the operations through a $15.3 million state grant, which aims to target organized retail crime.

“The retail theft grant that the city received last year is being put to good use, and a lot of those blitz operations are funded by that grant,” Scott said at the city’s most recent Police Commission hearing.

SFPD’s state-funded response to retail theft comes as the department’s response times have grown markedly slower—even though police are fielding far fewer calls.

San Francisco police’s prioritization of enforcement at stores that request it also reflects the department’s years-long shift away from self-initiated calls—when police spot a crime and call it in. According to SFPD, the department’s self-initiated calls dropped by 56% from 2019 to 2022.

Not all of SFPD’s state-funded blitz operations involve undercover officers. Some are carried out with uniformed staff, said police communications director Evan Sernoffsky. Operations are done multiple times a week, at a mix of small, medium and large stores.

Sernoffsky said San Francisco Centre and Stonestown mall have proved to be ideal locations for the sting operations. sfstandard.com


‘Theft is An act of Desperation’
California lawmakers battle over protecting stores vs. criminalizing poor Californians

Pushback remains as Legislature rushes retail theft bills to Newsom
Lawmakers have spent all year working on an ambitious package to crack down on retail theft. They have been outspoken about not wanting to criminalize the poorest and most desperate Californians if they steal necessities such as food while also making sure store owners and communities feel protected from these crimes. Poodle exemplifies the complexity of the issue: They represent someone who has both stolen out of need and has also been a part of organized theft rings.

The Democratic-led Legislature is expected to pass a bipartisan 13-bill crime package that will head to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration. The legislation would enact some harsher criminal penalties for repeat thieves, give store owners the chance to file for restraining orders against repeat offenders and provide prosecutors with better tools to prosecute car break-ins and multiple thefts that take place across counties. If signed into law, the bills will immediately be put into effect.

Some Democrats have been steadfast in creating tougher criminal penalties for those who are part of organized theft operations, but are hesitant to cast their votes on some legislation that could send those in desperate need to jail for stealing out of necessity.

The Legislature’s Democratic leadership wants to resolve the retail theft problem that some argue has been blown out of proportion. Still, lawmakers have been hesitant to pass legislation that hurts the poorest and most marginalized Californians.

At least twenty-seven bills were introduced this year to combat organized retail theft. Thirteen of those bills were bundled into two separate packages brought forward by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Senate Speaker Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg). latimes.com


Philadelphia's 'Striking' Decline in Shootings
Gun violence in Philadelphia is down in 2024 after three years of record-setting shootings

Gun violence in Philly has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly a decade. No one seems to know why.

After three straight years of record-setting gun violence, shootings in Philadelphia so far this year have plummeted to levels that rival the lowest pace in nearly two decades, according to an Inquirer analysis of police statistics.

What stands out is not only the stark drop in gunfire compared with last year, the analysis shows, but also that it has plunged to a level not seen since 2015 — and remained that way, week after week.

For example: Fewer than 100 people have been shot in each of the last seven months, the first time that’s happened in a decade, and just the third time the city has seen such a stretch since 2007.

The number of victims so far in 2024 is about half of the total at the height of the pandemic.

And the drop has been seen citywide: Only one of the city’s 21 police districts has recorded year-over-year increase in shootings, the analysis shows. In some of the most historically violent districts — particularly in Kensington and parts of North Philadelphia — the rate of gun violence has been cut nearly in half.

The only modern precedent for such a sudden change in Philadelphia’s level of gun violence is the spring of 2020, when the record-setting surge of shootings began. Still, that spike came after gunfire had been gradually increasing for several years. inquirer.com


Property Crimes Task Force Driving Down Crime at Destiny USA
Syracuse, NY: ‘Don’t come here if you think you’re gonna steal:’ Destiny USA beefs up patrols as well as prosecution for felons
Destiny USA touted its efforts to improve mall security and crack down on shoplifting at an event held at the mall on June 20. The press conference reiterated what Destiny USA’s General Manager, Mike Gately, told NewsChannel 9 last year: that the mall is the safest it’s ever been, despite some people’s reluctance to go.

Mark Rusin, Deputy Chief for the Syracuse Police Department said that they have seen a “significant reduction” in crime since last fall. The department formed a Property Crimes Task Force that’s been deployed in the mall, with officers either on bikes or on foot.

Notably, a recent fallen hero Officer Michael Jensen, was one of the first to volunteer to join the task force when it began. “Since then, we have an approximately 50% reduction in calls, there have been 283 arrests, 72 which have resulted in a felony charge,” said Deputy Chief Rusin.

Destiny is known for its dining and attractions, and police say 16 million people go through the mall. As for those who choose to steal, District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick claims there is a false perception that retail theft is not a big deal. The DA’s office is working alongside the mall and police, and focusing on a program called Serial Theft Offender Program, or STOP.  localsyr.com


Michigan's ORC Unit Making Progress
AG Dana Nessel offers updates on Organized Retail Crime partnership in Michigan
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and executives from major Michigan retailers held a roundtable to discuss organized retail crime. In January 2023, Nessel assembled a partnership of executives from companies like Meijer, Walmart, Kroger, and Ulta Beauty, called the Organized Retail Crime Unit.

The Organized Crime Unit partners with "The FORCE Team," which stands for Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement.

“In its first year, the FORCE team has emerged as a national example of how fostering strong relationships between prosecutors, community partners, and law enforcement agencies can be incredibly successful,” Nessel said.

Since its inception, 59 defendants in 39 retail fraud cases have been charged in fraud cases totaling over $20 million in losses. The unit has recovered more than $10 million in retail products, seized nearly $2 million in cash, and secured 17 convictions.

Michigan ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. for retail fraud, according to officials. wwmt.com

RELATED: New push to fight organized retail fraud in Michigan


Illinois AG Invests More Money in Fighting Rising Theft
Springfield, IL: Stores report increase in retail theft
From January 2023 to May 2023, there were 514 reported incidents of retail thefts. In that time frame this year, 613 incidents have been reported. For the last two years, the Springfield Police Department has received grants from the Illinois Attorney General's office to combat organized retail crime.

Some of the technology includes additional license plate readers, which have been placed strategically at retail establishments around Springfield to help with investigations. The department also pays for service called fūsusONE, which allows officers in their cars to monitor cameras around the city. This has helped officers track people throughout the city once they have stolen merchandise.

Pickford said that in addition to the technology, there is a dedicated team of detectives who work on investigating retail theft reports. They are also creating connections with local stores and their management teams in order to find the best way to report and handle retail theft. wandtv.com


Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce to host meeting on combating retail crime

Convenience store safety discussed after Leesburg robbery/murder
 

Self-Checkout Regulation Bill Moves Closer to Final Passage
California self-checkout bill passes committee, continues legislative trek

The bill would require one employee for every two self-checkout machines, though large warehouse retailers that require a membership would be exempt.

A bill that would require California grocery stores to have an employee for every two self-checkout machines, and limit customers to 15 items at those points, passed yet another hurdle Wednesday.

Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, a Los Angeles Democrat, argued that stores have cut staff over the past few years. Clerks in some cases now must serve other customers while monitoring multiple self-checkout machines.

Staffing issues have happened as self-checkouts became a focus point for shoplifters. According to Smallwood-Cuevas, the machines enable the loss of $10 billion in revenue each year. Senate Bill 1446 seeks to change that.

“This bill does not ban self-checkout,” Smallwood-Cuevas emphasized. “That is misinformation.” The bill wouldn’t affect large warehouse retailers that require a membership.

The legislation also would require stores to provide notice to workers and the public when they intend to implement new technology, like the use of digital smart cards.

The bill on Wednesday passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee. It now advances to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. courthousenews.com


In Case You Missed It
BOLO: NRF & LPRC release survey for new industry study on the Impact of Retail Theft and Violence.

The National Retail Federation, along with research partner the Loss Prevention Research Council, is launching a new study: The Impact of Retail Theft and Violence.

NRF sent an email to asset protection function leaders from more than 400 retail organizations asking them to complete a survey to shape this new study. As our industry continues to face epic levels of crime, theft, violence and loss, our goal is to provide key statistics and data showing the rate of these events and the impact on our industry over the past few years.

We need your help in completing our survey! To best inform legislators, community leaders, law enforcement and others we need strong collective results, truly representative of the industry. Completing the survey on behalf of your organization helps us achieve data representative of the real issues you face every day. Most of the survey questions were developed through conversations and common inquiries from policymakers and LP/AP leaders. Furthermore, the more participation and data we have, the more sector-specific analyses can be completed.

All LP/AP department leaders, please check your email for the survey link, which is specific to your organization. If you believe you have not received our survey or have questions about the upcoming study, please contact David Johnston at NRF.

On behalf of NRF and LPRC, thank you for all you do every day and helping us advocate and inform with actionable data and insight into the issues impacting us all.

Store Closures Up 24% This Year
Retailers Closing Nearly 3,200 Stores, Up From Last Year: Survey
Retail chains are closing thousands of stores this year, nearly a quarter more than by this time last year, a new survey shows.

Companies are announcing the closures of almost 3,200 brick-and-mortar stores so far in 2024, according to a recent analysis from CoreSight Research, which tracks store closures and openings. This is a 24% increase from a year ago, according to the report.

Major retail chains have announced about 4% fewer store openings compared to this time last year as well.

The stores cite multiple factors, including bankruptcies, inflation, and shoplifting, all of which lead to the prohibitive costs of keeping the stores open. Organized retail theft rings have become an urgent problem for both retail chains and small businesses in some areas.

Another factor is customers opting to shop online at places like Amazon rather than in person, a trend that has driven down store traffic over the past two decades. dailywire.com


Bringing AI Into 2,000 Stores
Target to roll out generative AI chatbot for store employees

The new tool, dubbed Store Companion, is designed to answer on-the-job process questions and support store operations.

Target plans to introduce a new generative artificial intelligence technology for its store employees at all of the company’s nearly 2,000 stores nationwide by August, the company announced Thursday.

The company is launching an AI-powered chatbot tool, Store Companion, as an app on store associates’ handheld devices. The app is designed to help store associates answer process and procedure-related questions. It’s currently in pilot testing at about 400 locations ahead of a planned nationwide roll out.

Target is also using gen AI to enhance product display pages to display personalized customer search results and summaries of product reviews. Target also began introducing guided search on its online store. Customer product searches can now return a broader selection of relevant items. The enhanced search experience will be available to all customers later this summer. retaildive.com

 
Smart & Final warehouse workers go on strike in Commerce and Riverside
Workers at two Smart & Final warehouses in Southern California went on strike Wednesday and planned to walk picket lines Thursday, protesting what they call mass layoffs and other alleged unfair labor practices.

Teamsters Local 630, which represents the workers, say the grocery store chain owned by Commerce-based Chedraui USA plans to close unionized Smart & Final warehouses in Commerce and Riverside. Union leaders added that workers are being forced to reapply for employment at $10 to $12 less per hour at a new warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga.

The two warehouses on strike serve as distribution centers for over 250 Smart & Final grocery stores in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Northern Mexico. dailynews.com


UK retail sales jump 2.9% in May

Dollar General adds to C-suite; promotes six others to new roles

Consumers were still cautious in May. That might be a good thing.