Summer 2023 Weekend Shooting Analysis
America's Crime & Violence Surge Continues

575 Shootings - 149 Killed - 593 Injured in 15 Big Cities Over Last 5 Weekends
That's a 3% increase in shootings compared to last year, though deaths have fallen by 25%

The D&D Daily's Big City Weekend Violence Study - Memorial Day to Labor Day

The Daily's annual study analyzes weekend shooting data in 15 major U.S. cities from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend 2023

Starting Memorial Day Weekend, the D&D Daily compiled and analyzed data from 15 major U.S. cities to get a snapshot of summer gun violence.

Over this past weekend, from June 23rd through June 25th, there were 73 shootings recorded in these 15 big cities, resulting in 19 deaths and 68 injuries.

In total, over the past five weekends, these cities have recorded 575 shootings, resulting in 149 deaths and 593 injuries.

Compared to last summer at this time in the study, total shootings in these cities are up 3%, deaths are down 25%, and injuries are up 3%.

The D&D Daily will continue to track this data throughout the summer to capture the weekend violence trend in our nation's big cities as warm weather typically brings about more crime and violence.

Click here to see the list of incidents per city and follow along each week as this spreadsheet will be updated every Monday. docs.google.com

Read more coverage about America's crime and violence surge in the section directly below
 

Retail Bomb Threats On the Rise
Bomb threats demanding ransom payments are a new headache for retailers including Walmart, Kroger and Whole Foods

The threats are being made by people demanding ransoms in the form of money, bitcoin or gift cards.

Law-enforcement officials and retailers are investigating a recent wave of bomb threats across the U.S. targeting grocery operators and other stores.

Kroger, Walmart, Amazon's Whole Foods Market and other companies have received bomb threats at stores in various areas from New Mexico to Wisconsin in recent months, according to authorities. Some callers demanded gift cards, bitcoin or money, and threatened to detonate bombs if payments weren't made.

Bomb threats demanding ransoms are unusual and appear to be a newer avenue of extortion targeting retailers that started earlier this year, security and industry experts said.

"It's yet another evolving scam," said Lisa LaBruno, senior executive vice president of retail operations at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Members of the trade group are sharing details on threats received and responses, she said.

Hy-Vee, Food City, Meijer and other retailers that have been targeted with similar threats said they take each incident seriously and report them to law enforcement. Walmart said it cooperates with local, state and federal investigators.

The recent rash of bomb threats targeting retailers with ransom demands began months ago and increased in the spring, said Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations at food trade group FMI. Callers have sought payment ranging from hundreds of dollars to thousands, he said, and the trade group representing retailers, wholesalers and suppliers has informed members and is working with local FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.

Whole Foods recommended that store leaders go through bomb-threat protocols with workers after several stores in various regions received threats seeking payment, according to a recent memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

For retailers and their employees, bomb threats are among a growing number of safety challenges alongside shootings, theft and other security issues. wsj.com  businessinsider.com


Stores in San Francisco are Becoming Security Fortresses
San Francisco Bay Area grocery store takes drastic measures to deter rampant shoplifting

Safeway in Vallejo joins other locations in San Francisco Bay Area taking measures against rising theft

A grocery store in the San Francisco Bay Area has installed metal emergency gates at its entrance in an attempt to deter rampant shoplifting.

A Safeway in Vallejo also shuttered one of its entrances, according to KPIX reporter Betty Yu, who tweeted an image of the safeguard, which sounds an alarm if a shoplifter attempts to leave.

The supermarket chain location, which is owned by Albertsons Companies, joins other locations in the San Francisco area that have taken similar measures in recent years amid the city's rise in thefts.

The Bay Area, which has seen property crime rise 10.4% since last year, has also been afflicted with a spike in smash-and-grab robberies, where shoplifters armed with bats and other weapons make off with thousands in merchandise from high-end stores.

The gates are part of "long-planned security improvements" for the store, a Safeway spokesperson told FOX Business.

"Like other local businesses, we are working on ways to curtail escalating theft so we can ensure the wellbeing of our employees and foster a welcoming environment for our customers. These long-planned security improvements were implemented with those goals in mind," the company said.

Last fall, the police chief of San Francisco and Democrat Mayor London Breed said they would address the city's rampant shoplifting crimes by dedicating more police and beefing up coordination to make it easier to report theft.

Pharmacies such as Walgreens have closed down in response to the increased theft, which Breed has said is detrimental to those who rely on such establishments. foxbusiness.com


At Least 15 States Have Established Retail Theft Task Forces
Lawmakers want to target organized retail theft
New York lawmakers are confronting a nationwide retail issue estimated to cost $100 billion: organized crime rings systematically targeting stores to steal products.

This trend has led retailers to secure common items under lock and key, impacting customer convenience.

The Legislature has greenlit a measure to form a task force to investigate and address this issue. Pending Governor Kathy Hochul's approval, the 15-member group will comprise appointees from the state Senate, Assembly, governor, and state attorney general. They are tasked with developing legislative and regulatory recommendations.

The Retail Council of New York State and the National Supermarket Association have endorsed the task force's formation, stressing the need for "interagency coordination."

Other states like Washington, California, Colorado, Illinois, Connecticut, and nine others have established similar initiatives. The task force is also expected to focus on worker safety. McDonald expressed his intention for the task force to establish best practices, seeking ways to counteract the retail theft epidemic. fingerlakes1.com

RELATED: NY lawmakers want task force to address 'national problem' of ORC


California's New ORC Partnership in the News
It's No Batman, but California Teams up to Stop Organized Retail Crime
California AG Rob Bonta, along with brick-and-mortar retailers and online marketplaces, adopted an agreement aimed at combatting organized retail crime (ORC).

The agreement explains that ORC has increased in California in recent years, threatening public safety and harming the economy. The agreement attempts to advance information-sharing and collaboration between retailers who may be the targets of theft, online marketplaces where the stolen goods may be resold for financial gain, and law enforcement.

Under the terms of the agreement, the signatory retailers with brick-and-mortar locations agreed to a number of commitments, including filing detailed police reports for all incidents of theft and retaining video of thefts to aid in prosecution. The online marketplaces also agreed to a number of commitments, including maintaining policies that clearly prohibit the sales of stolen goods and punish violators, and proactively ensuring the prevention and detection of listings for the sale of stolen goods. The retailers and online marketplaces both agreed to communicate with each other to stay up to date on ORC trends. jdsupra.com


The Great Debate Over Fighting Crime & Aggressive Policing
Crime is falling, but aggressive policing has some residents frustrated

Crime is down in one Brooklyn neighborhood, but residents say aggressive NYPD policing is oppressive and discriminatory
The numbers tell how often it happens in Brownsville - where crime is down so far this year, but neighborhood frustration with cops is up.

Across the city, more aggressive policing has been linked to a high number of sidewalk stops that don't comply with the law and largely target Black and Latino New Yorkers, according to a recent federal monitor's report filed in the landmark NYPD stop-and-frisk case.

Michael Sisitzky of the New York Civil Liberties Union says the NYPD is underreporting its stops.

What's happening in Brownsville comes against the backdrop of escalating crime across the city during the pandemic. Eric Adams campaigned on a promise to bring crime down, and weeks after taking office in 2022, Mayor Adams laid out an aggressive anti-crime plan that he said would put "boots on the ground."

In Brownsville's 73rd Precinct, data shows shows aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses - which often includes a policing technique often referred to as "stop and frisk" - has increased.

As aggressive low-level enforcement has risen, crime in the mile-square 73rd Precinct has dropped.

From Jan. 1 to June 18, police counted 767 major crimes in the precinct - which the NYPD defines as murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto. That is down 10% from the 854 major crime reported in the same period of 2022.

But at the same time, public complaints about 73rd Precinct officers are up, according to Civilian Complaint Review Board data.

But the NYPD stands behind its approach to the problem. nydailynews.com


Teens Fueling the Mass Shooting Epidemic?
Mix of bravado and access to guns contribute to mass shootings by teens in St. Louis, other cities
What these and other recent mass shootings share in common is they all involve suspects in their teens, highlighting what can be a deadly mix of teenage bravado and impulsiveness with access to guns.

The days when many teens opted to fight out disagreements with fists seem quaint by comparison. Reaching for a gun is the default these days for some teens who are as quick to take offense as to pull a trigger, agreed Rodney Phillips, a 50-year-old former Chicago Black Disciples leader who works with gang members nationwide to tamp down festering beefs.

"Now, the first thing out of their mouths is, 'I'm gonna kill you.' It's the brazenness of (the shootings), the reckless abandon, doing it in public places," Phillips said. "It wasn't like that when I came up."

Among the solutions to reducing teen violence, Jones said, was to keep expanding programs offering young people activities in safe spaces, including movie and music nights. More firearms, and even more powerful firearms, have enabled teens, or anyone wielding a gun, to maim and kill more people in single incidents.

In many cities, illegal guns are never too far out of reach. apnews.com


San Fran Mayor Breed, asked about 'doom loop,' suggests tearing down Westfield Mall

Elk Grove-focused prosecutor to crack down on retail theft, sideshows and more

Retail thefts cause concern in Southern Nevada