Summer 2024 Weekend Shooting Analysis
Crime & Violence in America's Big Cities

Tracking Big City Shootings, Killings & Injuries Throughout Summer 2024

702 Shootings - 208 Killed - 726 Injured in 15 Cities Over Last 7 Weekends
Shootings (down 18%), deaths (down 10%) & injuries (down 19%) so far from 2023

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 2024

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

Over this past extended holiday weekend, from July 4th through July 7th, there were 149 shootings recorded in these 15 big cities, resulting in 43 deaths and 183 injuries.

In total, over the past seven weekends combined, these cities have recorded 702 shootings, resulting in 208 deaths and 726 injuries.

Compared to last summer at this time in the study, total shootings in these cities are down 18%, deaths are down 10%, and injuries are down 19%.

The D&D Daily will continue tracking 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 throughout the summer. docs.google.com

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

Crime Falls Overall in NYC - But Robberies Still Up 5%
NYC crime rate down 2% in 2024, as murders, shootings drop: NYPD
New York City saw a steep drop in murders and gun violence for the first half of 2024 compared to last year as police took an “historic” number of guns off the streets, NYPD officials said Wednesday.

Overall crime dropped 2% from the same period last year, officials said — though the number of reported rapes, robberies and assaults were up from January to June, according to the latest police department statistics.

As of June 30, murders in the city dropped by 17%, from 208 last year to 171, while the number of shooting incidents fell by 8%, from 482 to 441.

The drop in violence stemmed, in part, from the massive amount of firearms the NYPD has seized over the last year, Police Commissioner Edward Caban said.

By the end of June, there was a 6% drop in overall crime in the city’s transit system, officlals said.

Yet, while murders and shootings were down, assaults and robberies remained up for the year, statistics showed. Felony assaults rose to 14,364 from 15,545 in the first half of 2023, while robberies increased to 8,211 from 7,828 (up 5%).

The drop in crime was coupled with a 14% jump in overall arrests, statistics show.

With the hottest — and sometimes the most violent — months ahead this summer, the NYPD plans to implement its “deployment zone” plan where the department floods high crime areas with police officers in order to tamp down crime.

Under this plan in 2023, New York saw a 28% drop in shootings and a 19% drop in murders in July and August, according to NYPD statistics. nydailynews.com


Progressives Continue to Walk Tightrope Over Theft Debate
Democrats reversed course on a plan to place a crime-focused initiative on the November ballot a day after announcing it

Fight over retail theft is testing California Democrats’ drive to avoid mass incarceration policies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state leaders reversed course on a plan to place a crime-focused initiative on the November ballot a day after announcing it.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Newsom said there’s not enough time for state leaders to work out final language before the Wednesday deadline. State leaders rolled out the proposed measure Sunday night after spending weeks unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a separate, more punitive proposal on the same subject off the ballot.

The unusual and abrupt move highlights state Democrats’ difficult balancing act between tamping down voters’ frustration on crimes and avoiding a return to mass incarceration policies — all while the Governor has his eyes set on political ambitions elsewhere.

The now-abandoned measure would have competed with the tougher-on-crime ballot initiative backed by a broad coalition of district attorneys, business groups and local officials. Both proposals would increase penalties for some drug charges and make shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders, but Democratic lawmakers’ plan was narrower in scope and less punitive. They argued the district attorneys’ proposal would return California to the the war on drugs and mass incarceration era.

Lawmakers will now return to their original plan of advancing a legislative package of bills to target auto thieves and professional reseller schemes, which they aim to deliver to Newsom by the end of the session in August. cbs42.com

   RELATED: Retail theft initiative backed by California governor scrapped


Shoplifting Hot Spot Emerges in Santa Fe, NM
Shoplifting reports are up 33% from last year

Business and city leaders speak out on increase shoplifting
Santa Fe has seen a huge spike in shoplifting. Reports are up 33% from last year. Comparing the first month of this year to last year, there are 102 more shoplifting reports in 2024. Some businesses think that criminals may be shifting their targets from Albuquerque to the capital, while others think store owners are fed up and now report it more often.

“What we're hearing from our member companies, who and their asset protection officers, is that they're seeing a decrease in activity in Albuquerque,” said Rob Black, the CEO and president of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce. “And they're seeing an increase in both Santa Fe and with Salinas areas.”

Black said this conjecture is informal and in its early stages. According to him, crime reporting has been historically, so they are working with the data they have. The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce says they see an uptick in shoplifting as well, but can’t say if thieves are moving from the Duke City into Santa Fe.

Santa Fe police said there's been more crime happening as temperatures rise and summer hours get busier. Sergeant Luke Wakefield thinks they are documenting it more.

“We've increased downtown security with not only police. And now that it's summer, our bicycle team,” Mayor Webber said. “But also we've contracted for some outside additional security as the downtown tourist season increases. We want everybody to be safe.” koat.com


America's Theft Hot Spots
‘It’s unfortunate’: Houston on list for most retail theft
The National Retail Federation says Houston is on the top five list for cities with significant organized retail crime: Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland, Houston, New York, and Seattle.

“But let’s be honest retail crime is happening everywhere and we have to look at it from a whole nation approach,” said David Johnston, Vice President of Asset Protection and Retail Operations for the National Retail Federation during a 2023 security survey call. “The retail industry continues to deal with unprecedented levels of crime, theft, and violence. These issues are touching and impacting retailers of all sizes, segments, and locations across the United States.”

Houston police say they regularly work with businesses with loss prevention and help other companies when they’re asked. click2houston.com


More States Have Dedicated ORC Agents
Montana Department of Justice hires first organized retail theft agent
Swiping the small things has become a big problem for Montana retailers. In fact, the Department of Justice recently hired a new position dedicated to tracking down criminals connected to multi-state theft rings.

Her name is Agent Sara Lubke, and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen officially swore her in as the state’s first-ever organized retail theft agent in April. Her role is tracking down thieves who go from store to store and city to city stealing and selling their loot online, often getting away with it with little consequence.

“Having someone with a statewide position is really advantageous because I can connect cases from here in Billings to other cities across Montana,” said Lubke. ktvq.com


“Stolen Goods Must Remain Under $950.”
Street Sign Calling Out California's Retail Theft Goes Viral
An unofficial street sign has been making viral rounds online that jokingly warns customers outside a Louis Vuitton in California that “Stolen Goods Must Remain Under $950.”

This sign is going viral in a climate of increased pushback against retail theft in the state and a voter ballot measure in November that would increase penalties for repeat shoplifters. msn.com
 

Walmart shoppers decry store receipt checks

Augusta Mall promises evaluation of security protocols in wake of 2nd shooting this year
 

Retail's Self-Checkout U-Turn in the Headlines
Major retailers are backtracking on self-checkout

Five Below and Dollar General are moving back toward human cashiers, citing long-running industry concerns about lost inventory.

Dollar General said it has eliminated self-checkout options at about 12,000 locations, a majority of its stores, after it began the process in the first quarter this year, according to NBC News. Five Below is working to remove self-checkout entirely in some of its “highest-risk” locations. Target also announced steps to limit or eliminate self-checkout options at some stores this year, and Amazon is pulling its “Just Walk Out” cashierless checkout system from its grocery stores.

The U-turns are occurring at retailers that once touted the upsides of fully self-service stores. As recently as 2022, Dollar General described self-checkout technology’s potential to “enhance the convenience proposition, while enabling our associates to dedicate even more time to serving customers.” The company had tried to test stores with 100% self-checkout kiosks in hundreds of its retail locations.

The decisions come amid retailers’ ongoing efforts to tamp down on “shrink,” an industry term for all the ways inventory can get lost, including through error or theft by shoppers or employees.

Some of the companies shifting gears on self-checkout have blamed theft for their moves. In March, Five Below CEO Joel Anderson said the most significant change the company made in testing theft mitigation efforts was to replace self-checkout options with employees. Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said in May that the company’s goal is to restrict self-checkout to high-traffic, low-theft locations. nbcphiladelphia.com


75% of Shops Operated by NYC's MTA are Vacant
The Sad State of Underground Retail in New York City

Nearly 75 percent of shops operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are vacant.

The state of retail in New York City’s vast underground subway system is, in a word, bleak.

Nearly three-quarters of spaces in the transit network are empty, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a downward trend that began before the coronavirus pandemic but was exacerbated by it and the rise of remote and hybrid work.

For travelers, the empty storefronts have created a sense of unease and urban decay. Some doors have been locked with chains, their windows covered with for-lease signs. Others have discarded items like restaurant supplies strewed about. Homeless people have taken over empty corners of retail areas and sleep in stairwells.

For the authority, the surplus of space means a continuing decline in retail revenue at a time when the agency — which runs the country’s largest transit system of buses, subways and trains — recently lost a projected $1 billion in annual revenue with the abrupt cancellation of congestion pricing.

The state agency is trying to reimagine how to fill the vacant spaces, including with noncommercial solutions, like art displays and dedicated spaces for buskers. nytimes.com


Retail Discovers Bigger Isn't Always Better
Placer.ai: Retailers finding success with small-format stores
Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to store size.

That’s according to a new report from Placer.ai titled “Small Format Stores — Sprouting, Blooming and Expanding,” which said that small-format stores which offer consumers more convenient and localized shopping experiences are on the rise.

The study specifically focuses on the success being found by Sprouts Farmers Market, Macy’s Inc. (Bloomindale's) and BJ’s Wholesale Club with smaller stores.

The report finds that Sprouts Farmers Market’s small-format stores have seen foot traffic grow by nearly 50% between January 2022 and May 2024, far outpacing the company’s normal-sized stores and grocery stores overall.

Macy's experimentation with a small-format, highly-curated version of Bloomingdale’s store, called “Bloomie’s,” has helped it attract new audience segments — in particular those in urban areas.

During the first five months of 2024, the BJ’s Wholesale Club small-market store in Warwick experienced consistent year-over-year visit growth – outperforming the chain’s already-impressive state- and nationwide averages over nearly the entire analyzed period. chainstoreage.com


Parents to spend nearly 22% more on back-to-school shopping this year: report
Walmart, Target and Amazon continue to dominate the top list of places consumers want to shop during the season, a JLL survey found.

What’s the difference between Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue?

Last week's #1 article --

Facial Recognition Security Expands Across Other Sectors
Google is testing facial recognition technology for campus security, starting at site near Seattle

Google is testing facial-tracking technology for its corporate campus security, CNBC has learned.

Google is testing facial recognition technology for office security "to help prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to our campuses," according to a description of the program that was viewed by CNBC.

The initial test is taking place at one of Alphabet's sites in Kirkland, Washington, a Seattle suburb, the document says. Interior security cameras have been collecting facial data and comparing it to images stored from employee badge images, which includes the extended workforce, to help determine if there are unauthorized people on the premises.

Google's Security and Resilience Services (GSRS) team will use the data to help identify people "who may pose a security risk to Google's people, products, or locations," the document says. cnbc.com