Prosegur Security Joins Blue Lightning Initiative to Help Prevent Human Trafficking

Herndon, Va. (July 14, 2021) – Prosegur Security, a global leader in security technology, has become the first security company to join the Blue Lightning Initiative, a joint program of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to help identify and prevent human trafficking. As a part of the program, Prosegur employees who work in aviation and retail security will be trained on how to spot potential human traffickers and victims, as well as the procedures for safely and quickly reporting such instances to relevant authorities. Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below
 

Diving Deeper into the 'Alarming' Crime Data
How crime stats lie — and what you need to know to understand them
As Covid-19 rates improved and vaccinations allowed much of the country to reopen, reports of crime waves began to dominate headlines. Politicians, pundits, journalists and law enforcement have all scrambled to make sense of increased violence around the United States, while the public is left to sort through alarming numbers and conflicting narratives.

Understanding crime trends requires nuance, but gaps and inconsistencies in the data make it easy to misinterpret and spin facts in a way that serves political agendas instead of evidence-based solutions.

Only specific crimes have increased. It's important to be clear about what types of crime are on the rise. Several forms of property crime, including robberies, residential burglaries and larceny declined in 2020 and continued to go down in the first quarter of 2021, according to a report from the National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice (NCCCJ), continuing a multi-year downward trend.

According to the FBI's preliminary 2020 findings, violent crime rose by 3% across the country last year. But the number of murders rose by 25% between 2019 and 2020 — the largest jump recorded in the US in a one-year period since the FBI began releasing annual figures in the 1960s. The NCCCJ's findings were similar, citing a 30% increase in the homicide rate between 2019 and 2020 in the 34 major cities it surveyed.

Homicide can't be treated like any other crime. Experts say that classifying an increase in homicides as part of a 'crime wave' obscures the fact that murder is a unique, devastating crime — one that requires targeted solutions.

Crime rates are not partisan. Asher's data shows that murder appears to have risen uniformly across the country, contrary to partisan talking points that the increase is happening only in heavily Democratic areas.

Gun violence is a driving factor. We know that the rise in homicides is tied to increased gun violence in the past two years. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun-related violence in the United States, there were 39,538 gun deaths in 2019 compared to 43,559 in 2020. The bulk of that increase came from homicides or unintentional gun deaths, which rose by almost 4,000 between 2019 and 2020. Gun sales also soared during the pandemic. cnn.com

NY Leaders to Bolster Anti-Crime Funding
Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams Target New York City’s Rising Gun Crime

The governor and candidate for NYC mayor said they would steer funding to anticrime efforts in Brooklyn, as Democrats embrace public-safety message

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Eric Adams, pledged to work together to combat elevated gun violence in the nation’s largest city, as Democrats across the country try to coalesce around a public-safety message.

In their first joint appearance since Mr. Adams clinched his party’s nomination, the Democratic governor and the front-runner for mayor unveiled state funding for nonprofit and church organizations in central Brooklyn, including programs for summer employment and job training as well as “violence interrupters” to mediate gang disputes.

Wednesday’s appearance provided another opportunity for Mr. Adams—a former New York Police Department captain and currently Brooklyn borough president—to promote his vision for how Democrats can seize public safety as an issue during a period of rising crime. Mr. Adams also met this week with President Biden, who is working to counter rising crime in American cities amid criticism from Republicans who contend that Democrats have failed to sufficiently respond.

Mr. Adams said Wednesday that it was important to make clear that crimes would have consequences and to focus resources on preventing crimes motivated by poverty.

There have been 803 shooting incidents in New York City so far this year, up from 623 incidents during the same period in 2020 and 389 incidents during the same time in 2019, according to NYPD data. There have been 225 homicides this year in the city, an increase of 5% from 2020 and 37% from 2019, according to the NYPD.

Violent crime and homicides have increased in many major U.S. cities this year. Philadelphia police reported 284 homicides as of this week, a 31% increase from the same period last year, and Los Angeles police reported 185 homicides through July 3, an increase of 24% from 2020. In Chicago, the number of homicides this year is down slightly. wsj.com

74% of Violent Criminals Released Before Trial Commit New Crimes
55% of alleged criminals released in San Francisco reoffended before trial
An $18.7 million contract approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to extend the city's Pretrial Diversion Program is raising questions after a new report disproved its success. The program is overseen by the Sheriff's Office to supervise people recently arrested but released before trial to ensure they appear in court and reduce any new criminal activity.

A new independent assessment that aimed to validate the PSA found 55 percent of alleged criminals released in San Francisco reoffended before trial. It's important to note this study was not a direct assessment of the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Program.

"This is a scandal," said San Francisco Supervisor Catherin Stefani. "They are masking what's actually happening." Supervisor Stefani was the only board member to vote against approving the $18 million contract.

"The data didn't add up," she said. "It wasn't matching what we were seeing out on the streets."

The San Francisco Sheriff's Office reported in committee, less than 10 percent of the city's most violent offenders released before trial committed new crimes from 2016 to 2019. Roughly 20 percent or less of other non-violent offenders reoffended during the same time period, according to data from the Sheriff's Office.

But, the validation study found the rate alleged criminals reoffended during those years was actually 55 percent. The study also concluded 74 percent of the city's most violent offenders committed new crimes before trial.

The report also shows in nearly 30% of cases, judges released individuals against the recommendation of the public safety assessment. abc7news.com

New Use-of-Force Standards Challenged
Minnesota seeks dismissal of legal challenge to new police standards

Law enforcement lobbying groups sued earlier this month, arguing the 2020 use-of-force changes are unconstitutional.

Four law enforcement lobbying groups sued the state and Gov. Tim Walz earlier this month, alleging that a 2020 law change governing police use of force is unconstitutional because it compels officers to forfeit their rights to refuse testimony against themselves in deadly force cases.

In a brief filed Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Anna Veit-Carter wrote that the state will ask for a hearing before Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro to dismiss the lawsuit "for lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Veit-Carter added that the state will outline its case for dismissal in a forthcoming memorandum to the court.

The law enforcement groups — the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, Minnesota Sheriffs' Association, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and Law Enforcement Labor Services Inc. — are also seeking an injunction to delay implementation of certain new requirements "that were intended to require training and for which there has been insufficient time and opportunity to engage in the requisite training."

Under last year's change, officers can no longer justify deadly force to protect themselves or another person from "apparent" death or great bodily harm. The new law struck the word "apparent" and now reads "to protect the peace officer or another from death or great bodily harm."  startribune.com

Why Do Some Crimes Increase When Airbnbs Come to Town?
 

COVID Update

335.4M Vaccinations Given

A new lawsuit 'every single day'
Employers see legal action over use of biometric info

Illinois employers such as Walmart and Topgolf have recently paid out multimillion-dollar settlements to employees claiming improper use of their biometric data.

Biometric information privacy may be an emerging area of employment law, but last month, employers saw an example of why it should be taken seriously.

On June 22, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approved a settlement agreement between entertainment company Topgolf and a class of former employees who alleged Topgolf collected and disclosed their biometric data through a "finger-scan timekeeping system" in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, per a court document. Though Topgolf denied the claims, the parties agreed to a $2,633,400 award to be split between more than 2,600 class members.

Topgolf is not the only employer to face litigation under BIPA so far in 2021. Earlier this month, a former Walmart fulfillment center employee filed a class action suit alleging that the retailer violated state law by requiring employees to use voice recognition software to track their work, Law360 reported. In January, Walmart agreed to a $10 million settlement over claims by current and former employees that the company required them to use a palm-scanning device without obtaining written consent, the Chicago Tribune reported.

In June, a group of consumers filed a BIPA lawsuit against Apple over the use of electronic fingerprint and facial recognition in its products.

The Illinois law sets forth a number of stipulations about collecting, retaining and disclosing biometric identifiers — including retina or iris scans; fingerprints; voiceprints; hand or facial scans — and biometric information, which includes any information based on these identifiers.

Under BIPA, employers and other entities in possession of such information must develop a written, publicly-available policy outlining how long the information will be retained as well as how it will be permanently destroyed — which the law says should occur "when the initial purpose for collecting or obtaining such identifiers or information has been satisfied or within 3 years of the individual's last interaction with the private entity, whichever occurs first." hrdive.com

Mall Security Robots
Security robots patrol the Mall at Stonecrest
Far from a sci-fi movie, two robots are some of the newest security team members at the Mall at Stonecrest. Shoppers, meet Stoney and Pebble. Earlier this year, the pair was rolled out for increased security as the mall extended its hours of operation. Weighing around 500 and 350 pounds each, the robots can do a lot more than you would expect.

Mall officials say Stoney and Pebble can work around the clock with about 15 to 20 minutes of charge. The duo is capable of people and license plate reorganization along with identity assistance and two-way emergency communication.

What's more, the robots are both tied to the mall's CCTV and can help find lost children or spot issues such as slip and fall accidents. Of course, Stoney and Pebbles aren't flying solo. The two are also tied to the advanced Security Operation Center with a monitoring team and dispatch of on-duty security and police officers.

"I have been a tenant at the Mall at Stonecrest for nearly 20 years. The security enhancements being put in place – especially the robots – help make our customers, and my staff, feel more secure," said Ronald McKenzie, owner of First Class Barber Shop.

The Mall at Stonecrest is the first shopping center in the area to implement security robots in what could be a model for other malls in the area. Nationwide, security robots are becoming more utilized in many public spaces. privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Fed's Finally Took Action on Noncompetes - But No New Rules Yet
They've been threatening for years to eliminate or limit noncompetes

What Does President Biden's Order on Noncompetes Mean for Employers?
Employers should review their noncompete agreements and other restrictive covenants in light of a new executive order that aims to curb the use of these contracts in the workplace. The federal government has yet to issue any new rules, but employers should prepare for potential changes.

President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order that encourages the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban or limit noncompete agreements. The order is meant to promote competition and economic growth by making it easier for workers to change jobs, among other objectives.

Employers generally use noncompetes to protect their proprietary information by preventing employees from working for competitors in a specific geographic area for a limited amount of time. But such agreements, particularly with low-wage earners in the retail and restaurant industries, have been scrutinized in recent years.

Carson Sullivan, an attorney with Paul Hastings in Washington, D.C., said there's a lot of debate about what the executive order means for noncompetes. "We really can't tell how broad the ban will be," she said, though she noted that the order focused on "unfair" use of noncompetes and other agreements that limit employee mobility.

"The [FTC] is going to take a long, hard look at noncompetes, and there is considerable momentum behind curtailing their use," said John Siegal, an attorney with BakerHostetler in New York City. "We expect the FTC will conduct a public inquiry process reviewing all of the legal, human resources and economic competitiveness issues around noncompetes, leading to a rulemaking process."

"An outright ban on noncompetes, however, would draw considerable opposition from a wide array of industries and employers."

Employers can realistically expect the government to narrow the employment categories for which such agreements can be used.

California, North Dakota and Oklahoma have banned noncompete agreements in most circumstances, and a new law in Washington, D.C., will also ban the use of such agreements, with some exceptions.

Nearly a dozen other states prohibit noncompetes with low-wage earners or hourly workers. Massachusetts bans noncompetes for certain professionals, such as nurses, physicians, social workers and employees in the broadcasting industry. shrm.org

US Warns Retailers with Ties to China
Feds warn companies that ties to forced labor in China risks breaking the law

The US warned that companies with investment or supply-chain ties to Xinjiang can face legal risks.

The US on Tuesday cautioned that companies that invest, provide venture capital, or have supply-chain ties to the Xinjiang region of China "run a high risk of violating U.S. law," due to widespread reports of forced labor and other human rights violations against ethnic minorities in the region.

The US has accused China of committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, citing the arbitrary mass detention of mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the region in what the Chinese government calls "re-education camps." The government has also forcibly sterilized, tortured, and sexually abused ethnic minority prisoners in these camps, according to former detainees.

Companies who don't pull out of the region could violate statutes that criminalize benefitting from or importing goods that are the result of forced labor. The advisory also warned US companies against assisting in the development of surveillance tools for Xinjiang or supplying US-made goods to entities that use forced labor.

In 2020, activist groups accused some of the world's biggest fashion brands — including Nike and H&M — of sourcing cotton from factories that exploit the forced labor of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. Over a million ethnic minorities have been detained in Xinjiang, a region that produces a fifth of world's cotton, and activist groups have called for companies to exit the region to avoid profiting from human rights violations in the area. businessinsider.com

American Dream sets long-delayed opening date for upscale wing - Sept. 30

Child tax credit payments are an ‘underappreciated stimulus’ for retailers

Average CEO made nearly 300 times the median employee pay last year

J&J Recalls Aveeno, Neutrogena Spray Sunscreens Over Cancer-Causing Chemical

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San Francisco Resident Convicted Of Robbery Affecting Interstate Commerce In Scheme To Steal Merchandise While Threatening To Spread Covid-19

Defendant Entered a Walgreens, Coughed Audibly, Claimed to Have “COVID,” and Stole Merchandise from Store.

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury convicted Carmelita Barela today of committing robbery affecting interstate commerce in connection with a scheme to steal merchandise from a Walgreens while claiming to have COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, some people have tried to use the crisis to intimidate essential workers and to commit crimes. This conviction demonstrates that those who seek to exploit the pandemic and commit crimes for their own personal gain will be held accountable.”

"The FBI did not stand by while criminals were using the COVID-19 pandemic to threaten and intimidate frontline workers," said Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair. "People working in grocery stores and convenience stores were risking going to work so the rest of us could get the food and medicine we needed. The FBI has remained committed to this case to protect the essential workers in our community."

On April 6, 2020, Barela, 36, of San Francisco, and another woman entered a Walgreens near San Francisco’s Civic Center with empty bags and without wearing masks. After the store manager offered assistance, the other woman began to cough without covering her mouth. The store manager asked the other woman to leave the store if she was sick. Instead, the woman walked over to Barela and both defendants began to cough audibly while taking merchandise off the shelves and placing it into their bags. The manager told the defendants to leave the store, to which they responded by saying, “We have COVID.” Barela continued to cough audibly and eventually left the store without paying for the merchandise the defendants placed into their bags.

A grand jury indicted Barela on June 22, 2020, charging her with robbery affecting interstate commerce (Hobbs Act Robbery), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951. The jury convicted Barela of the charge.

Barela faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, the court may order restitution and an additional term of supervised release. Judge Breyer ordered the Barela detained pending sentencing and scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 4, 2021. justice.gov

Vacaville, CA: 80 pairs of Stolen Jeans worth thousands found in retail theft bust
Two women are accused of stealing thousands of dollars of Target and True Religion merchandise that included clothes and baby formula, according to the Vacaville Police Department's Facebook post. Vacaville police said they arrested Coreneshia Brooks, 25, and Jazell Young, 25, after finding 80 pairs of stolen jeans, 43 of which were from Levi's and 37 of which were from True Religion. Police said the True Religion jeans alone retailed for over $8,700. They also found stolen baby formula, children's clothing and over-the-counter medicine that totaled over $4,500.

Police said they received reports of two women grabbing stacks of jeans before fleeing the True Religion store in a white Ford Focus. They later found the car while scanning through traffic cameras. Target employees contacted police saying two women with a similar description stole baby formula from the store. Police found the car while they were trying to leave a parking lot near Target. Officers arrested Brooks and Young after they followed their orders. Police believe Brooks was involved in other thefts from Targets across 11 counties and 30 cities, with an estimated loss of over $74,000. Brooks and Young are booked into the Solano County Jail on felony charges relating to shoplifting, possession of stolen property and organized theft. Brooks also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest in San Joaquin County for organized retail theft and grand theft. facebook.com

Fresno, CA: Suspects targeting high-end hair products at salons across Fresno
A series of salon break-ins throughout Fresno is becoming a costly crime. Many of the businesses barely survived pandemic closures only to be repeatedly hit by a beauty shop burglar. Juan Salcedo owns Luxe Salon and Spa near Champlain Drive and Perrin Avenue. His salon has been hit twice this year by a burglar, once in March when a suspect smashed a window and stole high-end makeup and hot tools. Then again on June 17. Surveillance video shows the window smash and the suspect come in, bin in hand. "He made sure he went for the big stuff," Salcedo said. The second time, the suspect got away with high-end hair products and hot tools. Salcedo says between both burglaries the business is out nearly $17,000 in goods and damages. abc30.com

Perth, Australia: Burglar uses garden hose to rappel into Bunnings Warehouse store
In a Mission Impossible-style burglary, a man has been caught on camera rappelling into a Bunnings store using a garden hose and stealing some power tools before fleeing the scene. CCTV captured the hooded man using the long hose to break into the Harrisdale Bunnings just after 4am on July 5. Wearing a balaclava, the man can be seen descending down the hose from inside the roof of the hardware store and landing on top of a shelving unit. He then makes a fumbled jump to the ground and falls on the floor. The hooded robber walks aimlessly through the aisles of the giant shop with a backpack, collecting several items to take with him. He then attempts to use the same garden hose to climb back up to the roof, but his getaway is disrupted by workers in the store. Scrambling back to the ground, the CCTV shows the man picking power tools out of the bundle of goods he had collected, before sprinting to an emergency exit for his great escape. perthnow.com.au

Update: Hammond, IN: Second robber sentenced to 7 years for $1M Jared Jewelry heist
A federal judge sentenced a second man to prison for the 2019 armed robbery of a Southlake Mall jewelry store, where a trio stole $1,000,000 worth of valuables. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon DeGuilio sentenced 30-year-old Altonio Dequan Benson, of Detroit, Michigan, to 84 months imprisonment on Wednesday. Benson pleaded guilty to robbery affecting interstate commerce and was also ordered to pay restitution totaling to $422,552. Another Detroit, Michigan, man, Darren Bell, was sentenced to 39 years in prison in December 2020 and ordered to pay $422,552 in restitution for his involvement in the heist.

The men pleaded guilty to taking part in an armed robbery Jan. 25, 2019, at Jared The Galleria of Jewelry in Southlake Mall. A third suspect remains unidentified. Federal prosecutors alleged Bell, Benson, 41, of Detroit, and a third man entered the store around 7 p.m. that day. While customers and employees watched, the men smashed open display cases with sledge hammers and ran away with more than $1 million worth of jewelry. nwitimes.com

Greenville, NC: Three arrested for Best Buy theft
Three Greenville residents have been arrested for attempting to steal electronics from Best Buy. An incident report said the Greenville Police Department received a report of larceny at 6 p.m. on Tuesday from the Best Buy at 3140 Evans St., in the Lynncroft Shopping Center. It was reported that a Nighthawk router valued at $450 and a Harmon Kardon speaker valued at $300 were stolen. reflector.com